DOUBLE HARNESS. 165 



tugs, there is, consequently, no breeching which 

 can serve to keep back the carriage as in single 

 harness. The carriage is therefore kept back by 

 the horses drawing against the pole. In order to 

 effect this, there is connection between the pole and 

 the horses by means of pole-straps or pole-chains,' 

 which latter, being fastened to the end of the pole, 

 are passed through a ring with which the hames 

 are furnished, and drawn up just tight enough to 

 allow a fairly backward and forward play of the 

 horse. The pole also is made so as to play slightly 

 up and down in its socket. The great point to be 

 attended to in fastening the pole-chains is to allow 

 just sufficient play, and no more, as too much or too 

 little might tend to spring or, worse still, break the 

 j^ole. 



The arrangement of the reins in double harness 

 is necessarily different from that for single. The 

 number of reins in the hand of the driver is the 

 same, but each rein is split or divided at about half 

 its length. These act as follows : The upper (as it 

 is held in the hand) rein, or, as it may be called for 

 simplicity, the near-side or left rein, is buckled to 

 the near side of the near horse's bit, and the near 

 side of the off horse's bit ; therefore if that rein 

 is pulled both horses are made to turn to the left. 

 The off or right rein is similarly fastened to the 



