DIRECTIONS FOR DRIVING. 337 



as you have pointed your leaders ; for example, if your 

 turn is to the right, catch up your near wheel rein, and 

 hit your off wheel-horse, ' and vice versa! This will 

 keep the head of your pole (which you should have your 

 eye upon) just between your leaders, and your wheelers 

 will follow as if they were running on a straight road. 

 This also secures you against danger, by clearing your 

 coach of posts, gutters, etc. No man can make a neat 

 turn with four horses, unless he shoots his wheelers at 

 the same time that he points his leaders. Never turn a 

 loaded coach short, even at a slow pace, for she is never 

 safe when there is not an even bearing on her transom 

 beds. If turned short, at a quick pace, she must go 

 over, and for this reason : by the laws of nature, all 

 bodies put in motion by one power will proceed in a 

 straight line, unless compelled to change their course by 

 some force impressed. Thus, a horse at full speed is 

 with difficulty turned to right or left ; if he turns sud- 

 denly, and of his own accord, he puts his rider's horse- 

 manship to the test. So it is with a coach. A sudden 

 turn to one side the road makes her sway towards the 

 other, and her centre of gravity is lost. The middle of the 

 road is the safest place for a loaded coach — except under 

 peculiar circumstances. 



The powers of a horse in a fast coach can be measured 

 to a mile. He may be very good for eight or ten, but 

 very bad for twelve miles of ground ; with heavy loads, the 

 priming is soon taken out of most of them, and therefore 

 they must be looked to Wheel-horses have the hardest 

 place, as they are at work up hill and down ; nevertheless, if 



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