COACHING, TANDEM AND FOUR-IN-HAND WHIPS. 211 



" I do not like the whipcord lashes, neither silk ones ; because they are 

 too light and stick when they get wet. I prefer the leather point which is 

 sold in England." — Edwin Iloivlett, *^ Driving Lessons,'^ p. 33. 



COACHING AND TANDEM WHIPS. 



The most important point in selecting a coach whip is to 

 procure one of the right length ; if the v/hip is not of the 

 right length, no matter how good the stick or the thong, you 

 are in one way or another badly handicapped at important 

 times when its use is necessary. When too long the point 

 dangles among the reins and becomes entangled, or if too 

 short the leaders go " scot-free " when they should be chas- 

 tised. As there is a correct length it is advisable to obtain 

 a whip of the right dimensions instead of buying one a little 

 shorter or longer. The Wards of England, famous whip 

 makers in their day, established the following measurements, 

 which hold good at the present time : From the butt of the 

 stick to the quill holder, five feet one and one-half inches, 

 and the thong from the base of the .quill to the end of the 

 point twelve feet six inches. In order to facilitate the carry- 

 ing of an extra whip the stick is often made with a screw 

 joint in the middle and the whip mounted on a board as 

 shown in Fig. 150. 



FOUR-IN-HAND WHIPS. 



Some well known coaching authorities are here quoted 

 on the subject of the make of a four-in-hand whip : 



" Whips to a four-in-hand coachman are what a good fly-rod is to a 

 fisherman ; they should be perfectly balanced, made of well seasoned holly, 

 yew or blackthorn (the latter being the most difficult to get), the stick as 

 nearly five feet long as possible and the thong ten feet. (If the stick is five 

 feet long, nine feet six inches is ample length for the thong.) Indeed ten 

 feet I consider better. Double the length of the stick and no whipcord 



