154 DRIVING. 



him, but if he cannot he is frightened ; for this reason I would 

 advise that the most trustworthy horse of the two should occupy 

 the shafts. 



The harness and harnessing of a tandem are the next things 

 to engross the attention of the driver. I think there should 

 be as little harness as possible ; by this I mean that no extra 

 unnecessary or ornamental straps should be allowed. I feel 

 sure that all will agree with me that these are most objectionable, 

 where everything should be neat and businesslike, and every 

 buckle or strap should be for some purpose. The wheeler's 

 harness should be an ordinary set of single harness, but not too 

 heavy, and with a small rolling bar horizontally across the 

 terrets on the pad to divide the reins. In a country with very 

 steep hills breeching is a very requisite addition, but I would 

 only use it in this case, as it has a somewhat unsightly appear- 

 ance. The bridle of the wheeler differs in only one respect 

 from that of the leader, and this is the necessity for terrets 

 above the blinkers to carry the reins of the leader. The leader's 

 harness matches exactly, only the pad should be of a very light 

 narrow description, as it has only to carry the traces. Some 

 people prefer these to be very long, fastening with swivel-hooks 

 to two rings on the tugs of the wheeler's harness ; but this 

 mode of harnessing the leader to his work I think most objec- 

 tionable, not to say dangerous. In the first place nothing looks 

 more ugly than long, straggling traces, and in the second place 

 in turning round long traces are very inconvenient ; for, if the 

 space for turning is narrow, the traces will almost touch the 

 ground, and the leader in all probability will get his hind legs 

 over them. Or, again, if the wheeler should be a hot impatient 

 animal, he may entwine his forelegs in them. Experience has 

 long taught me to avoid long traces. It was once my fate to 

 have a very nervous, impetuous leader, and one day in turning 

 in a narrow road, the accident I have described happened to 

 me. The leader got one of his hind legs over the trace, and, 

 of course, began to kick ; this proved a most serious matter, 

 for nothing could persuade him to desist until he had freed 



