LONG AND SHORT WHEEL-REINS. 213 



and his belly hanging over his knees, then such an acci- 

 dent is not to be wondered at. Take, for instance, such 

 a man as Black Will, late on the Blenheim, but now 

 on one of Costar's Oxford coaches, and I have no idea 

 of his being pulled from his box by a horse dropping, 

 although driving with the short wheel-rein. At all 

 events, when the horse is found to be past recovery, 

 by opening the hand the danger is removed, as the rein 

 then falls out. 



Another advantage attends the long wheel-rein, and 

 that is, in case of a wheel-horse bolting at starting his 

 coach, so as to snap both his traces (no uncommon oc- 

 currence, and I saw one in the Chester mail break three 

 pair before they could start him) ; the coachman is then 

 safe, whereas with the short one it is ten to one but he is 

 pulled from the box with a violent jerk. Several lives 

 have been lost in this way. In quick opposition work, 

 also, long wheel-reins are best, as there is no occasion to 

 buckle them (the buckle being at the end instead of at 

 the side) till the coachman is up, and then it is immaterial 

 whether they are buckled at all — a consideration in 

 minute and half time. Indeed, I know one or two swells 

 who have banished the buckles altogether from the 

 leaders', as well as the wheelers' reins, on the ground of 

 their being in the way of expeditious changing ; but this 

 must be awkward for their horse-keepers, as without 

 the buckles they cannot tell the near from the off rein, 

 when harnessing their horses, and then the coupling reins 

 would be as often wrong as right. 



On the other hand, there are advantages, and no 



