TANDEM DRIVING 



trot, from Hounslow to Hare Hatch, distance twenty-four 

 miles, in two hours. His horses, however, were not well 

 matched, and * broke ' before they had gone six miles. As 

 breaking involved the penalty of turning the equipage round 

 and starting afresh, and breaks were frequent, Mr. Buxton 

 occupied over an hour in going ten miles and gave up, forfeit- 

 ing the hundred guineas he had staked on the task. 



On 19th May 1824 a match was thus recorded in the 

 Sporting Magazine : — 



' Captain Swann undertook a tandem match from Ilford 

 seven miles, over a part of Epping Forest. He engaged to 

 drive 12 miles at a trot and to back his wheels if he broke 

 into a gallop. This happened only once in the seventh mile, 

 which he nevertheless completed in 33 minutes. On his 

 return the pacing of the horses was a picture. The match 

 was won fairly with two minutes and six seconds to spare.' 



A Mr. Houlston in the same year drove his tandem twelve 

 miles on the Winchester Road in one minute thirty-nine seconds 

 under the hour allowed. By this time tandem drivers had come 

 to the reasonable conclusion that the turning penalty (proper 

 enough in trotting matches, whether in shafts or saddle) 

 was excessive for their sport, and ' backing ' had been substi- 

 tuted therefor. Any one who has had occasion to turn a 

 tandem on the road without assistance will admit that the 

 abolition was wise. 



Long journeys against time were sometimes undertaken. 

 In 1824 



' Captain Bethel Ramsden undertook to drive tandem from 

 Theale to London, 43 miles, in 3 hours and 40 minutes. The 

 start took place at four o'clock in the morning, and in the first 

 hour the captain did 12 J miles to between Twyford and Hare 

 Hatch. He did in the next hour 12 miles and upwards, and 

 got the horses' mouths cleaned at Slough. He had 5J miles 

 to do in the last forty minutes, and performed it easily with 

 eleven minutes to spare.' 



The cult of the trotting horse stood high in those days 



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