264 COUPLING CH. XII 



arrangement, serving only to guide the horses, but 

 not to restrain them. 



In better harness, therefore, each draught-rein has 

 attached to it, a rein which passes to the bit of the 

 other horse, so that a pull on the off side rein, for 

 instance, will be communicated to the off side of 

 each horse's mouth. It is obvious that to do this 

 evenly, the inside, or coupling-rein must have a cer- 

 tain definite length from the bit to the point at 

 which it is buckled to the draught-rein. Owing- to 

 its crossing over between the horses, the coupling- 

 rein must be longer than that part of the draught- 

 rein which is in front of the coupling-buckle, or 

 else the horses' heads will be brought too near to- 

 gether. Usually, with horses of the same size, and 

 at the proper distance apart, the coupling-rein will 

 be four inches longer than the draught-rein for 

 the leaders, and five or six inches longer for the 

 wheelers ; and, if the saddler has made the reins 

 properly, the coupling-buckle will then be in the 

 middle hole of the fifteen holes which are punched 

 in the draught-rein. If the horses, when driven in 

 this way, are found to be too far apart, the taking 

 up of each coupling-rein one or two holes shorter on 

 each draught-rein will bring them nearer together, 

 supposing always that the horses are of the same 

 size and that they hold their heads alike. 



On driving them, however, it will be very likely 

 found that one of the horses holds his head in, with 

 his neck bent, and the other holds his head out and 



