156 DRIVING. 



adopt, the leader's traces are no longer than the wheeler's, and 

 they can never touch the ground. The result is that a tandem 

 can be turned round in the narrowest space without any danger. 

 The leader also, in drawing from a bar, derives the same 

 advantage as the wheeler, who pulls from a draw-bar, and sore 

 shoulders are avoided. Many people lay down rules as to the 

 exact and correct distance that should separate the two horses 

 or ponies ; some say the proper space is two feet six to three 

 feet, but to my mind this should be left to the discretion of the 

 driver, for I think it should vary according to the shape of the 

 animals, and according to their action. One thing I would 

 impress on all drivers, and this is to keep the leader as near 

 his work as possible. Let the whole turn-out look very com- 

 pact and be very compact. No advantage is gained by the 

 distance being very great ; on the contrary, much power over the 

 leader is lost, and the appearance is very ugly. Therefore keep 

 your horses close together, only providing that they have space 

 for free movement. 



And now comes the pith of the whole matter the driving. 

 Let the cart be perfection, let the animals be faultless, let 

 them be perfectly broken in and trained, let the harness and 

 harnessing be without a flaw it is all of no avail and as good 

 as useless unless the driver is efficient, and handles the ribbons 

 with skill. Horses are invariably admitted to be most intelligent, 

 and it is a certain fact that they find out instantly if an inefficient 

 and timid driver is striving to obtain, and retain, the mastery 

 over them. Of course it is only ' practice that makes perfect,' 

 but there are certain principles to be learnt, and faults to be 

 avoided, that should be the preliminary course commenced 

 and studied by all drivers. For nothing is so easy as to acquire 

 bad habits, and nothing so difficult as to correct them. 



We will suppose that the horses are harnessed, and being 

 put to. Let this be done as quietly as possible, and as soon 

 as they are ready, I would advise the driver to look all round 

 first and see that the harness and harnessing are quite correct, 

 that the horses are properly bitted, and, in fact, that everything 



