244 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. 



is no intermission of the exertion, no let up, either for man or horse. 

 Besides, in that way of driving, it is impossible to give those movements 

 to the bit which seem to refresh and stimulate the horse so much. 

 When a horse has been taught the signilScance of this movement of the 

 bit, the shift by the turn of the wrist, he will never fail to answer it, even 

 though he should seem to be at the top of his speed. The moment he 

 feels this little move of the bit in his sensitive mouth, he will collect him- 

 self, and make another spurt ; and the value of this way of driving is, 

 that the horse is not likely to break when thus called upon, while a high- 

 strung, generous horse, if called upon for a final effort with a whip, is as 

 likely to break the moment it falls on him as not. I have won many a 

 very close heat by practising this movement, and therefore I have no hes- 

 itation in recommending it. It is not difficult to acquire, and the horse 

 soon comes to know what it means. 



Let us come now to the way of taking nold of the reins. A wrap 

 around the hand, such as running-horse riders take, is clumsy and bad. 

 I do not know whether many people take hold of the reins as I do, or 

 not. Perhaps not. Sim. Hoagland is the only one who takes hold pre- 

 cisely as I do, so far as I have observed. When we have been jogging 

 horses together at early morning, we have often talked over these mat- 

 ters ; and, whether our way was the best way or not, we could never see 

 any other that suited us half so well. 



I will try to explain how I hold the reins : I could show it in two sec- 

 onds. Take, first, the right-hand rein. This, coming from the bit, 

 passes between the little finger and the third finger, over the little finger, 

 then under the other three fingers, and up over the thumb. The left- 

 hand rein is held in the left hand exactly in the same way ; but the bight 

 of the slack of the rein is also held between the thumb and forefinger 

 of the left hand. This gives some substance in that hand ; but, if it is 

 found inconvenient to have it there by those who have small hands, it may 

 be dropped altogether. A firm grasp on each rein, with the backs of the 

 hands up, and without any wrap, is thus obtained. It is a great point in 

 driving to be able to shift the reach — that is, the length of the hold you 

 take — without for an instant letting go of the horse's head. With this 

 way of holding the reins, it is easily done. If I want to shorten the 

 hold on the left hand rein (the near one), I take hold of that rein just 

 behind the left hand with the thumb and forefinger of the right hand, and 

 steady it. This is very easily done ; and it does not interfere at all with 

 the command of the off rein with the right hand. The near rein being 

 thus steadied behind the left hand, I slide that hand forward on the rein, 

 which is kept over the little finger, under the other three fingers, and over 

 the thumb all the time, and then shut the grasp again on the new reach. 



