FOUR-IN-HAND DRU'ING 141 



shortened the inside wheeler's traces a hole and 

 altered the couplings, and perhaps crossed the 

 leader's traces. Let us consider what he saw 

 during- those four miles. First of all he would 

 note that the wheelers were pulling unevenly 

 and stood a good chance of sore shoulders, 

 their inside traces being always, or nearly 

 always, loose. Then he would note that the 

 wheelers had not sufficient liberty for road work, 

 and were polled up too tight. Possibly, too, 

 the coupling of one of the wheelers wanted 

 shortening, and the near horse putting on a 

 lowxr bar of the near side. Then one of the 

 leaders was a much bolder, freer horse than the 

 other, and consequently his bar was always in 

 front, when the lead horses were carrying their 

 bars. This, of course, made the team uneven. 

 Lastly, he w^ould note that one leader kept toss- 

 ing his head and fretting the mouth of his 

 fellow, and that the leaders' heads were too far 

 apart. 



Therefore when the ''artist" s^ot down, he 

 would first shorten the wheeler's inside trace, 

 give them a link or two more of the pole 

 chains and lower the near wheeler's rein one or 

 two bars. Then he would cross the leader's 

 traces hooking his off trace (if the free horse 

 was as he should be in the near lead) on to the 

 near hook of his companion's bar and bringing 



