64 Centaur ; 



The position of the driver is to lean a little forward, after 

 taking a firm seat and keeping the legs well out towards 

 the dash, and never to hang backward, excepting for the 

 purpose of balancing the vehicle in going down hill, the feet 

 being kept to the front at all times. In driving, the reins 

 are taken up the reverse way to riding, viz. : — from the 

 bottom, or underside, and kept with a steady pressure con- 

 stantly feeling the animal's mouth,* 



Should the driver at any time become nervous or irritable, 

 the same is communicated to the horse through the reins, 

 which communication is calculated to give the horse in- 

 creased license and want of confidence, and the driver 

 considerable anxiety. At all times the driver should sit 

 square and perfectly easy, without the slightest appearance 

 of stiffness or carelessness, and must keep a good foothold 

 in turning corners. 



In our travels we see numerous styles of holding the reins, 

 but there is only one proper and safe way, viz. : — in the left 

 hand ; the right, or whip hand, being kept ready for emerg- 

 encies. The driving hand, with the reins, should be held to 

 the front, a little way from the bod}^ and on a level with the 

 elbow ; the finger nails are slightly uppermost in driving, 

 and the reverse in riding. The near side or left rein passes 

 between the thumb and first finger; the off' or right side rein 

 between the second and third fingers, which are kept close 

 together, thus securing the purchase or grip. 



To hold a rein in each handf is a most awkward and 

 helpless plan, and seems to be the sj^stem adopted in 

 America, where the writer has witnessed many accidents 

 arising from that cause alone, both on the road and upon 

 the trotting track ; in one case the driver was thrown back- 

 wards out of his buggy on to the ground, through hanging 

 on, which ended in the breaking of the reins; in fact, it had 

 been his constant boast that the horse did not require traces, 

 but could pull the vehicle by the reins alone. 



Some persons hold the reins close to the body ; others up 

 to the chin, with only the first finger between them ; this is 

 very unsafe in the event of the horse stumbling, particularly 

 if drivers themselves indulge in the habit of keeping their 



* The reins should never be allowed to fall or lay upon the horse's back. 



t The witty carman says he holds a rein in each hand, and the whip in the 

 other. 



