90 DRIVING AS I FOUND IT. 



Had it not "been for the kicking strap he would in /'all 

 probability have kicked over the shafts, and it is im- 

 possible to tell what the consequences might have been. 



The most suitable horse for an ordinary cart should 

 not be over 15.3; one that steps quick and light, mod- 

 erate action, with a good head and neck well set on him, 

 with substaixe and breeding combined. Cobs from 13.3 

 to 15 hands are used for village or Surrey carts, and 

 look neat and sfcylish, provided the cart is well set up, and 

 not too low in the body. A cart, no matter how the shafts 

 are made, cannot balance or ride easy unless the height 

 of tlie wheels and axles are proportionate to the size of 

 the horse or cob. 



Stanhope and Tillbury gigs, being built on a different 

 principle, are more easily adjusted and can be balanced 

 before leaving the coach builders, as they are not in- 

 tended to curry more than two passengers. The shafts 

 are also different, being turned in to a considerable ex- 

 tent, so that they lay close to the pad. Gig harness is 

 generally made with Prench tugs, which are more suita- 

 ble for these kind of shafts, as they do not require the 

 same amount of play that a straight or stiff shaft does. 

 For neatness, style and safety there is no better vehicle 

 made than tlie two-wheeler. No matter how short a 

 hojse might turn the two wheeler turns with him. They 

 are used exclusively in all the principal cities in Europe, 



