1 8 DRIVING. 



and runs back ; the proper course is to put the hand inside the 

 check-piece or the nose-band and to lead the horse along by 

 that. When the horse is in proper position alongside the pole 

 (it is perhaps hardly necessary to remark that the wheel-horse 

 should always be put to first), the man standing at the horse's 

 head should run the pole chain, or pole piece, as the case may 

 be, th: ough the ring at the bottom of the hames, and hold that 

 with one hand so as to prevent the horse from running back on 

 to the splinter-bar, while the other man places him a little back 

 to put the trace on, the outside trace being invariably put on 

 first, and the inside one afterwards. So in taking the horse off, 

 the inside trace is taken off first, and the outside one last ; 

 otherwise you may find yourself in the position of having the 

 horse fastened to the coach or carriage by the inside trace, and 

 flying round and getting his head towards the carriage a posi- 

 tion which may lead to considerable difficulty, if not accident. 



Having got both traces over the roller bolt, it is then time 

 to pole the horse up. Immediately that is done, the leaders' 

 traces should be hooked on to the bars. I consider it a very 

 good plan to loop the traces that is, to pass one trace through 

 the other and bring it back on to each horse's own bar. It 

 steadies the bars and prevents them from swinging. Should 

 any gentleman wish to fasten his two small bars together (a 

 proceeding which I do not in any way advocate), let him at all 

 events refrain from doing so with a chain, a fashion which 

 I perceive is very much in vogue. The simple reason against 

 the course deprecated is that, should a leader kick and get 

 his legs between the main bar and the swing bars, it would be 

 necessary, in order to extricate him from that position, to saw 

 one of the bars in two, and he may break the pole before this 

 can be done. I prefer that there should be no fastening of 

 the bars together, or, at all events, if they are fastened, nothing 

 but a strap should be used, as there is a possibility of cutting 

 the strap. 



Having got the leaders put to, the leading reins are then 

 placed through the terret on the outside of the bridle of the 



