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.
[Illustration: A PERFECTLY APPOINTED ROAD COACH WITH POSTILION
(LONDON-BRIGHTON, 1907)]
[Illustration: POSITION OF FOUR-IN-HAND AND TANDEM REINS IN LEFT HAND
1. Near lead rein
2. Off lead rein
3. Near wheel rein
4. Off wheel rein]
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:
[Illustration: FOUR-IN-HAND HARNESS]
“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.
[Illustration: WINDING LASH AFTER CATCHING THONG
1. Near lead rein
2. Off lead rein
3. Near wheel rein
4. Off wheel rein]
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.
[Illustration: _Photograph by the National News Association_
MEASURING THE REINS
Note correct tailor costume]
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.
[Illustration: LADY’S FOUR-IN-HAND
Note correct position of reins and hands]
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.
[Illustration: LADY’S FOUR-IN-HAND TURNING TO THE RIGHT
Note position of hands]
“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.”
[Illustration: HIGH TANDEM CART]
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.
[Illustration: TANDEM FROM BAY SHORE, LONG ISLAND, SHOW, 1911]
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.
[Illustration: CORRECT TANDEM HARNESS FOR SHOW RING]
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.
[Illustration: CORRECT POSITION OF HANDS DRIVING FOUR-IN-HAND OR TANDEM
Right hand ready to assist left]
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.