Riding and Driving

CHAPTER X

THE AMERICAN HORSE

By far the most interesting type of horse to the American is the American trotting-horse, not only for the reason that he is of our own development, but because in one way or another he does duty for our harness horse, in practically every capacity except as a draught animal. He is known to horsemen the world over as the most docile and most versatile of horses. He has been developed and trained to go a mile in two minutes, and he has been trained to step high, and to prove himself to be in the highest class of harness horse, and he is not bad under saddle. Indeed, more than one blue-ribbon winner under the saddle from Virginia and Kentucky is of this same stock. This docility is shown in the wonderful performance of Belle Hamlin, Justina, and Globe, driven a mile, three abreast, in 2.14 by Ed. Geers.

In writing of the American trotting-horse one is confronted at the outset with the question of from what standpoint he is to be considered; whether as race-horse, road-horse, heavy harness horse, or general utility horse, as in all of these capacities he is without an equal, and almost without a competitor.

The American trotting-horse is the result of the development of a type produced from heterogeneous breeds; and while several districts of the country had their favorite strains of blood, there was no system of breeding which promised sure results until Hambletonian stamped his offspring with speed, and the instinct to trot; which have been developed by the breeding of horses with speed already developed or with speed inheritance. Trotters may now be bred, with a certainty that the produce will at least excel in speed horses of any other breed, and with a likelihood of great speed.

The breeding of Hambletonian (Plate XXVII.), who traces back to Messenger on side of both sire and dam, has never been questioned. Messenger was imported to Philadelphia from England in 1788. He was a gray stallion by Mambrino, first dam by Turf, second dam by Regulus, third dam by Starling, fourth dam by Fox, fifth dam Gipsey, by Bay Bolton, sixth dam by Duke of Newcastle's Turk, seventh dam by Byerly Turk, eighth dam by Taffolet Barb, ninth dam by Place's White Turk. He was eight years old when he came over.

The breeding of the dam of Hambletonian, known as the Charles Kent mare, is only questioned by those who, having failed in breeding on other lines, have sought relief by attacking Hambletonian's breeding, conformation, disposition, and individuality, without considering that his record in the stud disproves any and every contention of the kind. There is no success like success. At any rate, all agree that the greatest success in breeding trotters has been achieved by a liberal use of Hambletonian blood; and a winner with none of his blood is a curiosity. From Dexter, with a record of 2.17½ in 1867 down to Lou Dillon with a record of 1.58½ in 1903, every champion trotter except one is known to have carried Hambletonian's blood, and the exception probably did. The 2.10 list of to-day contains few without Hambletonian blood.

That Hambletonian impressed his progeny with the trotting instinct, and that this remains through generations, is shown by the history of the Dexter branch of the family. Dexter's full brother Dictator founded a family which increases in number of winners yearly. This is also true of his other offspring who were properly bred and developed.

Whether Hambletonian inherited his ability to impress his progeny with the trotting brain from the Arab, the thoroughbred, the hackney, or the native horse, is immaterial; that he had that ability from some source, the stud book proves beyond peradventure. Whatever combination produced him it was a fortunate day for American horse-breeding when he was produced and placed in Orange County, New York, where there were many good mares for him and where soil and water and climate all worked together for the good of his offspring and enabled him to found perhaps the best all-round type of horse in the world.

All of Hambletonian's get had the instinct to trot, and by breeding to those also having this instinct, which was of necessity in-breeding, it has been increased until the trot is their natural gait, and three-year-olds trot as fast as the champion of thirty years ago. While it has taken nearly a century to reduce the trotting record a minute, and while this reduction has been helped by improved tracks, sulkies, methods of training and shoeing, no one will question that the percentage of horses who can trot fast has increased to such an extent that a horse to trot in 2.20 is easier to find to-day than a three-minute horse thirty years ago.

The breed of American trotting-horse is of such recent origin, only five generations from Hambletonian to Lou Dillon, that it is not to be wondered at that the type is not exact, and that there are instances of reversion to outcrosses which produce individuals which subject the breed to criticism from those who judge quickly rather than calmly.

There is practically no question that intelligent breeding to a type will produce that type. This is proved by the phenomenal success of the Messrs. Hamlin. When Mr. C. J. Hamlin entered the breeding business, he stated that he proposed to breed not only speed, but beauty; and for years Village Farm was not only the home of the champions, but its produce was the most uniform and beautiful known. The great majority of the Hamlin horses bear the imprint of that grand horse Mambrino King, who for several years called forth spontaneous cheers, and applause, at Madison Square Garden, captivating the audience by his distinguished gait and bearing.

In conformation, the trotter has two distinctive differences from the runner, in that the trotter is longer in the body, than he is high, and is higher at the coupling, or rump, than at the withers. These differences, no doubt, are to accommodate the structure to the rotary gait rather than to the series of jumps of the runner. The trotter is steadily improving not only in speed, but in beauty, and it is only a matter of shoeing and education to make him step high for heavy harness use. Photographs show that all trotters at speed, step high at some point in their stride, and shoeing and bitting will so change the stride that it develops a more circular form, and the grit and instinct to trot enables them to go fast, high, and far, as compared to any other high stepper.

In every use, other than draught-horse work, the trotter stands alone as a general utility horse. The intelligence and nervous restraint which makes the two-minute trotter a possibility also makes him, when used as a carriage horse, safer than any other, even when surrounded by the many hideous objects and noises he must face in the city streets of to-day. Prominent coaching men say that no horse in the world can draw a loaded coach at the same speed, and stand the work so well, as the American trotting-bred horse.

The road-horse is a strictly American institution, and the possession of a trotter is about the first sign of prosperity of a successful American who lives outside of our great cities, where he is not influenced by the desire for show. The typical road-horse should have substance so that he can draw two men twelve miles an hour with pleasure to them and comfort to himself. He should have speed enough to acquit himself creditably in friendly brushes. Together with these qualities he should have looks and manners. No breed of horse except the American trotter combines the conformation, speed, and brain, to fulfil these requirements.

The attached diagram and table, taken from the New York Herald after Lou Dillon had trotted in two minutes, shows clearly the progress of the trotter in the last hundred years.

TOOK NEARLY A CENTURY TO GAIN A MINUTE

In 1806 Yankee lopped a Second from the Three-minute Mark and Ninety-seven Years later Even Figures are attained

The following table shows the records of the trotting champions since 1806 and the distance which Lou Dillon would have beaten each of them in a mile race.

LOU DILLON'S DESCENT FROM HAMBLETONIAN IN THE MALE LINE

Lou Dillon is fifth in descent from Hambletonian in the male line. This pedigree is as follows:—

LOU DILLON
SIDNEY DILLON
SIDNEY
SANTA CLAUS
STRATHMORE
HAMBLETONIAN

As to the training and education of the trotter, that is a science which would require a book in and of itself. Of the training of the trotting-bred road-horse, no two men probably pursue exactly the same methods, and no two horses require exactly the same treatment, hence no hard and fast rules can be laid down for every man or for every horse. Each man can only give the fruit of his own practical experience, judiciously mixed with the experience of others.

The first lesson cannot be given too soon. The day the foal is born it should be handled, and made to feel, even at that tender age, that man is its friend and master. This should be repeated every day for several weeks, or even longer, until the foal is perfectly gentle and friendly toward its attendant, allowing itself to be stroked and patted, and each leg in turn to be lifted so that the hoof may be examined and attended to, a small halter put on and taken off, and by degrees the foal gradually accustomed to lead and stand to halter. With a little patience and judgment, all this can be accomplished by the time the foal is a month old, simply through kindness and coaxing.

Most breeders leave all this undone, letting the foals run wild until they are weaned, when they are roughly and partially broken by sheer force and awkwardness combined. Sometimes this is not done till they are yearlings, or even older. The educating methods when they are young give the best results. These first lessons are never forgotten, and the foal is practically born in an atmosphere of docility and obedience. He gains confidence in his master or attendant, and never really learns to fight back at the end of a halter strap, and is much more willing to accept passively what may follow later on.

Instead of being in a state of terrorized obedience and fearful of being hurt every time he is approached by man with a strap or a piece of harness in his hands, he comes to look upon his training as agreeable play.

Before the foal is weaned he should be tied up by the halter rope to a small manger in the stall with his dam, long enough to finish a small feed of crushed oats, and this should be continued as part of his daily routine. He will fret much less after being weaned when this is done.

452a

452b

His first lessons to harness should be given soon after being weaned, during the winter that he becomes a yearling. A surcingle may be first thrown over his back and loosely buckled at first, then gradually tightened up. Being already used to the halter, he will not object to a snug-fitting bridle. A leather bit is preferable to any other for a young colt. By degrees the rest of the harness may be put on with little or no trouble. If the colt is suspicious, let him see, smell, and nose the harness before putting it on. The colt should be led around with long reins, taught to turn to either side, to stop at the word "whoa," and also to back. Then he may be hitched up to a small cart, especially built, with long shafts, low to the ground and running out behind the wheels, so as to prevent rearing should this be attempted. It is well, also, always to use a strong kicking-strap, on the theory that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." With such a cart and harness and lessons two or three times a week when the weather is pleasant, wonderful progress will often be made before it is time to turn the yearling out to grass.

Next winter he is coming two years old, and when taken up, the harness lessons should be resumed, this time to regulation road-cart. At this stage a plain snaffle-bit should be used. An average of twice a week in harness will be found sufficient, although a short drive every pleasant day may be indulged in. The colt should have the run of a paddock for exercise. The bitting rig may now be used to give the colt a good mouth, a most essential thing, for there is no comfort in driving a horse with a mean mouth. It is assumed that all the driving is done with a light hand, otherwise, instead of a road-horse, a rank puller is being developed.

A young horse in harness can hardly be accustomed at too early a stage to different sights and sounds, provided they are introduced to him with judgment and in a way not calculated to frighten him. He should become acquainted with dogs, cows, and such things as he is liable to meet on the road. An umbrella open or shut should have no terrors for him. In showing him an umbrella and gradually opening it,—and putting it over his head and all about him,—it is well to bear in mind that a colt should be educated on both sides. Whatever is done on the near side should be repeated on the off side. Carts should be rattled and pushed up against his haunches, and a hundred and one things of the sort done,—all of which will suggest themselves to a careful trainer. A horse has little or no reasoning power. He has a tenacious memory. What he has seen and knows does not harm him, he is not afraid of. What he has not seen he dreads, and being naturally the most timid of all animals, he instinctively and instantly thinks of flight, as his sole chance of escape. Confidence in his driver will counteract to a certain extent his dread and his thoughts of flight. A horse that is whipped past an object he is afraid of is being forced to choose the lesser of two evils, and in proportion to the extent of his fear must be the severity of the whipping to induce him to pass the dreaded object. Some horsemen pride themselves on their ability to "make" a horse pass anything or go anywhere. This method ruins a horse for pleasure driving, for when he sees something which frightens him, he knows he is between two fires. Ultimately, he may be cowed into submission and pass things without starting, but his spirit is broken, and he is no longer a gentleman's road-horse.

The better plan is to gradually accustom a horse to steam cars, trolley cars, automobiles, steam rollers, etc., taking him a little nearer each time, and encouraging him with voice and rein to pass. Not every man will succeed in doing this. Your true horseman, like your poet, is born and not made. Before bringing his charge to this point, he will have absolute control of his young horse, and the horse has every confidence in his driver. The driver is confident and fearless, and, knowing thoroughly the nature and limited capacity of his pupil, so manages things that the confidence and fearlessness are mutual, and so in time the horse responds cheerfully and fearlessly to the slightest wish of his driver. In the hands of a timid, nervous man, the same horse is likely to develop into a dangerous shyer, if not a puller or a runaway.

Every harness-horse should be taught to back and to stand. He should understand this before being harnessed to a cart, and time and care cannot be better employed than in making him proficient in both backing and stopping at the word of command, with every vehicle to which he may be harnessed. A horse may do both every time he is asked in a two-wheeled cart, and yet refuse to do either and have to be taught all over again when put to a four-wheeled vehicle.

Another valuable accomplishment is to walk fast. A lazy driver will sometimes make a slow walker of a naturally fast one, but this should not be tolerated. Some colts are naturally inclined to poke along at a snail's pace when walking, and are most satisfactory in every other respect. They will acquire the habit of brisk walking if they are harnessed double with a fast-walking horse. It is time well spent in teaching a horse to acquire the habit.

In driving young horses to pole, they should be driven different days on alternate sides,—first on the near side, then on the off side, or vice versa.

Open bridles should be used to begin with, and afterwards the blind bridle may be substituted. A driving-horse should be equally at home with either kind. While a plain snaffle is preferable for most horses, it will not always answer. In that case, the only way is to experiment with different bits until a suitable one is found. A severe bit should never be used except as a last resort.

The abuse of overdraw checks cannot be too severely reprobated. Many a good horse has his mouth and temper ruined, and his neck muscles made rigid instead of remaining, as they should, flexible and pliable, by the inordinate craze for the "Kimball Jackson" check. Some horses may, and probably do, require it; but, in my opinion, they are few and far between. Many road drivers seem to think such a check must be used on a fast trotter. It is well to recall that Jay-Eye-See, the first horse to trot a mile in 2.10, was driven with a side-check; and Lou Dillon, who has trotted a mile in 1.58½, and is the two-minute marvel of the day, goes without any check whatever. These two noted examples should silence all arguments about the necessity for an overdraw check in order to increase the speed.

The pleasure of a driving-horse depends as much as anything else upon his stopping and standing wherever and whenever you wish him to do so. Young horses are often impatient of this restraint, coming at irregular intervals and places, and it is one of the hardest things to train a horse to do. A good plan is to have them follow behind a wagon, particularly if loaded with hay, and have the wagon start and stop, and the colt you are driving behind it do likewise. This stopping and starting seems to him more natural, coming as it does from the forcible argument of a load of hay in front of him, rather than a pulling on his mouth from behind.

Just as the American trotting-bred horse makes the most agreeable harness-horse in the world, so he is well worth all the time and patience required to make him what he can become. A few months' kindliness, firmness, and patience when his schooling begins mean years of pleasure and safety to his owner later on. Above all, get all idea out of your head of "breaking" a horse. He is the last animal in the world to be made companionable or useful by being beaten and roughly handled and, as the phrase is, "broken." In his bitting, harnessing, and handling he should be made to do things by patience rather than by force. The notion that a horse should never be allowed to refuse to do what is required of him, but that he should there and then be beaten into obedience is not only a false notion, but results badly. Instead of thrashing him past what he shies at, it is far better in the end to keep at the problem day after day until he learns through habit rather than by the whalebone. It takes more time, but in the end the results are far more satisfactory. It is in these early days of the training of the road-horse or harness-horse that the wise owner puts all he knows of bitting, harnessing, shoeing, and feeding into practice. It is at these times, too, that he learns by scores of experiments which of the many counsels he has read or listened to is the wisest. It may be said, indeed, that an owner is and remains partially ignorant and incompetent, until he has watched and bitted and driven, day after day, an equine problem of his own.

CHAPTER XI

A CHAPTER OF LITTLE THINGS

The success of every drive, whether with one horse, two horses, four horses, or six horses, depends upon three things: the comfort of your horse, yourself, and your passengers.

Of the comfort of the horse much has been said already, and all that has been said may well be emphasized and even repeated. He should be ready to go out, that is, not too soon after nor too long after feeding. His bit and harness should be comfortable and adequate to the work he is to do. His shoes and feet should be in good condition. If a horse is properly looked after by his caretaker in the stable, casting a shoe should be a rare occurrence. The horse being comfortable at the start, everybody's comfort behind him depends upon his being kept comfortable. He should not be asked to go too fast or too slow, or asked to do too much at one time, and his mouth should be kept fresh.

As for the coachman, his harness, too, should fit him. The writer has seen a rein dropped and a horse in a four go sprawling on the pavement, all on account of the ill-fitting hat of the coachman, who was grabbing at his head-gear at an inopportune moment. It is even a matter of consequence, if you are to be the custodian of other people's safety on a drive, that your hat should fit you well enough to stay on, even in a fresh breeze.

Gloves should be of dogskin, and at least a size too big. Your hand should be able to bend as though there was no glove on it. If the glove is not as big as this, or even bigger, your reins will slip toward the middle of your fingers, where they should not be, but held snug in toward the roots of the fingers; and you cannot easily bend your hand round to make a pivot of your wrist, upon which the whole easy give-and-take between the hand and the horse's mouth depends. In our hot climate it makes for coolness in summer to punch a few holes in the backs of the gloves, and turn over the wrists on to the backs of the hands. Driving gloves with only one seam up and down the fingers are the most comfortable (see plates).

A pair of woollen gloves should always be taken in tandem or four-in-hand driving to use in case of wet weather. Nobody can drive in tight-fitting gloves. You may steer and pull, but drive, never. Every single suggestion as to holding and fingering the reins is negatived if tight gloves are worn. It then becomes a physical impossibility to so manœuvre hands, wrists, and fingers that the horse's mouth shall have a chance. Wet gloves can be got in shape and flexibility again by the use of Crown soap well rubbed into them while they are wet. When they are dry again, they will be as good as ever.

In the matter of the driver's cushion, it is well to be above your horse, even in a runabout. This gives better control, more power, and keeps the reins off the horse's back, so that they may come back directly from the pad-terrets to the hand. The cushion should always, in whatever vehicle, be of cloth, and tufted to avoid slipping. You will have enough to do without using your legs as props to hold you on your seat. So much depends upon the physical proportions of the coachman that it is impossible to give figures as to the proper size and slant of cushion. Three inches and a half is a fair slant of cushion. The knees should be bent at a comfortable angle, and the feet resting on the foot-board in such a way that the ankles are not bent at an uncomfortable angle. In driving two as a pair or tandem, or four horses, this matter of a comfortable and secure seat is important, and will repay considerable attention.

If for any reason—as in the case of a dog-cart balanced at different angles—the distance between the seat and the foot-board is altered, or where a child or short-legged person needs a brace for the feet, never under any circumstances have a rail. A foot-board covered with corrugated rubber made to fit in, and which can be taken out when not needed, is all that is necessary. A rail across the bottom of the foot-board, often seen in the lighter style of vehicles, such as buggies, buckboards, and the like, is an invention of the devil and most dangerous. It is entirely unnecessary, and it is easy to catch your toe or toes underneath it, and the consequences may be horribly serious. In one case a lady, catching a low shoe under such a rail and struggling to get it out, was thrown over the dash-board between her horses and killed. Such a rail serves no real purpose and has no possible defence except a very short-sighted economy. If your light vehicle has such a rail as a rest for the feet, either take it out or put another rail across parallel to it so that it is impossible to catch even the toes underneath it.

If a horse gets his tail over a rein, stop him and lift his tail off the rein; do not jerk the rein from under the tail. A clever whip, driving tandem or four, can often, by a judicious turning of the horse and a flick with the whip, make the horse take his tail off the rein himself, but this is for the cognoscenti; the beginner had best take the safest and surest way out of trouble and either let the groom or his passenger help him out. If alone, slow up, do no tugging and jerking, loosen the rein, turn your horse quickly and decidedly the other way, and flick him on the quarters with the whip. If it were not that every now and then some one is kicked in the head by leaning over the dash-board to get hold of the horse's tail, it would seem unnecessary to forbid absolutely such a copper-fastened fool proceeding.

Of docked tails, bearing-reins, cruppers, and the like, there are, season after season, endless discussions. The cause of the discussion is usually due not to a wise, but to a cruel, use of these, and is generally carried on in a legislature where only a small minority know anything of the horse except as a quiet farm animal, seldom driven out of a walk. As soon as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals adds to its board of directors half a dozen theoretically and practically competent horsemen, there will be a change for the better in these matters, both practically and legislatively.

There are many competent horsemen who maintain, and with reason, that the long tail is dangerous, particularly where women and children drive; that a tail over the rein may mean a mishap, and probably injury; that it is dirty, bedraggles and wets the legs, and with the fast-moving, well-cared-for carriage horse is unnecessary, even to his comfort. This does not, on the other hand, imply that horses' tails should be docked and "set up"; but it does point to a happy medium between the dangerous and dirty long tail and the unnecessarily short dock. The question should not be looked upon as having but one answer. Men who have themselves docked horses and seen scores of horses docked, and who take the most instructed care of their horses, are naturally provoked by criticism from citizens who hardly know that a horse's tail has joints in it, let alone anything about the feeding, housing, or handling even of their own horses.

So very few people know how much there is to know about the horse, that their ignorance neither oppresses, nor suppresses them.

As for the bearing-rein, here again the question is one of use. For the misuse of the bearing-rein there is no defence. The bearing-rein prevents shaking about of the head, rubbing off of the bridle, catching the bit or bridle, getting the head down between the legs, obstinate boring; and, driving in town, it is a valuable piece of auxiliary harness. Its misuse, to hold a horse's head in an unnatural position and to make him lift his feet, is not only cruel, but vulgar—vulgar being used to express the type of mind that measures everything by appearances.

The crupper keeps the saddle in place, helps materially to prevent the horse from getting his tail over the rein, and disinclines him to kick.

The breeching is, or ought to be, considered indispensable in a hilly country, even with light vehicles, and is a proper precaution in all cases where women or children act as coachman.

Brakes are a French invention, and might be supposed to come under much the same strictures as the breeching. But while a breeching is useful and never out of place, except perhaps on the leaders where horses are driven in front of each other, the brake is so often misused, with consequent damage to the horse, the harness, the vehicle, and the skill of the driver, that it almost deserves a chapter by itself. In the old days of heavy coach-loads, the wheelers, helped by the skilful coachman, took the coach down hill. But a mistake, or a break in the harness or the pole, meant disaster. The brake, which cramps the wheels and takes some of the strain of holding back off the horses, was a valuable invention.

A limited amount of alcohol given at the right time is an indispensable medicine and a boon to the race. Alcohol taken at all times and generally by the wrong persons, in the wrong places, is the curse of the Anglo-Saxon race. England, with one in forty of its population classed as incompetent, is the story of the misuse of alcohol.

The brake shoved on violently at every declivity racks the vehicles, burdens the horse by not allowing him to go part of his road without the weight of the vehicle behind him, puts unnecessary strain on the harness at the wrong time, and tends to make the coachman careless. The brake shoved on with a jerk at every stop jars everybody in the vehicle, and has been known, not once, but often, to actually chuck people clean out of the vehicle, both behind and in front, besides bringing the horse into his collar with a painful galling of his shoulders. On a level place the brake should never be used to stop the vehicle. After the vehicle has been stopped, particularly if it be a heavy one, the brake may be put on and left on until the next start is made—this as a measure of precaution.

Never put on the brake in any case with the whip in the right hand. Transfer your whip to the left hand and avoid the danger of flicking the horse in front of you by dropping it toward him; or of flicking the passengers behind you by dropping it toward them; and above all avoid the danger of breaking or losing your whip altogether. When the brake is to be put on, you need your whole hand to do it. Put on and take off the brake quietly. Knowing horses will often start off at the sound of the brake. The brake should not be regarded as a regular part of the harness. It is good for a horse to do some holding-back work, and a bad habit to get him to the point where he shirks this part of the work, or refuses to do it at all. Then in case the brake does not work, or you are without one, the refusal may cause trouble. The brake is only for use when there is too much strain on horse and harness—not for use every time we go down the smallest declivity. Such use of it spoils rather than helps the horse. It is torture to a passenger to see and feel the brake go on, before the descent is reached even, and then kept on yards after there is no need of it. As a matter of fact, good men and good horses are able to negotiate any ordinary road, without any brake at all; it is a precautionary measure and a convenience. But for all driving in hilly country by the average coachman it should not be omitted, nor should it be misused. Where other people share the danger, it is always best to err on the safe side. Do not start down any hill fast. With a heavy load, and horses well in hand, you may put on steam toward the bottom and give the cattle a little relief. In going up a hill, do not become impatient and urge horses into a faster pace before you reach the brow of the hill. It is hard on a horse to pull up a hill, and then to be forced into a trot just before reaching the top, where the strain is hardest. Once on the level, give a little breathing-space and then start along. Remember always, whether going down hill, or approaching a troublesome crowd of vehicles, or with a corner to turn ahead of you, that the time to slow up is before you get there. You should slow up with your eyes, and stop with your hands. That is to say, you should begin operations as soon as your eyes discover trouble ahead, and not leave it to the last moment; and then, with your hands in the air, your back at an angle of 45°, your horses on their haunches, and the carriage on top of them, just save yourself. It is much easier to avoid trouble than to get out of it. If you are alone, and with no one dependent upon you for support, your neck is your own; but with passengers, for whose safety you have tacitly pledged yourself, the moment you take the reins you have no right to take the smallest risk, and besides you are in honor bound to use your very best efforts for their safety and comfort. Above all things do not fancy that you are a coachman, because you own horses and can drive them. Bad driving in New York is responsible for one death a day the year round.

The hands should be carried under average circumstances at about the level of the watch chain when worn in the lower waistcoat pocket; the arm horizontal from the elbow, which position puts the hands slightly lower than the elbow. But this direction should not for a moment be taken as a hard and fast rule. You will see first-rate coachmen, some with the hand higher, some with the hand lower than this. The reasons for the differences are simple. With a nicely bitted team in a show ring or in the Park, where a touch is enough, the left hand if raised a little can be turned more easily, the points can be made by the right hand with less movement, and there is no danger of tiring either hand or arm. On the other hand, the coachman who has a fifty-mile drive before him, with many different horses to handle, will place his hand lower, with more comfort to himself, and with less risk of numbing his hand and arm.

Driving with the hands held up under the chin, or out in front of one, as though presenting a visiting-card on a tray, are merely the monkey mannerisms of the ignorant. This is often the result of having seen others drive without understanding the reasons for their position of the hands. Those most accomplished coachmen, Howlett, father and son, in teaching hold the hands higher than the ordinary for the very sufficient reason that they can handle a team admirably, this way or any other way, and because it is much easier to show the pupil what is going on with the reins and fingers in that position. But when young Howlett so easily distanced his competitors, and won the five-hundred-dollar prize at the Madison Square Garden, he did not handle the reins in an exaggerated or conspicuous fashion. Holding the hands too high is conspicuously awkward, besides showing the performer to be ignorant of his business and making it exceedingly difficult to pull up quietly and quickly. It may be set down as an axiom, that the coachman who looks self-conscious and in a strained position is doing something he does not understand, because he guesses it is right. A snob may be borne with on dry land; but on the cushion he is dangerous. The institutional bore who illustrates the evident, explains the obvious, and expatiates on the commonplace is merely an irritant at dinner; but at the helm of a boat or behind horses his slovenly omniscience presages, or prepares for, disaster.

But more than any other one thing, inattention is the cause of most accidents. Something goes wrong because the coachman, through inattention, was unprepared for it, and then things happen that cannot be avoided. Nine runaways out of ten begin with carelessness; once started there is no help this side of a smash-up. You may see not once, but ten times, a day the owner of a vehicle put down his reins, get out, and instead of going to the horse's head, until the groom can get to the reins, walk off. The writer has seen two expensive smash-ups due to the fact that a high-strung horse, startled by a noise or an unexpected sight, broke away while the groom was getting from the horse's head to the seat. A horse finding himself entirely and unexpectedly at liberty, loses his head more often than not, and then does any mad thing, from kicking to running away, that comes easiest.

The harness-horse, it is to be remembered, is always under control, and just to feel no restraining hand is in and of itself enough to upset him. Very few horses if restrained in time can get away with a fairly strong man, but no man living can stop two, or even one, much less four horses, once they get the jump on him and a good galloping start. The important thing is to keep such watch and ward that the horse gets no chance to get even one jump before he is pulled up, and that means ceaseless vigilance. If you have had accidents,—and if you have ridden or driven much, you have had accidents,—you will recall that the cause was unexpected, and things happened just at that particular fraction of a second when you were off your guard. In teaching any one to drive, particularly children, this point cannot be too much emphasized. The eyes, so to speak, should be in the boat, or in equine parlance on the horse, the whole livelong time,—from the moment you take up the reins till some one has the horse's head at the end of the journey. Lacking this fundamental axiom of all driving, everything else goes for nothing.

The whip should be used smartly and for a purpose, or not at all. It is best to hit your horse forward of his pad or saddle, except where in tandem or four-in-hand driving the leaders should be hit on the hind legs, under, not above, the trace. Never, in any kind of driving, use your whip with the rein in the same hand as the whip. To hit a horse with the whip, and to jab him in the mouth at the same time, renders both signals incomprehensible.

The reins should never be flopped about on the horse's back in lieu of the whip. This jabs the mouth, confuses the horse, and puts him not only to confusion, but out of your direct control. The connection between hand and bit should never be cut off while the horse is in motion, any more than you should unship your rudder while sailing a boat. Do not turn corners too fast nor too soon. When the hub of your front wheel is opposite the corner you are to turn, even if you be too close on that side, there is little danger of hitting even with the hind wheel. Above all things, look where you are going and watch your horse! In any sport where the pleasure and safety of others are in your keeping, to show off or to take risks is unpardonable and dangerous folly.

"Form," of which we hear so much in relation to driving, is here as everywhere else either rational or ridiculous. Form is rational when it is the proper clothing of an idea; form is ridiculous when it is merely an idea of proper clothing. When you dress comfortably, and sit securely, and hold the reins firmly and lightly, you drive in good form because you are obeying the well-thought-out laws of the sport. When you merely copy the externals without knowing why, you are ridiculous. This is the whole secret of form. One is matter, the other is merely manner. One is rational, the other ridiculous.

CHAPTER XII

DRIVING ONE HORSE

Once you have a horse and know something of his make-up inside and out, and have housed him properly, and bought his harness and learned something of its use, the next thing is to make the connection, first between the horse and the vehicle, and then between yourself and the horse.

The carriage should be run out first, the pole or shafts put in place and dusted, the proper whip and robes got together. It may be well for the owner to realize that a man alone should have at least three-quarters of an hour to turn out on the box of a brougham or Victoria, proportionally less time for a runabout or other light carriage, on which he is to appear in stable clothes. The horse should be brought out of or turned in his stall and attached to the pillar-reins, and his feet, coat, and head gone over. The collar should then be stretched and put over his head, being careful not to rub hard against the eye-bones in so doing, fasten on the hames, and turn the collar into place. It is easier to fasten hames on to the collar before the collar is turned. Then put on the bridle, seeing to it that the bit is in its proper place, as well as the winkers, and that both sides of the bridle are of the same length. The saddle should be placed first well back on the horse, so that the crupper may be put under the tail without undue pulling and hauling. Then place the saddle where it belongs on the horse's back, and tighten up the girth. Run the reins through their terrets and fasten them to the bit, and lead your horse out and back him into the shafts. Never take hold of the bit in leading him out but by the nose-band. If you slip or stumble or he throws his head, if you have him by the bit you jab him in the mouth, and then even before he is in the vehicle he is sensitive and restive. Put your horse as near the carriage as possible without danger of hitting when in motion. The tug girth, which holds the shafts, should be tight enough to hold the shafts in place in a four-wheeled carriage, but loose enough to allow a certain amount of play in two-wheeled carriages. Where, as in a gig harness, the play is given by the tug itself, this is not necessary.

In unharnessing, take off the bearing-rein, unfasten the traces, then the tug girth—not vice versa, so that if a horse starts forward there will be something to prevent the carriage running on his heels. Always loosen a curb-chain before taking off a bridle,—this applies equally to the horse in harness or under saddle,—and lastly the breeching. The reins should be unbuckled from the bit, drawn back through the terrets, and hung over the arm or out of the way. Take off the pad, turn the collar, and take off the hames, then turn the collar back and leave it in its place a few minutes to prevent galled shoulders. The bit and curb-chain should be thrown into the bucket of lime water, or at any rate cleaned carefully at once. It is much easier to prevent rust than to get it off.

In taking out a pair, the reins should be unbuckled first of all and pulled through from the front. If you drive into the stable, do it yourself before dismounting. In taking off the traces, begin with the inside one, then the outside one, then the pole-chains or pole-pieces. Take off the saddles, turn the collars, remove the hames, leaving collars on as before. It is a great saving of time, and lessens confusion, to fix the habit of both harnessing and unharnessing in a regular way, until it becomes mechanical; and mistakes are not made, and accidents do not happen, because the habit of doing things properly has become fixed. Have your buckle-rein on off-side horse. First, because that marks the rein, and, secondly, because as that rein is the one not thrown across there is less likelihood of hitting and hurting the attendant on that side.

Before you take the reins in your hand look over the trap, harness, and horse, and see that all is right. The stop on the shafts should by all means be behind the tugs; the traces, collar, breeching, bridle, girths, bit, bearing-rein, should be looked over, first, to see if you may drive in safety, and then to confirm you in what you have learned about these things.

Take the reins in the left hand, the near rein over the second finger, the off rein between the third and fourth finger. No matter what the vehicle is, take the whip with you when you get into it. The whip in the socket is in the way, and the whip should be almost as constantly in the hands as the reins anyway, so that it is better to begin with the whip where it belongs. Then place the reins in the right hand with the whip, mount to your place, take your seat quickly, change the reins back into the left hand, see that they are about the right length without feeling your horse's mouth, which would make him start before you are ready, and you are ready to send your first telegram to your horse. Do it discreetly, gently, and if you are not where your voice will disturb other horses, add a word of some kind, preferably a signal not in common use between men and horses. A horse learns quickly to recognize, and does not forget, his owner's voice. That voice encourages, soothes, or commands him. But where you are driving with or surrounded by others, the use of your voice in the well-known click or chirrup would disturb all the horses and coachmen about you. It is easy to accustom your own horses to any phrase: "Come on now," "Look alive," or even "What's the matter?" which conveys no message to other horses and at the same time rouses your own. The writer has an intimate acquaintance with several horses who will start into action at hearing "Come on now," in a well-known voice.

Nothing is more disagreeable at a railway station, in a hurly-burly of traps and horses, than the clicking and clucking and snapping of whips, which, while meant for one or two horses, disturb half a dozen. Two-thirds of the coachmen on private carriages catch sight of their masters, flap the horses with the reins, swing the whip, and chirrup; and yet they would be surprised to be told that they do not know the rudiments of driving. Nothing smacks more of the farmer than a man who, behind you, or passing you, or standing near you and wishing to start, clicks or clucks to his horse, starting your horse up at the same time. A man who cannot start one, two, or four horses with his hands, and without a hullabaloo of noise, is unworthy to sit behind horses at all. If your horses are new to your stable, or awkward and untrained, feel the mouth gently, and if this is not understood or is misunderstood, use the whip gently and make your start in that way. The perfection of starting is to have the horse feel his bit on his bars almost exactly at the moment his shoulders feel the collar—a fraction of a lightning stroke after, to be exact.

When you are ready to start either out of the stable or from the door, have the man stand clear. No leading of the horse forward, no pulling at bit or nose-band; give the horse a chance to learn what you want of him without puzzling him with a variety of signals.

It is a little ahead of time to speak of it here, but, lest we forget, it may be mentioned at once. Never allow the groom or grooms to stop your horse or horses, whether one, two, or four, when you drive into the stable. This makes horses restless, makes them back, slide, or kick, and in the case of a four may result in a general mix-up. Stop your horses gradually, with voice and reins, but stop them yourself. They have come in from the drive more or less accustomed to your hands and ways, according as you are more or less proficient, and a rough hand on bit or nose, and an apparition in front of them, ought to, and generally does, upset them. Besides all this you ought to, and they ought to know how to stop properly, and without fuss or flurry exactly when and where you wish them to, even if it be on the cement floor of your stable entrance.

The reins should be held with the near rein between the thumb and first finger, the off rein between the third and fourth fingers. Hold your hand so that your knuckles, turned toward your horse, and the buttons on your waistcoat, will make two parallel lines up and down with the hand three or four inches from the body. The reins should be clasped, or held by the two lower, or fourth and fifth fingers; the second finger should point straight across and upward enough to keep the near rein over the knuckle of that finger and the thumb pointing in the same direction, but not so much upward. The reins are held, not by squeezing them on their flat surface, but by pressure on their edges. The edges, in a word, being held between the two last fingers and the root of the thumb. This arrangement makes a flexible joint, the wrist, for the reins and for the bit to play upon. This suppleness of the wrist, just enough and not too much, is what is called "hands." It means, that your wrist gives just enough play to the horse's mouth to enable him to feel your influence, without being either confused or hampered by it.

As this is the key to perfection in all driving, everybody claims to possess it; only the elect few have it.

Practically everybody can learn to play the piano or the violin, or to write tolerable verses; only a very few, indeed, ever attain to supreme command over these instruments, or over the music of words. Training and teaching may accomplish much and make fair or even excellent performers; but beyond that it is divine grace, born not made, given not attained. The same is true of driving: you may be one of the elect, but if you are, you belong to a society as small as that of the Knights of the Garter, and you need not be vain, since it was no hard work of yours, but an endowment. It is a combination of physical and mental traits, a quickness of connection between nerve and brain and muscle, that may be cultivated and improved in all men, but which reaches perfection only in the few. Corbett, in "An Old Coachman's Chatter," says, "Even for a good amateur to acquire professional style requires two years averaging eighty miles a day, with a fair amount of night work."

A persistent man may do much. He may learn to write excellent verse, with no hope of ever being a poet; he may learn to jump higher than the average, without the slightest prospect of doing six feet, six and a half inches, which thus far has only been done by one man in the world; he may learn to run, or swim, or speak, but the heights of the unexcelled are not for him. This much ought to be said about driving at the start. You may read books from now till doomsday, and you may practise, and you will undoubtedly become an excellent and trustworthy coachman, far above the average,—not a difficult attainment, by the way,—but to have this magic of "hands" is not, I believe, attainable except to those endowed physically and mentally with peculiar powers, in peculiar combination. It is because everybody thinks he knows how to drive, simply because he can steer quadrupeds with steel in their mouths, that this point is emphasized. No one need neglect this sport on the ground that the vision and the attainment are limited; they are not, and to most men even confident competence is denied, not to speak of this virtuosity of hands.

Now that you are in your seat with the reins as they should be, between the thumb and second and between the third and fourth fingers of your left hand, wrist properly bent, and in a sufficiently humble and docile state of mind, you should notice why the reins are separated by two fingers instead of one, and why the near rein is kept so far as possible over the knuckle of the second finger. Just as the wrist makes play backward and forward, so this separation of the reins enables you to make play sideways or across the horse's mouth. By turning your hand toward you, so that the knuckles, instead of facing the horse, face the sky, you shorten that upper rein, the near rein, and your horse goes over to the left, or near side. By turning your hand just the other way and bringing it across to the left hip, you shorten the off rein and turn your horse to the right. All done with one hand, you still have the other for your whip, to render any assistance needed. There are scores of times when to steer your horse, and still to have the right hand free, means not merely convenience, but safety.

It is a peculiarity of driving that it is almost the one sport in which the sportsman is the custodian of, and responsible for, other people. A man rides, shoots, and does other dangerous things alone, but nine times out of ten he drives with others alongside of him. It is doubly necessary, therefore, that he should know his business thoroughly, and, if he is to make a practice of driving others, that he should spare no pains to know all that he can.

The fact that the left hand is held as directed keeps the reins secure, and keeps them secure with the least possible exertion. As this position of the hand, wrist, and fingers is a little awkward at first to the beginner, most driving is done with the wrist not held across the body, but pointing toward the horse, with the thumb held over the reins as a sort of clip and pointing also toward the horse. The reins held in this fashion are of necessity insecure and forever slipping forward, and there is no leverage of wrist for the horse's mouth, but a straight pull from an outstretched arm.

One often hears the comment that one cannot as easily hold a horse this way as with the reins, say in both hands. That is exactly the secret of it. It is just so that you cannot keep a dead pull on the poor brute's mouth that this position is the ideal one. You don't want to pull your horse, but to drive him. Most driving, by the way, seems to have as its central feature how to stop him, rather than how to make him go pleasantly; how to get the quickest and sharpest jerk on his mouth in case of trouble, rather than how to exert the least possible pressure that will command obedience. With a well-bitted horse, you should be able to make figure eights by moving the left hand as directed without touching the reins with the right hand at all. The position of the hired coachman on the box of a Victoria or brougham these days is a ludicrous one for the reason that most of them, and evidently their masters, know nothing of the reason for that position. It was intended by balancing the coachman thus to prevent his putting great weight on the reins, as he might do if his feet and legs stuck out in front of him and his hands were held at arm's length. It is well and proper that he should be balanced on his seat with his back hollowed in, his elbows at his side, his hand across and in front of him; but tucking his legs and feet back and way underneath him defeats the whole plan by forcing him to hold on by the reins, which is just what it was hoped to avoid. His feet and legs, as in the case of the gentleman coachman, should be at such an angle in front of him that he has a perfectly easy balance and something to brace against in case he needs to exert extra power. On a lady's light Victoria, with nothing but the narrow foot-board in front of him, a coachman in this new-fangled position is not only a figure of fun, but he is also in grave danger of accident. This monkey-on-a-stick attitude is a blundering misinterpretation of a perfectly sensible rule.

So far as the amateur coachman is concerned, he should sit straight, with his back so hollowed that he can balance easily on his hips, not on the edge of, but on the cushion, with his feet and legs at a comfortable angle, and without that look of going out after the reins one so often sees—a care-worn, bent-over position, as though the reins were sliding away, never to reappear.

Start out moderately, keep your horse at an even pace, and come in toward the end of your journey again at a moderate pace. A horse is not saved by doing ten miles in two hours instead of one. On the contrary, it takes less out of a horse to make him do his journey at a smart gait rather than to dawdle. You may have noticed yourself that a brisk two hours' walk takes far less out of you than the standing around, the stopping and starting, and the general dawdling of two hours' shopping. Here again the size of the horse's stomach should help to solve the problem of how fast and how far. It is better that he should do his task at a brisk pace and get back to his rub down, his meal, and his rest, than that he should be jogged for a long time at a stretch. Even when it is necessary to keep him going and to keep him away from his stable for an undue number of hours, which must sometimes happen, he should be given a short rest and a small meal of soft food; this will make all the difference between over fatigue that may result seriously, and fatigue easily cured by proper rest. A horse worked at regular hours, and regularly and properly fed, is three-quarters of the way toward being and keeping in good condition.

Just as he should be started quietly, so he should be stopped quietly. It is not the mark of good driving to bring your one horse, or your team, up to the stopping-place at a quick pace, and then to pull up with a jerk—the horse's head in the air, his mouth open because he has been jabbed by the bit, the shafts pointing up, the breeching tight, and the horse almost on his haunches. This kind of stopping takes more out of a horse than a mile of hard work. Begin to stop some time before you stop. Shorten your reins, decrease your pace, and whether it is driving in the traffic of the street or at your own door, slow up gradually. You can tell with certainty whether a man knows his business by the way he starts and stops. If you have stopped as you should, the horse is not sitting in the breeching, with his collar sliding toward the top of his head; but horse and vehicle are stopped, and yet the horse and the vehicle and harness are all in position to go on again without a jerk. This is of the utmost importance in driving in the city streets, where you may find yourself in serious trouble if, through inattention, you have driven well into trouble, before planning to stop. Your horse's nose, or your pole, has poked into another horse or vehicle, or you are obliged to pull up so suddenly that you throw your horse, or horses down.

In America, where we turn to the right, pull well over to your own side and slow down before you get to the street corner around which you wish to go, whether to the right or left. Leave ample room for another vehicle to pass, even though you should meet just at the turn. Many horses, awkwardly enough, get their legs crossed when turning, and on slippery pavements, where the pull up and the pull round come at the same time, a horse is very apt to stumble, and even to fall. Because you have turned many corners without accident is no reason for not taking pains. Many young coachmen escape perils through sheer ignorance, but persistence in error and inattention bring their punishment sooner or later, and the horse skins his knees, or slides under the shafts in a crowd, or kicks and hammers harness and trap to bits. It is too late then to remember to keep an eye out for what is going on ahead of you, to turn corners carefully, and to slacken speed gradually, and not all at once.

It is a safe rule in turning a corner to turn only when the hub of your front wheel has reached the line that the curb would make if prolonged, then there is no danger of running on to or against the corner itself. Even when turning a corner to the right, and you are close to the curb, this rule, if obeyed, will keep both front and back wheels clear. If this is not done, the back wheel, and sometimes both, go rubbing around the curbstone, which, aside from the slovenliness of the performance, is damaging to the wheel, and racking to every bolt in the carriage. If in the country, where often a large stone marks the angle of the turn, to hit this stone or to go over it is often to go over altogether.

The safest and quickest way to shorten the reins, when it must be done in a pinch, is to pull them through from behind. If there are two reins, grasp them between the thumb and second finger of the right hand, open the fingers of the left hand enough to let them run through, shorten them to the required length, and take your grip on them again, with the fingers of the left hand. Every man finds, now and then, either through the foolish driving of some one else, or through unavoidable accident, that he must shorten his reins quickly, and without risk of dropping one. Under those circumstances the best way is to pull them through from behind, though such exigencies occur but seldom with a careful driver. Under ordinary circumstances the best and gentlest way is to place the right hand on the reins, in front of the left, with thumb and finger over near rein and last three fingers over off rein, and slide the left up the reins the required distance. Here again it is the mark of the careful driver that he never seems to be obliged to do things in a hurry. When it is necessary to stop, he has already shortened up his reins, and is ready to stop. When it is necessary to turn a corner, he has already advised his horse by giving him the office, and the corner is negotiated with scarcely the movement of the hands. When it is time to start, the horse seems to have been informed via the reins and bit, and off he goes without a jerk. In passing other vehicles from behind, pass to their left. Do not pass at all unless you are going at a quicker pace, and propose to maintain it. To turn short across another man's horse, and then go on at the same pace he is going, is the veriest and vulgarest rudeness. The only excuse for passing is that you are making faster time than he is, and that you propose to keep it up.

Drive with one hand. In the show ring, where horses must show pace in a small ring, use the right hand on the off rein. It gives better control, and keeps the horse steadier. Keep the right hand cautiously near, that you may use it to shorten the reins, to steady the horse, or to add force when the left hand is not sufficient. Carry your whip pointing upwards, and slightly to the left, say toward the left ear of your horse, in driving one. Start slowly, drive at the same pace, once you are started; it saves the horse, and is far more agreeable to the passengers. Pull up gradually. Turn corners slowly, and do not start to turn too soon. Be continuously careful to keep your horse's mouth fresh, by giving and taking between your hand and his mouth, with just enough pressure to keep him informed that you are behind him, and no more. If you hang on to his mouth, be sure that he will end by pulling your arms out. If you use the whip on him, do not tap him continually, or flick him, here and there, from time to time, out of sheer idleness and inconsequence; but if you use it, do it so that the horse knows it is punishment and not play; otherwise you waste the benefit to be derived from the whip, by accustoming the horse to think that in your use of the whip you are merely playing with him. Above all, keep a good lookout ahead, and if you have a horse that is worth driving at all, you may be sure that it is also worth your while to keep an eye on him all the time.