^26 STOPPING CH. XIV 







upon the bars and the point of the pole, is ex- 

 tremely awkward. 



In stopping, and at the same time inclining to one 

 side, as in coming from the middle of the street to 

 the sidewalk, a point should be taken with the two 

 reins on the proper side (Figs. 136, 137), and the 

 right hand kept free to use the whip. This is 

 especially necessary in coming up to an accustomed 

 stopping place, since some one of the horses is 

 likely to stop too soon and may require to be 

 touched with the whip. At the moment of stop- 

 ping, the right hand can be placed on the reins in 

 front of the points to finish the movement, and the 

 points then allowed to slip out. 



The stop should not be made abruptly, but the 

 coach should glide to its place and come to rest, 

 with a gradual diminution of speed, exactly at the 

 proper spot. Coming up at full speed and pulling 

 the horses on their haunches, is bad coaching, and 

 happily has pretty much gone out of fashion, even 

 with pair-horse coachmen. A coach is a heavy 

 vehicle for two horses to stop by the back of their 

 necks, — for the leaders can do nothing to assist, 

 — and if it runs on beyond its place the conse- 

 quences may be disastrous, especially on wood or 

 asphalt pavement, which is apt to be slippery. Too 

 much speed in coming up may necessitate the use 

 of the brake, which is very 'bad form,' because 

 it shows that the coachman cannot stop the coach 

 with his horses. The rattle, sometimes heard at a 



