56 HARNESSING. 



HARNESSING. 



The General Mounting, whether of brass or sil- 

 ver-plated (to correspond with the mountings of the 

 carriage), or with leather- covered buckles, is all a 

 matter of taste; the leather being, however, the least 

 durable. 



A Dry Harness -Room is indispensable, in which 

 there should be shallow presses with pegs, but no 

 shelves; otherwise, coverings should be provided for 

 harness and saddles to preserve them from flying dust. 



Style. — In pairing horses for draught, if one be 

 rather larger than the other, the larger should be 

 placed on the near or left side, as the left-hand side of 

 the road being that on which vehicles travel, the near- 

 side horse will generally be going an inch or more lower 

 than the off-side one, and the difference of size in the 

 pair will be less perceptible. 



If the animals are of an even size, and one be more 

 lazy than the other, that one should be placed at the 

 off side, being thus more conveniently situated to re- 

 ceive gentle reminders from the whip without obser- 

 vation. If one of the pair will carry his head higher 

 than the other, Ms coupling-rein* should run under 

 that of the animal that leans his head the most, so as 

 to bring their heads as much on a level as possible. An 

 ivory ring, to run the coupling-reins through, looks and 

 acts well. 



Both manes should be trained to flow either in or 



* In double harness, to increase your power in turning, shorten 

 the coupling-reins ; and to ease your horses, lengthen these to let 

 their heads work more straight forward. 



