FOUR-IN-HAND—THE WHIP.
[Sidenote: How to hold whip.] YOU must learn to play with the whip
neatly, and to be able to use it skilfully on any of the horses. The
handle should rest in the palm of the right hand, and be kept firmly in
its place by the action of the thumb pressing against the base of the
forefinger; the lower fingers will then be left free to catch hold of
the reins.
If, however, it is necessary to pull the reins through from behind, the
lower fingers must be tightened on the handle so as to allow the thumb
and forefinger to be used.
Always take care that the whip is in its right place, and the thong
properly done up. [Sidenote: Angle of whip.] Hold the whip at an angle
of about thirty degrees to the left front and about forty degrees
upwards, and not as in the picture opposite (fig. 26).
The thong ought to have three or four turns round the stick, the first
turn beginning close to or on the quill, which is always covered with
black twine.
[Sidenote: No kinks in lash.] Pay special attention to holding the whip
so that the double thong hangs straight down and has no kinks in it. If
there should be any kinks they can be taken out by adding a turn or two
on the stick, or by taking some off.
Do not hold the whip tighter than is absolutely necessary. In fact, when
the hand is on the reins the grip may be released altogether for a time,
as they will hold it up; this will give the thumb a rest. Holding it
loosely also ensures the double thong hanging straight down, as then it
will do so by reason of its own weight. It looks excessively bad to see
the whip held all sideways, but it will constantly get into that
position unless the tyro pays great attention to keeping it straight.
[Illustration: FIG. 26.—RESULT OF HOLDING WHIP IN WRONG POSITION.]
[Sidenote: Lash of whip under thumb.] The point of the lash should be
just under the inside of the thumb; this will keep it from slipping.
Hold the whip where it balances comfortably, the end of the stick close
to, and under the forearm, the wrist well bent, and the elbow close to
the side.
[Sidenote: Position of whip hand.] When the right hand is not on the
reins or using the whip, it should be kept close to the left, the
forearm being about horizontal. It can then rest on the thigh, and yet
be ready for any emergency.
[Sidenote: Balance of whip.] A good whip should balance well when held
at or close to the collar (this should come nearly under the thumb),
otherwise it will be found top-heavy and clumsy.
The collar is the plate about ten inches from the thick end of the
stick, and is sometimes termed the top ferrule.
[Illustration: FIG. 27.—PREPARING TO CATCH THONG.]
[Sidenote: Choice of whip.] In choosing a whip the most essential points
are: firstly, that it should balance as above; secondly, that it should
be fairly light and springy—springiness being useful, because it renders
a whip very much easier to catch; and, thirdly, that it should have some
knots near the top, as they materially assist in keeping the thong up,
though too many will be found an impediment to getting it out quickly.
[Sidenote: How to catch thong of whip.] A very good way to learn to
catch the thong neatly round the stick is this: chalk a large pot-hook
or _S_ on the wall; stand opposite to this with the whip held in the
proper position, the thong undone, and the point of the lash under the
middle finger of the right hand, the forefinger rather pointed up the
stick (fig. 27); then with the point of the whip quickly follow the line
as traced on the wall, beginning from the bottom end, and moving it
across from left to right; the top part of the _S_ should be done by a
back turn of the wrist, first upwards and then downwards, which will
bring the fingers uppermost at the finish. Never let the point of the
whip drop at the beginning of the _S_, and never hit at the thong, but
on the contrary make it come up to the stick. If you find that the thong
is caught rather too low down, it can be very easily sent up higher by
catching it again as above, but with rather a shorter and more jerky
motion, in fact describing a small _S_.
[Illustration: FIG. 28.—THONG CAUGHT UP BEFORE LOOP HAS BEEN TAKEN
OFF.]
This is done almost entirely by the wrist, with only a slight movement
of the arm.
[Illustration: FIG. 29.—TAKING OFF LOOP.]
[Sidenote: Taking out loop in lash.] Having caught the thong (fig. 28),
the next thing to be done is to take out the loop which will be found in
the middle of the stick, so that all the turns should be from right to
left; otherwise it will very soon come undone. To do this, lower the
stick so as to enable the left thumb to seize the loop (taking care not
to move the left hand from its correct position while doing so); now
move the whip hand out to the right front as far as possible, keeping
the wrist well bent and holding the lash tight with the left thumb (fig.
29). This movement will take off the turns on the lower end of the
stick. Now place the whip under the left thumb, and turn the spare end
of the lash once or twice round the handle [Sidenote: End of lash round
handle of whip.] (fig. 30). With the right hand retain the point of the
lash securely under the inside of the right thumb, which will prevent
the thong getting loose. If the point slips up, it can be pulled tight
again by catching hold of it with the left thumb and forefinger, and
drawing the right hand away.
[Sidenote: How to keep lash pliant.] The thong should be kept pliable by
being rubbed with salad oil or mutton fat; otherwise it will be found
difficult to keep it in its proper place when caught.
The following rules should be followed in hitting the horses:—
[Illustration: FIG. 30.—SECURING LASH BY TWISTING IT ROUND HANDLE OF
WHIP.]
[Sidenote: How to hit horses with whip.] The wheelers should be hit in
front of the pad to avoid making them kick. If ever they should attempt
to kick, a severe blow about the ears will usually put a stop to it.
Generally move the whip from left to right, keeping the wrist nearly
stiff, and doing it as far as possible from the elbow, without any
circular motion of the forearm. With a fidgety near wheeler it is
advisable to hit the off one on the outside. It is no use hitting the
wheelers if the leaders’ reins are too long; in this case you must first
shorten up the leaders’ reins, and then use the whip on the wheelers;
otherwise, as soon as the wheelers have jumped into their collars, the
leaders will again press forward, and allow the wheelers to hang back as
before.
[Sidenote: Hitting off leader.] The best way to hit the off leader is
first to bring the top of the whip from the near to the off side of the
coach; then undo the thong by swinging the stick round and round, at the
same time keeping the point of the lash under the first finger. Next
bring the right hand down close to the left, and place the left thumb
over the point of the lash so as to keep it clear of everything. Now
swing the stick back to the right until the wrist is about in line with
the shoulder, at the same time releasing the point from under the thumb.
This should be done with very little movement of the wrist. Make a good
circular turn and bring the stick to the front again sharply, aiming
with the point a little in front of the spot you wish to hit. In doing
this the lash can travel to the front either above or below the stick,
but in traffic, or when under trees, the latter will be found the safer.
The only place the point of the whip should ever crack is on the horse,
and never under any circumstances in the air, which would be dangerous,
especially to those on the back seat, besides being very unworkmanlike.
The lash should hit the leaders under the bars on their hocks, as it
does not look well to see wheals or streaks of mud on the horses’ flanks
and quarters.
[Sidenote: Hitting near leader.] To hit the near leader, begin as
before, but instead of making the lash go to the off side of the coach,
throw the right hand well up and make a good swing with the stick, so
that the lash may go well over the heads of the passengers from the off
to the near side, and then by dropping the point of the stick and
letting the hand go slightly out to the front, it will be found that the
lash will swing in and hit the near leader, while passing outside and
avoiding the near wheeler’s head.
[Sidenote: Bringing back lash.] Having once hit the leader, the lash
should be brought back on the near side of the coach. Do not attempt to
get it straight back to your hand, otherwise you will most likely hit
the wheeler, or the passenger on the box seat, but just send the lash
out to the front over the leaders with a circular motion, and then by
holding the stick nearly upright it will come into your hand or under
your arm (fig. 31). This will leave the right hand free to steady the
horses, which will generally be found necessary. The lash, having been
brought back to the near side of the coach, can also be recovered by
raising the whip vertically and bringing it over the wheeler’s back.
This, although a quicker plan than the other, will not be found so easy
or so safe.
[Sidenote: Hitting near leader under bars.] The near leader can also be
hit from the off side under the bars. To do this the lash must be thrown
outwards, away from the coach, and then brought back swinging under the
stick, so that the point passes between the off wheeler and the off
leader just under the end of the pole. This requires a considerable
amount of practice, otherwise the off-side horses will often be hit by
mistake. Another very useful method is to throw the lash between the
wheelers’ heads, hitting the leader on the quarter.
[Illustration: FIG. 31.—BRINGING BACK THONG OF WHIP AFTER HITTING A
LEADER.]
[Sidenote: Placing lash under thumb before catching up.] When once the
lash has been secured under the wrist or forearm, it can easily be
placed under the left thumb by bringing the right hand down close to the
left. Holding it firmly in this position, draw the whip hand away to the
right front, keeping the wrist well bent, and allowing the lash to slide
through the middle finger of this hand.
This can be repeated until the point of the lash has been pulled up into
the right hand, when the thong can be caught on the stick as usual. If
you catch the lash straight into the right hand the point may be got
hold of by throwing the point of the stick upwards, and allowing the
lash to slide through the middle finger. This is not nearly such a good
plan as that described above, for you may easily throw the lash away
altogether, and thus have to catch it again. Be careful, when you have
the point of the lash in the right hand, to see that the loop is well
clear of everything before catching it up on the stick, as it often
[Sidenote: See that thong is not caught on footboard.] gets caught round
the handle of the footboard or against the reins, which utterly spoils
the catch. [Sidenote: Never use whip when right hand on reins.] You
should never hit a horse with the whip while the right hand is holding a
rein; it looks very awkward, and is most unworkmanlike. Should you have
a loop of a rein in the right hand, as you might have when going round a
corner to the right, first place the loop under the left thumb or
forefinger, and then use the whip.
[Sidenote: To release lash caught in harness.] If when hitting a leader
the lash should get caught round the bars or harness, do not jerk or
pull it hard, but shake it loosely up and down; otherwise it will most
likely get caught all the tighter.
[Sidenote: Whip under thigh.] If you want to use the right hand on the
reins while the lash is caught, place the handle under the thigh and sit
on it. Should the whip get fast in the bough of a tree or a [Sidenote:
Lash caught in tree.] lamp-post, on the near side, the only thing to do
is to let it go at once, letting your hand go well up and over to the
left. You will then avoid hitting the passenger on the box seat.
Constant practice with the whip is absolutely essential; no one can
drive well until he has thorough control over it, and is able to
manipulate it in such a way that the horse struck is the only one which
knows that it is being used.
------------------------------------------------------------------------