CHAPTER XIII
FOUR-IN-HAND AND TANDEM DRIVING
As this book is limited in its scope to riding and driving for women, I shall not attempt to discuss four-in-hand and tandem driving in detail, and for a very exhaustive work on four-in-hand driving, would refer the reader to “A Manual of Coaching,” by Fairman Rogers (Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott Co., 1900), and to “Driving for Pleasure,” by Frank Underhill (D. Appleton, 1897).
One of the best short books on the technique of driving is “Hints on Driving,” by Captain C. Morley-Knight, R.A. (George Bell & Sons, London, 1895). Chapter VI of that book describes in detail the method of holding and shortening the reins in four-in-hand driving, and chapter X the same problem in tandem driving. Like other English authorities, he, however, gives quite a different position for the right hand in tandem driving from that in four-in-hand driving, while the chief American writers, and nearly all the best whips of my acquaintance, advocate and use substantially the same position of the right hand in both.
Before beginning to drive either tandem or four-in-hand, it is absolutely essential that you become proficient in handling the whip, and I would strongly advise learning to “catch a thong,” by daily practice, either outside on the ground, or, better still, on the box of the coach or driving seat of the cart, of course without the horses. By so doing one can concentrate one’s mind upon the thong without being distracted with the management of the reins and the movement of the horses. The best and clearest description which I have found in any work is in chapter XX of “The Private Stable,” by James A. Garland (Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1903), and in describing how to catch a double thong I cannot do better than to quote what he says on pages 546 and 547:
“Hold the whip horizontally in front of you with the end of the thong held between the handle of the whip and your fingers. Face a wall or the side of a building and with the quill end of the whip describe a letter “S” backward. Begin with the lower tail of the letter, following its form to the upper end. Don’t move the arm, keep the elbow easily by the side, and direct the movement of the whip by turning the wrist. Continue to increase the speed until the thong falls in place. At first a short downward movement at the end will facilitate the accomplishment of this somewhat difficult feat.
“Another method is to catch the thong over the head instead of in front or to the side. This is done virtually by the same movement, the imaginary letter “S” being horizontally overhead instead of vertically in front or to one side.
“Still another method involves a new movement. Hold the whip with the right hand against the waist and the quill end well around to the left and on a line with the top of the head. Carry the stick at this angle around to the right until in a line with the right shoulder. In so doing raise the right hand gradually. Now drop the quill end of the whip until it is on a line with the handle. This last movement should be executed quickly so that the end of the stick strikes the thong on the right-hand side of the stick.
“When the thong is caught, it is wound around the stick in opposite directions. The lower end should be unwound with the right hand, the whip being held between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand. The end of the thong should be rewound in the same direction as the upper part and held in place by the right hand. The loop should be about two feet and a half long and caught on the quill part of the stick.”
Not until you are proficient enough to catch the thong with certainty should you attempt to drive either four-in-hand or tandem, and you will find, the moment that you take the reins in your hands and start to drive, that it will be far more difficult to catch the thong than when you could give it your undivided attention. Moreover, it is vastly more difficult to catch the thong in a wind, or under trees or other obstacles, than when learning in the stable, and constant practice is required to keep one’s hand in.
I shall not attempt to describe how the horses should be put to a coach or a tandem, for to do so would be to go far beyond the scope of this book, so I shall assume that the coach or cart, as the case may be, is correctly appointed and the horses properly put to.
To quote further from Mr. Garland’s work:
“In taking up the reins stand about two feet from the pad of the off wheeler. Remove the reins from the pad terret or trace tug and allow them to fall to the ground.
“First take up the near lead rein with the left hand, placing the little, second, and middle fingers under the rein. Drop the left hand to the side, allowing the reins to slip through the fingers. Tighten the fingers over the rein at this point. Now raise the left hand and place the little and second fingers under the off lead rein. Drop the hand to the side as before. The parts where the reins are joined should hang evenly in front of the left hand. The reins may be adjusted by taking the rein that is to be drawn out between the middle and index fingers of the right hand. The reins should now be transferred into the right hand, separated by the middle finger.
“Take up the wheel reins in the left hand, separating them with the middle finger, the near wheel rein on top. Drop the left hand to the side as described in the preceding paragraph. Now raise the hand and adjust the reins, with the thumb and forefinger of the right hand, so that the buckles on the wheel reins hang evenly.
“Pass the lead reins into the left hand, the near rein over the index finger and the off lead rein under the index finger and on top of the near wheel rein.
“When taking up the reins, draw each in turn gently through the terrets, tight enough merely to ‘feel’ the bit without causing the horse to flex his neck or make any backward movement.
“Step back to the wheelers’ hocks, and, keeping the left hand against the body, take the reins with the right hand in the same order as they are in the left hand. With the right hand close in front of the left one, draw the reins through the fingers of the left hand as far as the right arm can be extended, and then remove the right hand.
“As soon as this is done, take the whip in the right hand from the foot-board (if a tandem), or from the backs of the wheelers (if a four-in-hand), and transfer the reins into the right hand in the same order as they were held in the left hand. The reins are now to one side and out of your way in mounting.
“Place your left foot on the hub, your right on the roller-bolt, then the left foot on the body step, and the right one on the foot-board. Take your seat as soon as possible and transfer the reins back into the left hand in the original order.”
A reference to the accompanying sketches on pages 219 and 222 will show the positions of the hands and reins quite clearly.
The correct position of the feet, legs, body, arms, and hands are the same as already described on page 198 in the notes on driving a single horse or a pair.
To start a four-in-hand, the horses should, before starting, be well up in their collars, so that the traces are taut. The leaders’ reins should be shortened by grasping them in the right hand, separated by the middle finger, about a foot in front of the left hand and replacing them in the left by carrying the right hand behind the left. Take off the brake as quietly as possible, then advance the right hand, put the little and second fingers over the two off reins with the middle and index fingers so placed over the two near reins that the latter may be grasped. When you are sure that the four horses are feeling the bit and they are well together, drop and advance the hands, and at the same time give the horses a signal; at the same moment the grooms let go their heads, and the horses should all start together. Once the horses are in motion together, bring the left hand up into its position near the centre of the waist, and, removing the right hand from the reins, hold it slightly in advance of the left. To quote again from Mr. Garland:
“To shorten or lengthen the lead reins, place the middle finger of the right hand between the lead reins directly or at some little distance in front of the left hand, depending upon how much the lead reins are to be taken up or lengthened. If you wish to lengthen them, tighten the fingers of the right hand and draw the reins out to the desired distance. Should you wish to shorten the lead reins, take them out of the left hand, and in putting them back bring the left hand behind the right one. Do not advance the left hand.
“To lengthen or shorten the wheel reins, place the right hand under the lead reins and grasp the wheel reins in the same manner as described for taking up the lead reins. The wheel reins can now be either pushed back or drawn through the fingers of the left hand.
“TO STRAIGHTEN THE TEAM
“Should the leaders work over to the right of the wheelers, grasp the two reins, which are between the second and middle fingers of the left hand, between the middle and index fingers of the right hand. Draw these reins (the off lead and the near wheel) out a little, and it will be seen that it has the effect of bringing the team into line. Should the leaders work over to the left of the wheelers, instead of drawing the centre reins out, work them a little further back through the fingers of the left hand.
“STOPPING
“When it is desired to stop the team, raise the left hand, and, placing the right hand over the reins, twelve inches in front of the left hand, as described in a preceding paragraph, press the reins in toward the body with the right hand.
“TURNING
“To turn to the right, shorten the leaders’ reins so that the lead bars hang slack, and place the little, second, and middle fingers over the off lead rein about five inches in front of the left hand (depending upon how sharp a turn you desire to make). Draw the off lead rein back over the forefinger of the left hand, first raising the left thumb. Whenever you think you have shortened the rein sufficiently, drop the thumb on the loop thus made.
“Place the right hand over the off reins and be ready to grasp the off wheel rein from the inside with the little and second fingers, should the off wheeler fail to follow the off leader in making the turn. At the same time place the middle finger of the right hand between the near wheel and the near lead rein with the forefinger over the latter, and thus be ready to exert opposition should the horses on the near side turn too quickly. By placing the middle finger between the lead reins they may be operated separately or together.
“It will be seen that the wheelers may be drawn back together at any time in making the turn. As soon as the turn has been completed, lift the left thumb and let out the loop of the off lead rein; then, after giving the leaders more rein, let the hands resume the position shown on page 238.
“To turn to the left, shorten the leaders’ rein so that the lead bars hang slack, and place the little, second, and middle fingers over the near lead rein about five inches in front of the left hand (depending upon how sharp a turn you wish to make). Draw the near lead rein back over the forefinger of the left hand, first raising the thumb. Whenever you think you have shortened the rein sufficiently, drop the thumb on the loop thus made. Grasp the off lead rein with the little and second fingers of the right hand and insert the middle finger between the off and near wheel reins. The near wheeler may be made to follow the near leader by tightening the near wheel rein with the middle and forefingers. Opposition may be exerted on each or both off reins, or the wheelers may be drawn back together. When the turn has been made, drop the loop and, after giving the leaders more rein, allow the hands to resume the position shown on page 238.
“TURNING ACUTE ANGLES
“In turning an acute angle to the right, take up the leaders as has been previously described. Then with the right hand reach over the lead reins, and, grasping the near wheel rein with the little, second, and middle fingers, bring it up to the left of the lead rein and back over the index finger of the left hand, dropping the rein down in front of and around the thumb, in such a manner that the rein will be held in place by the fleshy part of the thumb near the wrist. Now make a ten-inch loop with the off lead rein, holding the loop in place with the thumb, and, reaching under the lead reins, make, in a similar manner, a point with the off wheel rein. After the turn is made, first drop the points, then the opposition over the thumb, and finally let out your leaders.
“In turning an acute angle to the left, first take up the leaders, then place the right hand under the off lead rein, and push back toward the body the off wheel rein through the fingers of the left hand, and make the two points with the near lead and wheel reins. After the turn has been made, draw out the off wheel rein with the right hand until the buckles on the hand pieces are even. Then let out the off wheel rein and the two points as described in preceding paragraph.
“In turning a right angle, as from an avenue into a street, make the point, _i.e._, loop, over the forefinger when the leaders’ forefeet have reached the corner.
“In going downhill, take up your leaders so that the lead bars hang slack, and then shorten all four reins.
“If your reins become misplaced, keep your team going, unless approaching or on a sharp decline. Under the latter conditions, have the servants run to the horses’ heads and bring them to a stop as quickly as possible. It is much easier to readjust the reins when the horses are going than to try to stop them. Find the lead reins and take them in the right hand with the middle finger between them, then with the thumb and forefinger of the right hand place the wheel reins in their proper position, and when this is accomplished return the lead reins to the left hand. Remember the off rein belongs on top of the near ones.”
What has been said and quoted above relates more particularly to four-in-hand driving, but the principles of tandem driving are the same, except that it must be borne in mind that to drive tandem requires far lighter hands and more quickness and skill on the part of the driver than it does to drive a four. There is, of course, nothing to steady the tandem leader and, in cases where in driving a four-in-hand it would be necessary to make and hold a point--as, for instance, in turning a corner--with a tandem it will often only be necessary to touch the leader’s rein. Remember, also, that the wheeler is only too apt to turn the moment he sees the leader turn, and it is often necessary to steady the wheeler by a pressure on the opposition rein, and, if he has a hard mouth or a sluggish one, it may even be necessary to make an opposition point to prevent him from making too sharp a turn. Except for the fact that a four-in-hand requires far more strength, tandem is the more difficult of the two. It is, however, peculiarly well suited for a woman because of her light hands and quickness, and there is no reason why women should not excel in this form of driving. Indeed, in the show ring, there have been far fewer accidents with women driving tandem than with men.
As most of the current works on four-in-hand and tandem driving were written before the days of automobiles, added caution is now needed, particularly with respect to the tandem. No woman should, under any circumstances, attempt to drive horses tandem unless they are thoroughly accustomed to automobiles, and it is necessary nowadays to be very much more on the alert than it was before the evil days of gasolene.
While with a well-trained tandem there will seldom be occasion for much whip work, at the same time, even with the best-trained horses, there will be occasions when the leader can only be controlled by the prompt and skilful use of the whip. With green horses it is quite impossible to control the leader without being prepared to use the whip at any moment. The ability to catch the thong comes into play far more frequently with a tandem than with a four-in-hand, and it is even more essential with a tandem, for the thong is more easily caught in the wheels of a cart, and particularly of a gig, than a coach.
With regard to the kind of cart to which the tandem should be driven, it is to be noted that, for several years past in the show ring, tandems have been generally shown to gigs, and very few tandems have been shown to carts even in country shows. This may result in giving the general impression that the gig is the correct vehicle to which to drive a tandem, which is far from being the case. No recognized authority holds that it is the correct vehicle, and, for road driving, a gig is thoroughly unsuited to a tandem. While a gig is more comfortable and balances better than a wrongly adjusted tandem cart, yet a gig is much too low for the driver either to have proper control of his leader or to be able to see obstacles in front of the leader. Moreover, a gig, having a much smaller body than a tandem cart and also short shafts, gives an appearance of wrong proportion to the tandem, and, especially from a distance, an effect of something lacking. This is particularly the case with horses over fifteen hands two. If a gig is used, it is important that the lead traces should be as short as possible, so as to make the whole appearance more compact.
For road work, and particularly for country driving, a tandem cart is not only correct, but is a more practical and suitable vehicle than a gig, particularly with large horses. The driver is well up above the horses, which gives far better control; she is able to see well ahead of the leader, and there is also the advantage of being out of the dust and in a position where one can better see other vehicles, both in meeting and passing them. Whatever kind of vehicle is used, the tugs should be so adjusted that the vehicle is in balance when the shafts are in position. While this is not so important with a gig or a cart whose body is hung on springs independent of the shafts, it is absolutely essential with a tandem cart, or any other cart, where the body is not balanced independently. I wish to lay great emphasis on this point because very few grooms know anything about it, and it is the most common thing in the world to find a horse put to a cart with the girth strapped so tightly that there is no play to the shafts. This is entirely wrong. If English tugs are used, as they should be with a tandem cart, the girth should be so loose that the shafts not only play in the tug, but the tug plays in the girth, and this will usually be done by letting out the girth from four to five holes beyond where it would be if it were tight.
With regard to balance, the body of a tandem cart is made to slide on runners, and the position of the body is regulated by a screw with a handle which comes up under the driving cushion. This handle may be turned so as to throw the body backward or forward, according to the number of persons who are to sit in the cart; thus, if a groom is to sit on the back seat, the body of the cart should naturally be much farther forward than if the back seat were empty, and, for the same reason, if there is the additional weight in front of another person besides the driver, the body of the cart should be moved farther back than if the driver were alone. The proper position of the body of the cart--so that it will be in balance--can only be learned by experiment, for it varies, of course, with the angle of the shafts and the weight of the load to be carried.
While the tandem cart is correct for tandem driving under all circumstances, for country use there are several forms of light high carts which are quite correct and much easier for the horses in hilly country or on heavy roads. While the bodies of these carts are not adjustable, balance can be secured by raising or lowering the tugs in the girths so as to raise or lower the shafts, and by adjusting the position of the people in the cart. In all high carts the weight should be thrown forward in going uphill and back in going downhill. It is an interesting fact that a horse can pull a heavier load uphill the more weight, within reasonable limits, he has on his back.
In tandem driving, when going downhill, the leader’s reins should be shortened; if the hill is long, they should be grasped in the right hand a few inches in front of the left, separated by the middle finger, released from the left hand for a moment, then carried back with the right hand behind the left and grasped again in the left, and held there until the bottom of the hill is reached. If, however, the hill is only a short one, they may be simply taken up in the right hand and held there for a moment. The leader should, of course, not be pulling at all when going downhill; on the other hand, his traces should not be so loose as to give him any chance of getting his feet over. In travelling on the level, the leader’s traces should be only moderately taut. The tendency with beginners is to let the leader do too much work; this not only tires the leader, but it gets the wheeler in the bad habit of letting the leader pull not only the cart but the wheeler as well, and, in general, the leader should rather be reserved for uphill work. On the level most of the work, and downhill all of it, should be done by the wheeler.
While tandem driving originated in driving one’s hunter in the lead to the meet so that there was no attempt at having the horses match, nowadays matched pairs are commonly shown in the ring tandem, so that it may be said that there are three different classes of tandem horses: First, matched pairs; second, a large wheeler with a small, showy leader; and third, two horses of the hunter type, not necessarily matched, for a sporting tandem and for country work. It is a mistake to suppose that tandems are merely ornamental; on the contrary, it is one of the most practical ways of harnessing two horses, and the only really practical way of harnessing two horses to a cart. Horses generally enjoy being driven tandem because it means freedom for them both, and they can exert their strength to great advantage. Indeed, on the Continent nearly all the heavy trucking is done with very high two-wheeled vehicles drawn by two, three, or even four horses tandem.
Those who are in favor of putting a harness on their hunter will find that one of the best ways of exercising a hunter is by driving him in the lead of a tandem, as there he may be given much less pulling than if he is driven single. If you have a long-tailed hunter, do not, however, drive him in the lead. No long-tailed horse should ever be driven in the lead of a tandem, save in the exceptional case of showing a sporting tandem in the ring. The sporting tandem, as shown in the ring, is made up of any kind of a wheeler and the hunter in the lead with his saddle on. The riding bridle is carried in the cart.
Of late years there has been a great outcry against the practice of docking which, in my opinion, has arisen through ignorance and prejudice, and has been raised by people who do not at all realize the dangers of driving long-tailed horses, especially in a four or tandem.
The arguments used against docking are first that it is cruel and second that it prevents a horse from brushing off the flies. Neither of these objections is well founded. The operation, when properly done by a competent man, causes almost no pain to the horse, is done very quickly, and has no after ill effects. With regard to brushing off flies, this argument would be quite good if horses were left out in the fields without anything on them, but to use it with regard to the driving horses of persons of means is perfectly ridiculous. When a horse is harnessed he cannot possibly use his tail to brush off the flies. When he is standing in a properly appointed stable, he is always covered in summer with a sheet and in winter with a blanket, and there are no flies in winter. When he is turned out in summer he is always covered with a sheet.
Docking is not, as its opponents assert, a senseless fashion, but is founded on reason. A long-tailed horse, particularly if driven in a low four-wheeled trap, is almost sure, however careful the driver may be, to get his tail over at least one of the reins. If he does, it is a matter of great difficulty to release the rein, and if the horse is high-spirited or in any way vicious, as long as his tail is over the rein the driver has absolutely no control over him. He is in a position to kick, which he is almost sure to do, or to run, or to do anything he pleases, and he nearly always does something which he should not do. The opponents of docking are not persons who have driven high-spirited horses or who know anything about either tandem or four-in-hand driving. The danger, when a horse gets his tail over the rein, is multiplied a hundred-fold when he is the leader of a tandem, for in that case the driver is absolutely helpless; there is nothing that he can do but either jump out of the trap and run to the leader’s head or wait until such time as the leader may see fit to let the rein go. In the meantime the leader may be kicking, turning, pulling to one side, running away, upsetting the cart, or doing any one of a thousand things which the driver cannot in any way prevent. In pair driving it is also a very serious thing if either horse puts his tail over a rein. The result is that immediately control is lost not only over him but over the other horse as well, for half of the control over the other is had through the coupling rein which is buckled to the rein caught in the tail. Many most serious accidents have been caused by long-tailed horses catching the reins. I do not therefore consider it safe for a woman to drive a long-tailed horse of any spirit.
Of course roadsters or trotting horses never should have their tails docked, nor should thoroughbreds or polo ponies, and many hunters do not. But when a woman drives any of these long-tailed horses, she is taking risks which she had better avoid.
With regard to the looks of a horse, to my mind no driving horse with any kind of a formal trap looks smart with a long tail any more than he does with a long mane, or forelock, or with the hair about his fetlocks untrimmed. I am not talking about a horse in the state of nature, but of a horse harnessed to a properly appointed trap.
With regard to saddle horses, I think also that a horse of the park, hack, or combination type looks far better with his tail docked.
It might be said that a trotting horse is quite as apt to get his tail over the rein as any other driving horse, but this assertion loses sight of the very different way in which a trotting horse is driven, and of the fact that in a trotting wagon the driver sits so near that he can reach down and lift the horse’s tail over, and that trotting horses are carefully trained not to start under these circumstances.
Trotting horses are in a class by themselves, and it is more reasonable to say that the tails of trotting horses should be docked than that the tails of other driving horses should be long.
With regard to the mane, every driving horse should have his mane thinned out by pulling, so that it may not look shaggy. Most ponies look best with their manes closely hogged. If this gives a ewe-necked effect the mane may be cut in a curve, short at the head and withers and longer in the middle. The forelock on all driving horses should be cut entirely away.