254 THE HORSE IN AMERICA 



board, nor yet tucked awkwardly underneath 

 him. Indeed with a driver's cushion either atti- 

 tude would be uncomfortable if not impossible. 

 What he should seek for is a position in which he 

 is at ease in all his movements for a driver has to 

 drive all the time, at every moment from the 

 starting out until he sets foot on the ground and 

 turns over his horse to the groom. It is careless- 

 ness in driving that causes nearly all the acci- 

 dents, for it is the unexpected that is always hap- 

 pening. 



One should always drive with the left hand, 

 using the right to hold the whip and give assist- 

 ance to the left when it is required to shorten the 

 rein. A good mouth is just as excellent in a driv- 

 ing horse as in a saddle-horse. The mouth should 

 be like velvet, and at all times responsive to the 

 telegraphic signal from the hands of the driver. 

 To drive with a slack rein makes a horse slouchy 

 even when a check is used. To pull on a horse 

 hardens his mouth and lessens the control of the 

 driver. Nothing is more unpleasant than a pulling 

 horse. It is as fatiguing in harness as in the sad- 

 dle* And a puller is the easiest thing to accom- 



