I 9 2 DRIVING. 



length ; throat-lashes rather tight if no bearing-reins ; the pole- 

 hooks downwards, not to catch the bar of the bit, coupling- 

 reins the right length. Be sure that the reins of your four-horse 

 harness are cut properly ; many sets of reins are sent out from 

 the saddler's cut all wrong. 



After driving seven years on the road by day and by night, 

 I began to think that I knew most part of my lesson, but I 

 was very soon undeceived, as, when I began to drive about 

 London, I soon found that I still had a great deal to learn. 

 In the country, going straight ahead, your chief duty was to 

 make each horse do his own share of work and to keep time ; 

 but in London, so to speak, a man must be all eyes and ears ; 

 horses all well in hand, and ready to stop in a moment. I 

 found it a good plan to couple my leaders a little closer, and 

 to pole up my wheelers a link or two, when squeezing through 

 the City in the afternoon. I have seen a few meets of both 

 clubs at the Magazine in Hyde Park, and have been glad to 

 notice a few good coachmen, some very well-built coaches, 

 and many excellent horses. At first, the horses were too often 

 very badly put together, traces much too long, and pole-chains 

 generally much too tight ; nor have I seen much improvement 

 in these matters lately. I dislike carriage-horses in a coach ; 

 they are quite different animals from coach-horses ; both are 

 excellent in their proper places, but not by any means inter- 

 changeable. 



I will now imagine that some young man who has never 

 yet driven, but is attracted by the revival of coaching and is 

 anxious to learn, desires to know how he may best set about it. 

 First, I would buy a second-hand coach, or a strong break, 

 having had it carefully examined ; the harness, if second-hand, 

 should also be looked over most carefully, the reins and hame- 

 straps particularly. Horses could be bought at Tattersall's, or 

 at Gray's Inn Lane, or St. Martin's Lane, or at any well-known 

 dealer's. The best sizes for horses is perhaps about fifteen 

 three, and they need not be too well bred. If the team 

 only requires holding and not hitting, you will never learn to 



