The beginner must not suppose that a team, or for that matter even one horse, can be driven with the left hand only; even the very best of whips is obliged to have constant recourse to the right hand, especially when passing through traffic.

At the same time, he must remember to resist the temptation of keeping the right hand permanently on the reins, nor should it ever be employed like the coachman’s hand in fig. 3, in holding on to a bight of the off reins in order to keep the horses straight.

The team ought to run perfectly straight at any time with the reins in the left hand only; and as a continuous pressure of the right hand is very liable to cause any one of the reins to slip, especially the near wheel when the horses are pulling, this practice is objectionable. Of course if the left hand gets tired, the right must come to its assistance, and then it should be placed either on three or all four reins (see figs. 18 and 35).

"Always keep a steady pressure on reins." Mind and keep a good steady pressure on the reins at all times, and keep the horses up to that pressure with the whip. The most common fault among amateurs is that they do not hold their horses nearly tight enough by the head. "Reins slipping a common fault." Always have a good hold of them, and above all things remember never to let the reins slip through the fingers. This is a constant cause of horses getting out of hand, and pulling for a long way, when they would otherwise have gone quite comfortably after the first mile or so.

"Resin or wax on gloves." To prevent the reins from slipping, if the horses are pulling, and especially with new gloves, it will be found very convenient to put a little powdered resin or beeswax on the fingers and palm of the hand.

"Start slow." If you have time, always start slowly (at first six or seven miles an hour); by adopting this plan the horses will go more kindly, and after a bit your arm and fingers will feel much less tired than if you had started at a rapid pace.

"Right wrist well rounded when right hand on reins, back inclined downwards." It is very important to keep the right wrist well rounded when pulling the reins on either side, and the back of the hand rather inclined downwards.

"Point of whip to be kept well up and to the front." By keeping the hand in this position it will be found that the point of the whip is kept well to the front and high up. If the back of the hand is turned up at all, the whip is sure either to cause considerable inconvenience to the person on the box seat (fig. 26), or else to hit the near wheeler close to his tail. This will most probably make him swish it, and if it should by any chance get over the thong, the result may be disastrous to the boot.

"Team boring to one side—how to remedy." If the horses are all boring to the left, it is no use simply pulling at the two off-side reins with the right hand, but at once shorten these reins in the left.

This can be done either by shortening them singly, or by catching hold of the two off-side reins as usual, placing the forefinger over the near lead, and the middle finger over the near wheel, and then allowing the near-side reins to slide a little through the fingers of both hands, while still retaining a firm grip of the off-side reins. Of course, however, only a very little can be got out at a time by this method.

Another plan is to grip the reins tightly with the right hand, the first two fingers over the near-side reins, the lower fingers over the off, and then to open the fingers of the left hand, when the off-side reins can be pushed through them by turning the lower part of the right hand towards the left (see figs. 18 and 35).

"Never remove left hand from reins." Never on any account take the left hand out of the reins, even though the right may be holding them firmly in front, as it is very difficult to get the left hand back into its place again with the reins in the right places. Of course, if your fingers are numbed from cold or from hard pulling, it will be necessary to take the hand out and slap the fingers on the thigh. "Taking leaders’ reins out with right hand." But if the horses seem to be going all anyhow, take the leaders out with "Lead reins should seldom be removed from left hand." the right hand, the little finger over the off lead, and the first or second finger over the near lead (fig. 32); then adjust the wheelers by letting the rein which is too short slide gently through the left hand, and replace the leaders. If the reins are found to be too long, shorten them all from behind. This plan should be rarely resorted to, as it is a very bad habit to perpetually fiddle with the lead reins.

"Keep an eye always on horses." Always keep an eye on the position of the horses, and see that they are in their right places, and that each is doing his fair share of work.

If any horse is out of his place, find out the cause, and adjust the rein or use the whip accordingly.

"Grip tightly with third and little fingers to prevent reins slipping." Always keep the left hand and elbow in their proper positions, and keep a firm grip of the reins with the third and little fingers never on any account allowing one to slip. This cannot be too strongly insisted on, although it will be found very tiring at first, even if the horses are not pulling.

"Do not drop left hand." When catching or attending to the whip, beginners are very apt to drop the left hand. This leads to horses getting out of hand, and makes them pull.

"When looping do not alter position of left hand." Do not allow the left hand to go moving across the body from side to side, or to move to the front to pick up the reins; except occasionally when turning to the left, when it may be useful to loop thus:—

Hold the off-side reins under little and third fingers of the right hand; then take hold of the near-lead rein with the forefinger some three inches away from left hand; and holding it tight bring it up as much as possible towards the body, at the same time quickly passing the left hand down so as to catch the near-lead rein in front of the right forefinger with the left thumb; then bring the left hand back to its original position, and you have a good loop, and the wheelers are checked from rushing the corner by the lower part of the right hand pressing on the off reins.

"Leader’s tail over reins." If one of the leaders gets his tail over the reins, never pull at it, but, on the contrary, slack it out. Pull the wheelers across to that side on which the offender is running; then hit the wheeler on the opposite side, on his neck, when the movement of the wheelers to one side will probably clear the rein.

"Loosen rein fixed under tail by hitting horse." Another plan for getting the rein out is to slack it a good deal, and give the horse a sharp hit with the whip behind the pad; this will nearly always cause him to swish his tail, when you can pull the rein quickly away.

If both the above methods fail, stop the coach at once, when a man must get down and release the rein by lifting up the leader’s tail, and not by pulling the rein away from under it.

"To prevent leader getting tail over a rein." With a horse that habitually gets his tail over the reins and then kicks, it is a good plan to run the lead rein either through the throat-lash, or the inside loop of the bearing-rein of the wheeler which is on the opposite side of the coach to the kicking leader.

The reins can also be run through the head terrets or loops on the top of the wheelers’ heads, but if this is done it is better to use a bearing-rein, because, if the horse shakes his head up and down, he will inevitably jerk the leader in the mouth.

These terrets have been almost entirely done away with, as, if the leaders pull, they put a great strain on the wheelers’ heads, and if the latter throw their heads up and down to any great extent, they continually jerk the leader’s mouths, "Objection to lead reins passing through head terrets." whereas by passing the lead reins through the ring on the throat-lash of the wheeler there is almost a straight pull from the leaders’ mouths to the terrets on the pads of the wheelers.

"Side reins." Side reins are sometimes useful on leaders, and have a good effect on hard-mouthed horses.

If on the outside, they should be fixed to the buckle of the horse’s own trace, but on the inside to that of the other horse.

A very useful kind of side rein has a brass ring sewn into one end of it instead of a buckle; a short strap or loop is passed through this ring and buckled to each side of the bit, while the other end of the rein is buckled to the inside trace of the other horse.

The ordinary rein used by the Artillery Driver on his off horse will do equally well. This consists of a long rein buckled to the outside of the bit, and a short coupling piece to the inside. If a horse pulls very hard and tries to get in front of the other horse, either of these reins will bring all the pull on to his bit and keep him in his place.

"Fitting coupling reins." The leaders’ coupling reins should not be made too long or else the horses’ tails may get fixed in them—a position from which it will be found that they are extricated with difficulty. The buckles should come to within six or eight inches of the top of the leaders’ tails, which allows plenty of room for taking up or letting out these reins.

"To prevent buckle of coupling rein getting fixed in terret." Have a runner fixed about a foot below the buckle on the rein, through which the coupling should be passed; this will prevent any chance of the buckle getting through the terret. Messrs. Whippy and Steggall of London have invented another simple device to prevent this danger occurring. They place a short steel plate, about five inches long, covered with leather, and the same width as the reins, between the rein and the coupling. One end has a hole which passes through the tongue of the buckle, and the other has a runner on it, through which the coupling passes, so as to admit of this rein being altered. They also place two keepers on the rein just below the buckle. By this means the steel plate would be drawn across the terret and the buckle could not possibly get through. For the fitting of coupling reins the reader must refer to Chapter III.

"To prevent wheelers cutting corners." In order to prevent the wheel horses from rushing too quickly round a corner, which they very often try to do, it is usual to catch hold either of both off or near-side reins with the right hand, on the opposite side to which you are turning, after having looped.

When looping a wheel rein for the opposition point, take hold of the off rein from outside, but the near rein from above the two off reins.

"Keep tight hold of horse’s head when hitting him." When striking a horse be careful to keep a tight hold of him, as the whole effect of the punishment will be lost if the reins are slack or are allowed to slip.

"Buckles of wheel reins should be close to hands." The buckles of the wheelers’ reins should be well within reach, but should not be so far up as to come into the hand when going down a steep hill or when pulling up. A foot from the hand when the horses are in draught will be found to be about right.

"Cruppers unnecessary except with bearing-reins." Cruppers will be found quite unnecessary as a general rule, more especially on the leaders, but if bearing-reins are used, it is almost imperative to have them on, in order to prevent the pads being pulled forward on to the withers, and so galling the horses.

Be careful not to have any spare end of the crupper-strap hanging loose, or the lead rein will be apt to get caught in it, and give trouble. For this reason it is a good plan to have the cruppers made martingale fashion, as they have no spare ends, and only one runner is required.

"Reins should be of equal thickness." Both lead and wheel reins should be exactly the same width and thickness, and should on no account be short. This is extremely dangerous, as they might be easily dropped. It is much better to have them very long, but about two or three feet of spare rein will usually be found sufficient.

"Leaders flying apart." When leaders are inclined to fly away from each other, or one of them hangs outwards, the inside traces should be lapped round each other and hooked into their own bars. This will help to keep the horses together. It is not a good plan, though it is sometimes done, to fasten the leaders’ bars together by a chain as, if a horse kicks, and gets his legs fixed up between the main bar and the others, it becomes a very difficult matter to extricate him.

"Spare gear should be carried." The following spare articles should always be carried on a coach:—

Two swingle-trees—one large and one small.

Two traces—one lead and one wheel.

A jointed whip fixed up on a board. A leather bag containing a hand punch with assorted bits, and a McMahon spanner.

"Brushing boots." Brushing boots. Those made of fairly thick blanket will be found the most useful. They must be long enough to go right over the fetlock and overlap, and should be fastened round the middle with tape and be deep enough for the upper part to be folded down over the knot.

Collar-pads—several leather ones are required.

Sheepskin—a good-sized piece.

Needle and waxed thread.

A few spare straps and buckles.

A few cheek leathers.

"False collars." False collars, which can either be made of leather or numnah, often come in very handy. The advantage of the latter material over the former consists in its being softer, and in the event of a gall a piece can easily be cut out; but, on the other hand, it requires a more roomy collar.

"Alter bits when team pulling." If the team are pulling too hard, stop them occasionally and alter the bits. Lowering these in the horses’ mouths often has a wonderful effect. You can also tighten the curb-chains, or put the reins lower down on the bits. Do not pull at your horses more than you can help, but directly you feel that they are getting the best of you stop at once, and if possible give them up to another driver. "Pace should suit the slowest horse." If three of the team can go ten miles an hour, and the fourth horse only eight, keep the three back to the slow one, for you cannot make him go up to the others without galloping. When, however, you are on a road coach, it is better to let the slow horse gallop than to lose time.

"Galloping." Galloping should not be attempted by the novice, for until he has learnt to take a good steady hold of the horses’ heads it is really very dangerous, not only on account of the rapid pace, but because the coach will almost certainly be set rocking in a very uncomfortable manner, and may eventually be upset. "How to prevent coach rocking." When a coach is found to be rocking, give the leaders a little more rein, so that their traces may place a more constant strain on the pole, which will then be steadied. Then take hold of the horses’ heads and slow down gradually.

"Horse’s likes and dislikes." If possible try and find out what a horse likes and dislikes so as to avoid irritating him. The sound of the horn annoys many horses terribly, and makes them pull. Sometimes this can be got over by constantly blowing the horn in the stable. Some hate the sound of the whip, so try and use it very quietly. Others dislike the sound of heavy carts rattling past them, and are in that case best placed on the near side.

"Judging pace." To become a really good judge of pace is most difficult, but it is very important, and can only be learned by constant and steady practice.

"Team wobbling." To drive neatly the horses must above all things be kept going straight along the road, with the wheelers exactly behind the leaders. Always save your cattle as much as possible, and to this end never let them wobble across the road. In some teams this tendency to wobble is great, and must be checked at once. This can only be done by continually watching them. "Coach wobbling, apply grease." One great cause of the coach wobbling is the fore-carriage moving stiffly, owing to grit or mud having found its way in between the plates—a state of affairs which can easily be remedied by a plentiful application of grease.

"Steering team like steering a ship." Any such movement should be anticipated in the same manner that a good helmsman anticipates the swing of his ship, with a slight motion of the rudder, as by so doing he is never obliged to put his helm hard over. The unaccustomed hand always waits too long, till the ship has already swung, and then is obliged to use a great deal of helm—the result being that he makes his course into a series of zigzags.

In the same way a very slight pressure applied on the reins at the right time will keep the horses going perfectly straight and true, without any pulling or jerking.

"Treating four reins as if only three." To attain this end it is very convenient to treat the four reins as if there were only three, the two off-side reins being treated as one and always kept together (fig. 33). Then all that is necessary is to place the third and fourth fingers on the off-side reins, and the middle finger on the near leader to check the tendency of the leaders to run to the right or of the wheelers to the left, or else the middle finger on the near wheeler (fig. 33), to check the tendency of the leaders to run to the left or the wheelers to the right. This cannot be too strongly impressed on the reader, as the right hand has to be more frequently used in this way than in any other.

"Watching an omnibus driver is a good lesson." A very good and inexpensive lesson in driving may be obtained by riding on the box seat of an omnibus by the side of a good driver through the most crowded parts of London. The driver has not only to gauge his own pace accurately, but also that of the other vehicles he is meeting and passing.

"Judging pace of other carriages." This renders it absolutely necessary for him to keep his eyes looking well to the front and not always riveted on the horses, otherwise he will be unable to judge exactly the relative positions of his own and the other vehicles on the road, all of which, at any given moment, will most probably be moving at different rates of speed.

These things have to be calculated to a nicety and almost instantaneously, if the coachman wishes to wend his way at a steady and a fairly uniform pace through the busy traffic of crowded thoroughfares like those of the Metropolis.

"Change of pace must be gradual." When he finds that it would be impossible to get through by continuing at an even pace, he must either go faster or slow down. But in either case the change of speed should be gradual, so as to avoid any sudden jerks.

"Pulling up with jerk, bad driving." To be obliged frequently to pull up with a jerk not only indicates bad driving, but causes the greatest discomfort to both passengers and horses. Many London coachmen are in the habit of treating their passengers in this way, with the result that they are perpetually jolted out of their seats and experience sensations which are both unpleasant and irritating.

The reason is not far to seek—these coachmen are bad judges of pace, interval, and distance, and do not see till too late whether it is possible to get through or not. They first hit their horses to try and get through, and then at the last moment finding it impossible are obliged to pull up suddenly. With a heavy coach it is impossible to pull up at once, so that the chances are a collision will occur.

"How to judge width of coach." The width of a coach is judged as far as the driver is concerned by the leaders’ bars. They are always, or they ought to be, rather wider than the pipe boxes of the wheels, so that the driver knows with the greatest certainty that wherever his bars will pass his coach will pass also, always provided that he is going straight. If he is on a curve he will have to make some allowance for his hind wheels, as their track will pass a little inside that of the fore.

"In passing give room to other carriages." When passing a carriage do not move across the road more than is necessary, but at the same time, once having overtaken it, do not pull across its front until well clear, unless compelled to do so. It is considered bad form to oblige another driver to slow down unnecessarily. Begin to cross in plenty of time, so as to make the incline as gradual as possible, and thus avoid pulling at the horses. It is far better and safer for the beginner to give himself plenty of room, and to slow down at once if he is not certain of getting through. Nothing should be left to chance.

"Take a pull before going down hill." Always take a pull at the horses to steady them just before you arrive at the crest of a hill, and begin to descend the other side slowly. The pace can always be increased, but it is most difficult to check it if you find that you have too much way on.

In crossing over a bridge, like the ordinary canal bridge, where the rise and fall of the road are very sharp, be careful the leaders are out of draught, otherwise the jerk on the pole might cause it to snap.

"The break." As regards the break, the driver should put it on and take it off himself, as no one else can tell the exact moment when it is required or when it can be dispensed with; but with the beginner, who probably has quite as much as he can do to manage the reins, it is advisable to have assistance. It should be put on, as a rule, before the coach is actually on the incline, and, if another hill has to be ascended immediately, it should be taken off before actually arriving at the bottom, in order to take advantage of the way on the coach to assist in mounting the opposite ascent.

"Coming off racecourse." When coming off a racecourse with a heavy load never pull up if it can possibly be avoided, but keep moving at any price, however slowly, the wheels will then never have time to sink deeply into the ground. When this happens with a team that is inclined to jib, it is long odds against getting started again without a considerable loss of time.

"On slippery stones or asphalt." When coming on to slippery stones or asphalt the horses will require holding rather more firmly than before, and it is advisable to slow down a little when approaching a corner, otherwise the wheelers are liable to slip up in turning it.

"Wheeler slipping going down hill." If, while going down a hill, and especially when near the bottom, you find a wheeler slipping on to his hocks, do not try to pull him up, but drop your hand and allow the team to go a trifle faster.

"Place right hand on reins passing startling objects." It is a good plan for the novice to accustom himself to place his right hand on the reins when passing anything on the road, or any object by the side of it, which might startle the horses, so as to be ready to check them at once should they show any tendency to shy in either direction.

Naturally the beginner will find that it takes some little time for his right hand to get into the habit of instinctively seizing the proper reins when a sudden emergency arises, and accidents occur so very quickly that I think these precautions may save him from many a mishap. Experientia docet.