COACHING 



ing true In all paces — "good to meet and good 

 to follow'* — is the sort, and beware the beast 

 who " dishes/' for he will either tire quickly or 

 cut himself to pieces. Refuse the dull horse, 

 for he will never last the season, and his faint 

 heart will cause endless trouble. We have 

 grown into the fashion of having our road-coach 

 leaders of a rather slighter, more " rangey " and 

 " breedy " shape than our wheelers, but it is un- 

 doubtedly the case that, when the coach was the 

 only means of public conveyance, our forefathers 

 — whom we essay to imitate — made no such 

 error, nor would our light leaders have long en- 

 dured the heavy everyday work of big loads and 

 heavy roads. Practically it is far more economi- 

 cal to have your leaders more nearly of wheel- 

 horse type than is usual, so that an animal may 

 work anywhere in a team, at a pinch, and still 

 " mate up " fairly well. By this means, with 

 five horses at a changing station, every one gets 

 a day off in six besides his Sunday, and all hands 

 work " all round the team " to the ensuing im- 

 provement of their legs, mouths, tempers, and 

 condition ; whereas, otherwise, if you keep spare 

 horses, you must always arrange to provide a 

 change leader and a wheeler. Again, if you have 



^39 



