HORSES, LIKE MEN, HAVE THEIR FORTE. 147 



true that a good coachman will make all his horses do 

 their share of the work: this by no means implies 

 that he is to make each horse draw one-fourth of the 

 coach over every yard of the stage ; he would tear 

 his stock to^pieces if he did : what is meant by making- 

 horses work fairly is, making the whole, taking one 

 day with another, share the labour. In riding on 

 a box, if a man is one of the sort (I should call him 

 one of the right sort) who notices the horses and the 

 coachman, he may probably see one or more of the 

 team merely carrying the harness : we must not infer, 

 because the driver permits them to do this, be it for 

 two or three miles, that he is a bad or careless coach- 

 man : no man can judge of the propriety of his doing 

 so but himself. Some horses, like some hounds, like 

 to do all the work at first ; others, at the end of the 

 chase or stage ; and in this they must be indulged, 

 or they are good for nothing, or would be rendered 

 so. Some horses will never want a touch of the whip 

 over anything like level ground, but are bits of rogues 

 at steep hills : they, therefore, do their share on the 

 whole ; and were they punished to make them work 

 up hill, they would shut up, jib, and not draw an 

 ounce, probably kick into the bargain. Others, 

 particularly if not quite so fast as their comrades, take 

 very little of the load over the flat, but at hills will 

 take half a coach up it. This is their forte, and for 

 this their exertions must be reserved. Some for the 

 first five miles are hasty, and do more than their share, 

 are then to a certain degree exhausted, and worth but 

 little for the remainder of the stage : others only set 

 to work when, in road phrase, they ''^ smell home •'^ 

 then they lug aAvay, and pull your arms off, unless you 



let them take half the coach. 



I. 2 



