THE ART OF DRIVING 135 



Ing that, gives a sharp word of command — a yell if 

 necessary, and a jerk of the bit, and thus the bad in- 

 tention is frustrated. When a trotter is on the point of 

 breaking, he gives the same signal. The famous Hiram 

 Woodruff wrote: 



Two horses are nearing the wire, the leading one, though 

 tired, might win ; but the driver turns his head to look at the 

 ladies in the grandstand, or to see if they are looking at him. 

 At that moment the horse's ears fly back — the driver does not 

 see it, the horse breaks, and the ugly man behind keeps his 

 horse steady and wins by a neck. 



The tired horse will let you know that he Is tired by 

 flopping his ears a little or turning them slightly back- 

 ward; and you should take this as a hint to slacken the 

 pace. A good horse always keeps his ears pricked 

 forward when he is in motion, and a roadster was 

 once defined (by myself, I believe) as a horse that 

 one can drive ten miles In an hour or fifty In a day, 

 without taking the prick out of his ears. 



You can encourage or rally a tired or faint-hearted 

 horse by moving the bit in his mouth, and this " reefing " 

 as it is called, has been developed Into an art by the 

 drivers of trotting horses. So, also, you can keep a 

 stumbling horse on his legs by shifting the bit in his 

 mouth, and touching him lightly with the whip. To 

 punish a horse for stumbling, by jerking the bit or 

 whipping him is cruel and absolutely useless. The 

 only result will be to give him the habit of suddenly 

 starting up after a stumble, and this proclaims to all 

 observers both that the horse Is a confirmed stumbler, 

 and that the driver Is a bad one. 



