132 RIDING, DRIVING AND KINDRED SPORTS 



has been properly put to, that the harness fits, 

 and that, above all, the horses are properly 

 coupled and bitted. If, then, you are allowed 

 to catch hold of such a team, you will find it a 

 fairly easy matter to drive them along- a straight 

 road. The first difficulty you will find is that 

 very likely the weight of the reins will incline 

 you to be rough on the horses' mouths. It is 

 not until the hand gets used to the size and 

 weight of four-in-hand reins that a coachman 

 is able to appreciate how delicate is the hand- 

 ling required by four coach-horses. By far the 

 best way to begin when once you know how to 

 handle the reins and whip, as the tandem-driver 

 will have done, is to drive four steady horses an 

 easy stage on a road coach, or else on a stretch 

 of level road to take hold of a team which 

 has been started and brought into form by an 

 experienced coachman. The very first exer- 

 cise is to learn to hold the reins comfortably 

 to yourself and to your horses, and to get used 

 to driving with the heavy reins requisite for a 

 coach. This must be repeated until you feel 

 at home with the four-in-hand reins and can 

 shorten them at your will. The method of 

 holdino- the reins is of course the same as in 

 tandem. The next point is to see that the 

 team works well and evenly. On slight slopes 

 or nearly level ground the wheelers should do 



