208 THE HORSE. 



is to the right, catch up your near wheel rein and hit 

 your off wheel horse, and vice versa. This will keep 

 the head of your pole (which you should have your 

 eye upon) just between your leaders, and your 

 wheelers will follow as if they were running on a 

 straight road. This also secures you against danger 

 by clearing your coach of posts, gutters, &c. No 

 man can make a neat turn with four horses unless he 

 shoots his wheelers at the same time that he points 

 his leaders. Never turn a loaded coach short, even 

 at a slow pace, for she is never safe when there is 

 not an even bearing on her transom beds. If turned 

 short, at a quick pace, she must go over, and for this 

 reason ; by the laws of nature all bodies put in mo- 

 tion by one power will proceed in a straight line, 

 unless compelled to change their course by some 

 force impressed. Thus a horse, at full speed, is with 

 difficulty turned to the right or left ; if he turns sud- 

 denly, and of his own accord, he puts his rider's 

 horsemanship to the test. So it is with a coach, a 

 sudden turn to one side of the road makes her swas: 

 towards the other, and her centre of gravity is lost. 

 The middle of the road is the safest place for a 

 loaded coach, except under peculiar circumstances. 



" A most material point in driving four horses is to 

 keep them well in hand, not merely as regards their 

 work, but also for the safety of the coach. The 

 track which a coach makes in descending a hill will 

 show whether the horses are properly held together 

 or not. We are perpetually hearing of accidents 

 from horses taking fright and bolting across the 

 road, but these only happen to clumsy fellows, of 



