^40 SKINS. 



girls do not, so that ladies are often laughably helpless with a whip, 

 and perhaps pride thineselves on being so, but a lady intending 

 to drive should practice using the whip on some inanimate object, 

 so far as to be able to rely on applying it on the right place, and 

 with the right degree of force. In judging of the degree of 

 severity with which the whip should be used, it is necessary to 

 consider, not only the temperament of the horse, but also the 

 state of his coat. A coarse skinned, low bred horse, ill fed and 

 little sheltered with his thick winter coat on could hardly be made 

 to feel a light gig whip, whilst a fine skinned thoroughbred, with 

 its short summer coat, would wheal almost as easily as a child's 

 naked skin. No lady's horse should require as much whip as to 

 make it necessary that she should keep the whip in hand, as she 

 will not pride herself on the attitudes of her whip, but will prefer 

 leaving it in the socket as much as possible, with both hands free 

 for the reins when necessary. 



,575. — In any long team where distant leaders have to be 

 reached with a whip, a considerable amount of real skill is 

 demanded, which should be acquired before attempting to drive, as 

 it is really dangerous to sit within reach of a long thonged whip 

 in the hands of a bungler, and the wheelers' heads are also in 

 jeopardy. The box of the coach, when no horses are in it, will 

 be the best place to practice this, as you must learn to reach 

 your leaders without endangering your passengers, and to touch 

 free animals up without cutting them up. There is considerable 

 difficulty in using any long thonged whip without striking too 

 severely with it. It is also necessary to learn to carry the whip 

 gracefully, without thinking about it, with the end of the thong 

 wound round the handle, so that the doubled thong can be used 

 on the wheelers, or the whole length of the whip set free with 

 one haiTbd, to reach the leaders. It will too be found to require no 

 small care and skill to prevent getting such a whip hitched in 

 some part of the harness. This is, however, a part of a driver's 

 education that is not often neglected, as boys are often too fond 

 of a whip, and drivers are far too prone to display their skill with 

 it, at the expense of horses that require no such exhibition. 



For driving slow heavy horses see breaking to slow draft 

 (404). 



