Pair-horse Harness. 363 



better remedy than "to flog the sulk out of him," whereas the whole restiveness is the result of 

 bad bitting and bridling. Many young horses have lost their eyesight from undue pressure oik 

 these glands. 



PAIR-HORSE HARNESS. 



In pair-horse harness the pads may be as light as is consistent with the character of the 

 vehicle, for they have not to sustain the weight of shafts or to assist in backing ; the latter is 

 done by aid of the pole. In America, the pole of light trotting-wagons is sometimes fastened 

 by a hinge, so as to fall on the ground when the horses are unharnessed, and is fastened to 

 the pads for support as well as to the collars by a sort of splinter-bar arrangement, but this 

 system has not found favour in this country. 



Breeching is only used in the double harness of state carriages of great weight, and some- 

 times in stage-coaches, to divide the strain on the collars when travelling down hill ; but have 

 been less used since patent breaks — -which can be instantaneously put in action by the right 

 hand of the coachman — have been brought to such perfection. 



To put a pair of horses into double harness, each one should be taken up to the pole and 

 attached to it by buckling the pole-pieces (the leather straps that are attached to each side of 

 the pole), or hooking on the pole chains, which are used instead of leather in mail and Stanhope 

 phaetons, as loosely as possible. Then buckle on the reins to the outer side of each, hanging 

 the hand-pieces of the reins, knotted up, over the pad of one of the horses ; then, if there is 

 only one man to harness, pass the traces over the roller-bolts — if there are two, these operations 

 are performed simultaneously — and, finally, draw up the pole-pieces to the length required to 

 make the traces draw evenly and squarely. For country work the collars should be attached 

 to the pole, with ample play, so as to leave the horses with as much liberty as possible. In 

 fashionable town carriages it is, on the contrary, the custom to draw the horses very closely to 

 the pole, so as to make them as much as possible a part of the machine, and enable them to 

 turn more rapidly within short spaces. 



This tight harnessing is not so pleasant for the horses, and very much spoils the action of 

 riding-horses, if driven in harness. It is quite unnecessary for useful work, but it is a matter 

 of course in state and park parades. 



The action of the reins in pair-horse harness is essentially different from that of single- 

 harness reins, which act on each side of the horse's mouth. 



In pair-horse harness, the part held in the hands, as to the outside reins, runs up to 

 and is buckled to the outside ring of each horse's bit, but the inside reins (called coupling- 

 reins), which are made with buckles movable up or down the outside reins, each pass through 

 the terrets of the pads and of the collars, the right-hand rein through the inside terrets of 

 the right-hand or off horse, the left-hand rein through the inside terrets of the left-hand or 

 near horse ; but after passing through the collar's terrets they are crossed and buckled to 

 opposite horses, so that when you pull the reins of the right-hand or off-side horse, you also 

 pull off the rein of the near-side horse, and vice versd. 



The arrangement of these coupling-reins is a matter of great importance, for if 

 one horse is more lively and faster in pace than the other, the whole comfort of driving 

 depends on being able to bring them both to the same pace. To do this, the coupling- 

 rein of the fresher or faster horse must be shortened by the buckle being brought nearer 

 the driver's hands, so that a pull will act on him before it restrains the placid or dull 

 horse. You may have to hold in the fresh horse while you apply the whip to the slug. 



