;32 HORSE-KEEPING FOE AMATEURS. 



the road " advisedly, as never by any chance does lie pull 

 up at the kerb. Now, it will readily be seen that our friend 

 is an apt example of nearly everything he should not be as 

 a driver. Always avoid hurrying a horse when starting; 

 m iny a bad slip, and consequent strain, has happened from 

 neglect of this simple precaution. The reins should be held 

 so that the near passes over the forefinger of the left hand, 

 the off rein lying between the fore and second finger; then 

 put the right hand loosely on the off rein ; of course, in front 

 of the left. Do not hold the horse's head too tightly, 

 though probably a greater pressure will be needful than if 

 you were riding the same animal. If you were to ask me 

 why, I confess I should be utterly unable to tell ; perhaps it 

 is because all horses are more inclined to bore in harness 

 than in saddle. Keep hiin going well within himself, and 

 make him always run up to his bit; plenty of animals do not 

 do so, for the simple reason that the bit is too severe. The 

 remedy for this is so plain that it needs no telling. Use the 

 whip as sparingly as possible, though a clever coachman may 

 frequently be enabled to guide, not punish, an animal by its 

 means. Bearing-reins in single harness are an abomination; 

 they confine the head, deaden the mouth, and induce the 

 animal to lean ; so that, if he makes a little stumble, down 

 he goes to a certainty. The hand should just feel the mouth, 

 giving the head plenty of play all the time. 



Driving a pair is almost as simple a process as driving a 

 single horse. The main thing to look to is the keeping them 

 together, and seeing that each does his fair share of the work ; 

 some animals are as clever as the proverbial "cartload of 

 monkeys " at shirking their collars, just going suflSciently to 

 keep their traces taut, but not pulling an ounce Whip is 

 no good when one horse is a free-goer and the other a slug ; 

 directly the worker hears it applied to the oth^r, he dashes 

 forward, and does still more of the work, and the sooner you 

 part this pair the better. A capital plan is to change the 

 sides of your horses pretty often ; this prevents them getting 

 into such bad habits as lying on the pole, &c. The bearing-iein 

 admits of a reasonable excuse in double harness, as it serves 

 to keep the two horses' heads on a level ; and this, if they 

 stand about much in the streets, is a consideration. If, how- 

 ever, the horses are for work, as distinguished from ornament, 

 I would strongly advise the bearing-rein to be dispensed with 



