These, in driving, must always be a walk or a trot--never a canter,
which, owing to the draught, would be equally injurious to the horse
and to the carriage. Either of these paces, moreover, should be suited
to the nature of the road. Rapid driving, on the stones especially,
exposes a carriage to injury, both from shocks against others, and
from those which attend its own motion. However, it is sometimes for a
moment necessary, in order to get out of the way of carts, waggons, &c.
In public coaches, the pace is often too rapid; and, should any
passenger plead for the horses, on the score of the excessive heat,
the coachman with the utmost _sang froid_ replies that he must keep
his time, although the probability sometimes is, that one or more of
them may drop, by which considerable time may be lost, as well as
reduction in force ensue for the rest of the stage. Horses should be
more frequently watered during hot weather than they generally are;
increased perspiration renders it necessary.
However well pleased thoughtless people may be at going at an
accelerated rate, it is certainly hard that other passengers should be
obliged to hazard their existence at the pleasure of a reckless driver,
who, in answer to all remonstrance, coolly answers, he must “keep his
time.” Something should certainly be done to prevent the cantering
system[76]; for no coach, be it ever so well built, can preserve its
equilibrium so well when the horses are in the canter or gallop, as
when in the trot. At the same time, it is to be borne in mind, that, at
the rate our coaches now travel, some slight degree of it may sometimes
be unavoidable, owing to horses trotting so variably, and its being
very difficult to obtain teams every individual of which shall be able
to trot through the distance at the required rate.
[76] There is an act which requires that all four shall not gallop
together; and many teams, especially in the neighbourhood of town,
have one good trotter to defeat the informer, known as the “Act of
Parliament horse.”--ED. Fifth Edition.
In driving four-in-hand, it is not every man who knows when a
coach-horse is at work, as a horse may keep a tight trace, and yet be
doing little. There is, however, an increased tension of the horse’s
frame when taking weight with him, which is the surest test, and which
never escapes a quick and experienced eye. As already observed, those
called lobbing-goers take greater weight with them than horses of finer
action, provided they are equally close workers. Heavy draught shortens
the stride of horses, after they have been a few years at work.