66 Centaur ; 



own side, viz. : — to tlie leffc, at all times, except when over- 

 taking a vehicle.* 



This is the simple rule of the road in England: — Yon 

 start out to the left and you come home to the left. 



The whip should never mount the box without previoush- 

 taking a careful survey of the " Turn Out," — to see that all 

 the strappings are properly attached, the traces not twisted. 

 or buckled up too tight. One of the greatest evils attending 

 the attachment of the horse to the vehicle is buckling him 

 too tight to his work ; either in the kicking-strap, breech- 

 band, bearing-rein, belly-band, traces, or any of the bridle 

 parts. The writer has known even the simple hip cloth, 

 through its not being properly adjusted, to cause the horse 

 to bolt away at a furious speed for some miles (and unfor- 

 tunately the occupier of the box was a ladyf), happily 

 without accident other than a severe shock to the nerves of 

 the occupants of the vehicle. :|: 



x\.nother case of oversight on the part of the owner of 

 the " Turn Out " only recently came to the writer*s ears. 



A gentleman started rather late in the evening from an 

 hotel yard, accompanied by his son, whom he was bringing 

 from school for his holidaj's, and on stepping into the gig 

 (without taking his customary survey of the harness) the 

 animal, a very fast mare, bounded away. The driver, losing 

 all control of his steed, tried and tried again to check her 

 headlong anxiety to reach her stable, by jerking the reins, 

 coaxing and shouting ; all of which was of no avail ; and to 

 add to the agony of the father, the boy began to scream 

 and cry ; but not a solitary human being could be seen 

 on the road, and fortunately no vehicle was passed the whole 

 distance, eight and a half miles, and the mare being used to 

 that road, and usually a good tempered animal, deliberately 

 pulled up of her own accord, and trotted them gently and 

 safely to their own door. The cause of her wild behaviour 

 was discovered to be, that the bit had not been put into the 

 animal's mouth before starting, and the driver had been 

 constantly pulling away at, and hanging on to, the nose- 



* Or meeting ladies on horselaack ; or a drove of horses or sheep. 



t The Author s Avife, accompanied by her little son, 6 years old. 



t Similar accidents have been known to arise from strangers fixing the rein 

 biUetts upon the single ring of a Wilson snaffle, the horse having been used to 

 the double rings being billetted together. 



