"Principles of tandem driving." The fundamental principles of tandem driving are very naturally almost the same as those of driving a coach. But the chief difference between the two styles arises from the fact that both horses in a tandem turn much more quickly and with far less pressure on the reins, more especially the leader, than the pair of horses, either wheel or lead, in a coach. Furthermore, the tendency to wobble about the road is much greater, necessitating a much more frequent use of the right hand; so that it really requires greater quickness and lighter hands to drive a tandem than a coach. "Great nicety and quickness required." On the other hand, a tandem can turn on its own ground and everything is in front of the driver, whereas a coach requires a large space to turn in, and often a good allowance has to be made for the hind wheels.

"Advantages of tandem." One of the greatest recommendations of a tandem is that it is well within the reach of many who cannot afford a team. The small extra expense and trouble which the leader entails are fully compensated for by the extra enjoyment which everyone feels when driving behind a perfect and well-appointed tandem.

"Idea of tandem being dangerous is erroneous." It is quite a mistake to suppose that a tandem is necessarily a very dangerous turn-out to sit behind. It is nothing of the sort, if driven by an experienced coachman and the horses are fairly trained.

Of course horses that have never been driven in single harness cannot be safe in a tandem. "Almost any horse will go in tandem." But almost every horse that will go in single harness, and some that will not, will make perfectly safe leaders with very little teaching. It must be thoroughly understood that there is an immense difference between the terms a perfectly safe leader and a perfect leader. A horse may be a perfectly quiet animal, which will not kick, nor do anything that will get one into difficulties or danger, but yet be a terrible slug. This would altogether prevent one driving him rapidly through traffic; therefore, though a perfectly safe animal, he is not a perfect "Frequent use of right hand necessary." leader. As mentioned above, it is necessary to use the right hand very frequently when driving a tandem, in order to immediately check every tendency the leader may have to "Follow leader if he turns suddenly." cross the road or to turn round a corner. But if by any chance the leader has got well on the turn before you are able to check him, do not then try and do so, but apply the principle of “Follow my leader” at once. Follow after him, and when the horses are straight turn round and come back again. Do just the same if you are standing still, and the leader suddenly comes right round. Whilst turning the wheeler, back him if possible, so as to give the leader plenty of room. By this means you will never get the leader tied in an inextricable knot.

If it is not possible to follow the leader round, hit him on the side of the head with the whip, which will probably induce him to get back into his place.

"Position of left hand and method of holding reins." The left hand should be held in the same position as when driving four horses, and the reins held in precisely the same way, but as these matters have been thoroughly discussed in a previous chapter it is unnecessary to go into them again here.

"Position of right hand when on reins." The right hand ought to be placed on the reins in front of the left, with the little and third fingers together over the two off-side reins, the middle finger over the near-wheel, and the first finger over the near-lead (fig. 35); all the reins will then be under the immediate control of the right hand.

The two off-side reins should in all cases, except for a sharp back turn to the right, be treated as one rein, and always kept under the little and third fingers of the right hand. "Three-rein principle." This, which may be termed the three-rein principle, will be found to simplify matters very considerably, owing to there being practically only three reins to think about instead of four.

"Difficult to get right hand quickly into the reins." The beginner will experience considerable difficulty at first in passing his right hand quickly on and through the reins in the proper manner, the reason being that they are all close together, much more so than with four horses, so that he is obliged to stretch the right hand much further forward in order to get it in between them. For this reason, carry your hand well out to the front, where the reins open out a little, and when once you have hold of them correctly slide it back towards the body. It looks very awkward to drive with the right hand held out a long way from the left, and it is also quite unnecessary.

"Always keep right hand on reins at night. " For those who have not much experience, it is far better to keep the right hand always on the reins, and particularly so at night, when the hand should never be taken away unless it is required for the purpose of using the whip. Rarely pull one rein singly, as described for pointing the leaders in a coach, except when looping a lead rein in order to turn a sharp corner, or to execute a quick bend to get through traffic. If you pull a rein singly, especially a lead rein, you are very likely to overdo it or jerk it.

"Never pull rein as if ringing a bell." Never jerk a rein at all except in an emergency, but apply the pressure steadily and gradually. The only excuse for “ringing the bell” with a rein is when driving a slug which is not going quite up to his bit, when you want to turn a corner.

It is generally advisable, whenever possible, to advance a few paces before turning round in a road from the halt. The best methods of avoiding any jerking when going round corners with free-going horses are as follows:—

"Turning to the left." To turn to the left, slide the right hand slightly to the front and catch hold of the near-lead rein with the forefinger, and then bring the right hand back towards the left, allowing the other fingers to slide over, but not to move away from their proper reins. The near-lead rein will then be looped under the first finger (fig. 36). When the leader is turning nicely round the corner, tighten the little and third fingers on the off-side reins, and apply as much pressure as is necessary by turning the wrist away from the body; thus bringing the little finger closer to it. This will have the effect of checking any tendency of the leader to turn too fast, while also preventing the wheeler from following round too quickly after him, and cutting the corner.

If the wheeler is still turning too fast, drop the left hand towards the right, which will slack the near-wheel rein and so keep him off to the right, or away from the corner. Should the leader not turn quickly enough, seize the loop which is held by the forefinger of the right hand with the left thumb, retaining it there in the same manner as previously described for “pointing” a rein. Another loop can then be taken up as before, which will bring the leader round as fast as is desired.

"Best method of turning to right." To turn to the right, slide the right hand to the front, and with the middle finger seize the near-wheel rein; draw the hand back about an inch or two, still retaining a grip of the near-wheel, but sliding the fingers over the other reins. This is done in order to prevent the wheeler coming round too quickly. Then tighten the little and third fingers on the off-side reins, and press strongly on them (fig. 37). This will have the effect of bringing the leader round to the right. If the leader is not coming round sufficiently fast, turn the back of the left hand down gradually, this will enable you to turn him with the greatest nicety.

The above methods are especially recommended, as they entirely do away with the necessity of taking the right hand out of the reins for looping purposes, the great danger of which is that it is almost impossible to get the right hand back between them quickly enough to prevent the wheeler cutting the corner, if he is at all inclined to do so, or to check the leader if he is coming round too rapidly. The horses turn so quickly, that the wheeler can see the leader coming round almost before the lead rein can be seized with the left thumb, and tandem reins being very close together, it is difficult for the right hand to catch the wheeler’s rein in time to check him. The fact is that several things have to be done simultaneously, or nearly so, to obtain perfection, and the manipulation of the reins is then, as I have often heard it expressed, somewhat like playing the harp. Of course with very sluggish horses the reins can be looped in the same manner as when driving four horses, but as a rule less rein must be taken up, or the leader will come round and look you in the face. Therefore you must always be ready to pull the opposite rein, and so check the horse from going too far round.

"Proper time to turn leader at a corner." Practice alone will enable one to hit off exactly the proper moment to turn the leader when a sharp corner has to be negotiated. Perhaps the best general guide is to give the leader the office when his head is abreast of the centre of the road to be turned down. More than this it is useless to say, as everything depends on the width of the road and the angle of the turn. It is, however, always a safe thing to take as much room as possible, and it is therefore a good plan before arriving at the corner to pass off to the opposite side of the road, provided the traffic will allow this to be done.

"Quickness of handling reins necessary in traffic." In order to turn corners nicely with the wheeler going over the same ground as the leader, and not shuffling round anyhow, or to go in and out rapidly through traffic like that of London, requires the utmost nicety and quickness of handling, and also that the horses be well trained to keep constantly up to their bits, and to feel even the lightest pressure and answer to it at once. "Horses should answer to pressure of driver’s hands at once." When you drop your hand to them, they should at once increase their pace until you come back to the original pressure, but the moment more than this is put on they should at once check their pace. They should also willingly go into an omnibus if driven there, and never shy off. Such is a perfect tandem, but one most difficult to find.

"Tendency to slow down." A beginner at tandem driving, and even some who have had a certain amount of practice in driving four horses, will usually find the tandem has a great tendency to slow down, and that a considerable amount of whip is required to keep the horses up to the proper pace. This tendency will be found to disappear if a practised hand takes the reins, without the aid of the whip. A want of lightness of hand is usually the cause, and a want of give and take to the horses’ mouths. Probably the wrist is kept too stiff, and the pressure on the horses’ mouths is as a result uneven, too much being applied at one moment and not enough the next. To keep an even feeling on the horses’ mouths the hand must be allowed to move backwards and forwards a little, and there should be plenty of play from the wrist.

"Effect of altering centre reins." When you find that the leader is going off to the left, and the wheeler to the right, it is usually right to push the two centre reins back a little through the left hand from the front with the right hand, using the whole hand to do it with.

"Reins must be held firmly." If, on the contrary, the leader is bearing off to the right, and the wheeler to the left, you must then pull the two centre reins out a little until they, i.e., the horses, are straight. You must remember that, although you are using the right hand a great deal, the reins must none the less all the time be held very firmly in the left, and not allowed to slip in the least; so that at any moment you should be able to take the right hand off the reins and the horses should still be going exactly one behind the other, with all the reins tight, the left wrist turned in towards the body with the back of the hand to the front and almost perpendicular.

This position of the left hand is of great importance, as by turning the back down or up respectively a great deal can be done in the way of directing the leader to the right or left without any assistance from the right hand. "Thumb and forefinger always ready to take up loop." The thumb should be nearly parallel to the front, and like the first finger should be ready at any time to take up and hold a loop of either lead rein; therefore these fingers should never be busy gripping the reins. "Third and fourth fingers must grip reins tightly." The whole four reins should be held firmly in position by the grip of the third and little finger, slightly assisted by the middle finger.

To get horses, which have never been in "Tendency to form a pair." tandem before, exactly to follow one behind the other, requires considerable skill and patience, as it will be found that their common tendency is to get one alongside the other, the wheeler as a rule being anxious to run up alongside the leader. This tendency to form a pair must be checked at once, but without any jerking or hurried pulling at the reins.

"Do not worry leader." The leader should be worried as little as possible; therefore, do not pull him across the road more than you can avoid, particularly at first, but try to make the wheeler follow him, and you will find that if they are fairly well-disposed horses they will soon fall in with the idea of following one another.

"Constant use of whip shows bad coachman." Do not use the whip perpetually; try and work the horses chiefly with your hands, and to a certain extent by your voice. For instance, when starting them give them the office by slightly feeling their mouths with the reins and immediately shouting “Go on,” or something to that effect, momentarily dropping your hand to them in order to avoid any jibbing while getting under way. The horses will very quickly understand this, and the use of the whip will be unnecessary. "Wheeler should start cart." Remember, however, that the wheeler should start the cart; therefore be ready to touch him with the whip, if he hangs back; if, however, he is inclined to jib, it may be better to allow the leader to assist him.

With raw and nervous horses a good start is everything. Watch the leader carefully, and when you see him starting get the wheeler off at once by using the whip if he is not moving off at the same time. When pulling up, I think it is always a good plan to say “Whoa.” They very soon learn to obey the voice, and it often comes in handy.

"Encourage horse with voice." If a horse shies, speak to him at once and encourage him, but on no account hit him or you will confirm him in the habit. He does it nearly always from nervousness, or from defective vision, and not from devilry. "Never hit a shyer." A shyer will often go perfectly in the wheel of a tandem and never shy at all, but is never safe in the lead. I am also a believer in rating a horse soundly when he does wrong, and especially when you are hitting him, as the next time you rate him he will think he is going to feel the whip, and be very careful at once.

"Returning lash after hitting leader." In a dog-cart, when you have hit your leader, bring the lash back and catch it quickly with a turn round the stick by a slight jerk, or bring it straight into the fingers of your right hand by the same motion. You can then at once bring it well into the cart, and get your hand back on the reins. This last is a very important matter, as when the leader is hit he generally takes to pulling for a few yards, and your whip hand is much needed on the reins to steady him.

On the other hand, it is very unsafe to bring your right hand on to the reins unless the lash has been brought well into the cart, as it may easily be caught up round the axle or get under the wheel; and, as a rule, if the wheel goes over it, it will break off at that spot next time you use it.

It is often very convenient to have the whip ready to hit the leader at a particular place or corner which he is likely to want to go round. To do this unwind the lash, and keep the point of the stick out to the right front. The lash can then fly loose and do no harm, unless the wind is blowing across from right to left.

"Check pace before going down hill." Always check the pace before reaching the crest of a hill which you are about to descend, as when once on the downward slope this may not be possible, whereas to increase the pace is easy enough. When going down a hill it will be necessary to shorten up all four reins, either by pulling them through from behind with the thumb and forefinger (fig. 4), or by placing the right hand on the reins as before explained and sliding the left up to it (fig. 35). Sometimes it will be found necessary when going down a very steep hill to pull back the leader a little, "Leader out of draught down hill." but as a rule the mere fact of the wheeler coming out of draught to hold back the cart will necessitate the shortening of all the reins, which will bring the leader sufficiently out of his collar to prevent him pulling on the traces.

"Shortening lead reins." The leader’s reins can be shortened either by taking out both the lead reins with the right hand (fig. 32), the near lead under the first or second finger, the off lead under the little finger, and then replacing them in the left hand, or else by pushing them through from the front with the right hand in front of the left, the latter being usually far the best plan.

"Leader doing too much work." While on this subject, it may be well to remark that the novice is usually inclined to allow the leader to do a great deal too much work. The traces should never be quite taut except when going up a hill, and then the leader may be allowed to do his best. The result of allowing the leader to do all the work on the flat is that the wheeler soon learns to hang back, and thus makes his companion pull him along as well as the cart, and when this happens it is almost impossible to "Turning while going up hill." negotiate a sharp turn safely. From this it is evident that, when going up a hill with the leader well in draught, he must be taken out of the collar before a turn is attempted, otherwise the wheeler will be forced to cut the corner.

From this chapter it will be seen, that although the general principles of driving a tandem are the same as those of driving four horses, yet there are many minor points of difference, which the man, who wishes to drive both with equal skill, must carefully study and practise.

One very notable difference, which may be pointed out again, is the greater lightness and quickness of handling necessary to guide a tandem with ease and safety through difficult places.

Tandem is therefore admirably adapted for ladies who are fond of driving, as it affords all the interest of a team, without placing any undue strain on their strength or powers of endurance, while it enables them to exercise those qualities of quickness and lightness of hands, in which as a rule they surpass men.

The whole art of driving is composed of innumerable small, though most important details, but probably no other class of driving requires so much attention to be paid to these minutiÆ as Tandem.