Chapter VII: Part 7

As the position of the horse renders necessary a corresponding position of the horseman, it will readily be seen that whichever side the horse leads with, the rider’s thigh on that side must be rather more turned in towards the saddle, and the hip on that side brought more forward, and consequently that the other thigh must be a little turned outward, and the hip brought backward; and all this more or less in proportion to the position of the horse. This turn of the hip effects a turn of the body. The hands are carried with it, and at the same time kept up, rather above than below the elbow, and quite steady, that the cadence of every step, and the support given by the hand, may be felt. The rider’s head is of course to be directed to the horse’s nose, his eye glancing on the ground the horse’s fore-feet go over.

If the horse strike off with the wrong leg, false or disunited, the rider, at the first corner, must endeavour, by an additional feeling of the inward rein, and application of the outward leg, to make him change, and lead with the proper one. When he leads with the proper leg, the hand must resume its usual position, the rider bending him a little inwards by shortening the inward rein; the fingers slackened, if necessary, to let him advance; but the hand kept up, and every cadence felt of the fore-feet coming to the ground.

There is far more skill displayed in keeping up an animated action in the canter, at the rate of three miles an hour, than in the gallop, at that of twelve or fifteen. If the animation fail, or the action be not supported by the hand, the horse will break into a trot, particularly as the gallop is shortened or united. If the action is felt to be declining, it must be corrected instantly, by an animating touch of the fingers, the leg, or the tongue. The hand first discovers this declension, and is the first to correct it.

When the rider can put his horse off to either hand with the proper leg, and support the action, he must particularly attend to its truth and union, and try to raise it to the highest animation, riding sometimes rapidly, sometimes slowly, yet always united.

When the gallop is disunited and extended to speed, even though the horse is supple and just on his legs, it loses its harmony and regularity of time. The fore-legs then measure less space from each other, and so do the hind-legs, which makes the beats quicker in each, and leaves a space between the beats of the fore-legs and the beats of the hind. In these gallops, it would be highly imprudent to circle or turn, but on a very large scale.

_Turns, Changes, Stops, &c. in the Gallop._

In turning the horse to the right and left, at a canter, his fore-hand must be raised with the leading rein, and the haunches pressed forward and under him: at the same time, the outward rein must assist to steady him, and a pressure of the calf of the outward leg keep the haunches from falling too much out. If he is turned suddenly with the inward rein only, without lifting the fore-hand, or applying the outward leg, he must turn on his shoulders, lose power to halt on his haunches, and being twisted round unprepared, will change to the outer leg.

In changing, the operation must be performed smoothly and evenly at the same instant; so that, at the finish of the cadence, the body, hands, thighs, and legs of the rider are reversed, for the horse to commence his next cadence with the contrary leg.

In stopping in the gallop, the rider must seize the time when the horse’s fore-feet are coming to the ground, which is the beginning of the cadence: and he must take care that the hind feet, coming up to their exact distance, and finishing the cadence, complete the stop: leaving the horse so balanced that he can readily set off again with the same rapidity as before. Besides seizing the exact time, a due degree of power must thus be exerted, conformably to the readiness, obedience, union, or rapidity of the action; for, should the power be deficient, the stop would not be properly effected; and if it be excessive, the horse will be overbalanced on his haunches, and compelled consequently to move his feet after the cadence is finished. Till horses are ready and obedient to the stop, it should not be attempted in violent and rapid gallops; nor even then if they are weak, or the rider heavy.--In these cases, the double arret is used.

The double arret is the stop completed in two cadences of the gallop, which is far less distressing both to man and horse. The body being gently thrown back, will not make the action instantaneously cease; but the obedience of the horse makes the effort which checks half his career in the first cadence; and, the body still being kept back, he completes it in the second. However, till practised and made obedient to the stop, he will not easily perform the double arret; for, in the first instance, he must be taught to stop by compulsion; and it is only when practice has brought him to obedience, that he readily stops at the easy throwing back of the body.

The half stop is a pause in the gallop, or the action suspended for half a second, and then resumed again. Here the body is thrown back less determinately, lest we should so overbalance the horse that he cannot readily set off again after the finish of the cadence, which no sooner occurs than the body is brought forward, to permit the action to go on. Thus the half stop is only a pause in the gallop, and it is mostly used to effect a change from the right leg to the left, or the opposite. The cadence of the stop should be no shorter than the readiness and obedience of the horse will admit; the half stop not quite so short; and the two arrets still more moderate.

LEAPING.

The moveable bar for leaping should be ten feet in length, which will admit of two horses leaping abreast; at first from one to two feet high; and never very high.

As to the seat, it should be again observed that stirrups are no security in any situation on horseback; and those who cannot forbear pressing a weight on them, had better have none when learning to leap. An accurate balance must prevent all disturbance of the seat; for the slightest, whether the rider is thrown up from the saddle, or his body falls forward, or he gets out of balance, is as disgraceful as falling to the ground. He should sit so close as to carry a shilling under each thigh just above the knee, one in each stirrup under the toe, and one under his breech.

When any action of the horse tends to lift the rider from the saddle, stirrups cannot keep him down. Bearing on the stirrup, indeed, must lift the rider from the saddle, and would even loosen any hold he might take with the thighs or legs. Nothing but the weight of the body can press to the saddle. When the action is violent, however, the pressure of the thighs may be employed to hold it down; and, when the hold of the thighs is not sufficient, the legs may take a deeper, and stronger hold. Leaps are taken standing or flying; the first being most difficult to sit, though always practised first, because the slow and steady leaping of a properly managed horse gives the rider time and recollection, and the riding-master an opportunity to direct, and to prevent accidents.

_Page 157._

The Rise in Leaping]

_Page 157._

The Fall in Leaping]

_Standing Leap._

In the standing leap, the horse first shortens, and then extends himself. Readiness in the hand of the rider is therefore requisite to give the appropriate aids. These, if well timed, assist the horse: if otherwise, they check or embarrass him, and endanger both the animal and his rider. (Plates XLI. XLII. illustrate the Leap.)

The rider must therefore, by a ready and fearless yielding of the bridle, leave the horse at liberty to extend himself, preserving his own equilibrium only by leaning forward, as the horse rises, and backward as he alights. When he is brought to the bar, the body is to be upright. The legs are to be applied to his sides with such firmness as to keep the rider down to the saddle, and in such a manner--viz., perpendicularly from the knee--that the action of the body shall not loosen or disturb them. The toes must be pulled up, to make the muscles firm, and to prevent the spur from approaching too near the horse; and, if necessary, they may be turned out a little to strengthen the hold. The hand must be kept in the centre, and quite low; and the reins not too short, but just by the pressure of the fingers to feel the horse’s mouth. When at the bar, the pressure of the legs and fingers will invite the horse to rise; and, as he rises, the body comes forward and preserves its perpendicular. The back must then be kept in, and the head firm.

As the horse springs from his hind legs, and proceeds in the leap, the rider must slip his buttock under him, and let his body go freely back, keeping his hands down, legs close, and body back, till the horse’s hind legs have come to the ground. The propriety of applying the legs to hold firm in the saddle is obvious. The hand being kept low is essential; and the bad consequences of raising it are numerous, as confining the horse, preventing the body going back, throwing the rider forward, &c.

The body coming forward to preserve its perpendicular as the horse rises before, prevents the weight of the rider from hanging on his mouth, and checking his leap, if not pulling him over backwards. The back being hollow when the spring forward is made, the body will of itself fall backward, if the hand be not raised to prevent it; and the head being firm may prevent a wrench of the neck, or a bite of the tongue. Slipping the breech under gives the body more liberty to lean back, and prevents the shock of the horse’s feet meeting the ground, from throwing it forward.

While the seat is thus maintained, the hand must not be neglected. In riding up to a leap, the rider should yield the bridle to the horse, guiding him straight to the bar at an animated pace; halt him with a light hand, and upon his haunches; when he rises, only feel the reins to prevent their becoming slack; when he springs forward, yield the hand without reserve; and, when his hind feet come to the ground, again firmly collect him, resume his usual position, and move on at the former pace. If the horse be too much collected previous to his leap, he will bound, or buck over, as it is called. If not sufficiently collected or animated, he will probably not clear the leap. The degree in which a horse should be collected and animated depends on the temperament of the animal, and must be left to the judgment of the rider.

_Flying Leap._

The flying leap is distinguished from the standing leap by its being made from any pace without a previous halt; and although the action is quicker, it is much easier. The pace, however, at which the rider goes at a flying leap, should always be moderate, in order that the horse may not rise too soon or too late.

A horse who rises too far from the bar seldom clears his leap, and risks straining by the effort to cover it; one who rises too near is likely to strike his knees against it, and throw his rider, or hurt himself. If a horse be indolent, and require animation, it is better to rouse his apathy by the spur just before his head is turned towards the leap, than while he is running at it. If he leap willingly, let him take his own pace to it, and he will spring from his proper distance, and give himself due velocity. Twelve yards from the leap, the rider may turn his horse to it in a trot; he will strike into a gallop; and, by a stroke or two before he springs, increase his velocity, if he perceive that the height he has to cover requires that exertion.

The seat in the flying leap is exactly the same as in the standing one; but, as the horse keeps a more horizontal position, it is easier. The rider, however, must not bring his body forward at the raising of the fore legs, because the spring from the hind legs immediately follows, and the body not only might not get back in time, but, if the horse did not come fair, or refused to take his leap, and checked himself, the body, if forward, might cause the rider to tumble over his head. He should therefore keep his body upright; take hold with his legs; keep his hand down; and, as the horse springs forward, his body is sure to take the corresponding action of leaning back, particularly if he, at the instant, slip his breech under him, and bring his waist forward with an exertion proportioned to the spring the horse makes. He must also take care not to bring his body upright, nor slacken the hold with his legs, till after the hind feet have come to the ground.

In this leap, the horse requires but little support or assistance from the hand till he is coming to the ground, when the hand aids in bringing the body upright, and in supporting the horse. The assisting and lifting a horse over leaps may be done only by experienced riders, and even by them only when he leaps freely and determinedly. Whips should not be used when the rider first practises leaping.

CRITICAL SITUATIONS.

When a horse is addicted to stumbling, rearing, kicking and bolting, plunging, shying and restiveness, the seat is maintained as in leaps; and the arms are held firm to the body, the hands kept up, and the reins separate, rather short than otherwise. By these means, the horse’s head being raised, he can with less ease either rear or kick, because, for such purposes, he must have his head at liberty. It is fortunate that horses which rear high seldom kick, and _vice versâ_.

On these occasions, the first operation of the rider is to separate the reins, &c. The body must be kept upright, but flexible, to repel every effort the horse may make; the balance must be preserved by the muscles of the thighs; the legs are to be kept near the horse, but not to grasp till absolutely necessary. When he lifts his fore legs, the breech must be thrust out behind, by which the rider is prepared if he rears. As the fore feet come to the ground, the breech must be slipped under, which prepares for his kicking or springing forward; the legs being then in a situation to grasp, and the hands to keep a firm hold. In all displays of vice, the rider should first see that the saddle or girths do not pinch the horse, that the bit does not hurt his lips by being too high in his mouth, &c.

_Stumbling._

By the rider pressing his legs to the horse’s flanks, and keeping up his head, he may be made to go light on his fore legs; and the same should be done if he actually stumble, so as to afford him instant assistance. Hence it is evident that the bridle should be of such length in the hand, that, in case of stumbling, the rider may be thus able to raise the horse’s head by the strength of his arms and the weight of his body thrown backward. If the rein be too long, it is evident that, in effecting this manœuvre, the rider is in danger of falling backward as the horse rises. By thus pressing the legs to the horse’s sides, he may be made to keep his haunches under him in going down hill, or may be helped on the side of a bank.

_Rearing._

The principal danger in rearing is the hazard of the horse’s falling backwards. When, therefore, he rises straight up, the rider must throw his body forward, giving him all the bridle. The weight of the body will oblige him to come down; and the moment that his fore feet are _near_ the ground, and _before_ he touches it, both the spurs must be given him as firmly and as quickly as possible.

Another mode of subduing him is, whenever the rider is aware of the horse’s disposition to rear, to have the reins separated; and the instant he perceives him going to rise, to slack one hand and bend him with the other, keeping the hand low. This compels him to move a hind leg, and being thrown off his balance, he necessarily comes down with his fore feet. He should then be twisted round two or three times, to convince him of the rider’s superiority, which confuses, baffles, and deters him from rearing to any dangerous height. To break horses of this dangerous vice, it has been sometimes expedient to leap from them, and pull them backwards. This so frightens them that they are wary of giving the opportunity again. It is, however, an expedient to be attempted only at a particular crisis, and by persons perfectly collected, active, and agile.[71]

[71] On this subject, an anonymous writer, in answer to a query,
says, “I would advise you by no means to try the experiment in
question, either as operator yourself, or on your own horse. At all
events, pray make trial first of the following prescription, which
will in most cases be found an excellent preventive, if not a total
cure, of the propensity complained of, and which has the advantage
over the method respecting which you inquire, of being much easier
and safer in its application, and, I may perhaps add, surer in its
effects, and less expensive on the whole.

“Get a strong thick curb bit, with a good deep port reversed--that
is, the curve of the mouth-piece must project towards the outside of
the horse’s mouth, and not inwardly towards his throat, as in the
common port bit. The thickness and exact curve of the bit should be
calculated according to the size, strength, and hardness of mouth
of the animal for which it is intended. For a very hard-mouthed
horse, the bit should be made with a very deep port, and as thin as
possible, consistently with the strength requisite.

“In nine cases out of ten, 1 have found that confirmed rearers are
tender-mouthed, and the habit has been probably induced by their
being bitted and handled too severely. A martingale will be found a
useful addition to the bit I have described. Its full efficacy can
only be sufficiently appreciated by its being used several times,
till the horse has become in some degree accustomed to it.”

_Kicking._

Horses apt to kick, either when they go forward or stand still, must be kept much together, or held in closely. When this is attempted, the hands, though fixed, must not pull at the horse, if he does not attempt to force the hand, and get his head, but leave him at liberty to go forward. If, however, he attempt to get his head down, which would enable him to kick with such violence as to throw himself, he may have the head confined up. This disarms him, and he makes a bolt from all-fours.

When a horse kicks, the rider must throw the body backward. It is an effective punishment to twist him round a few times for this fault. If this is done towards his weak or unprepared side (for every horse has a favourite side), astonishment and confusion will deter him from farther contention. In case of bolting, the rider must not exert one continued pull, but make repeated pulls until the horse obeys. Horses accustomed to be allowed to bear on the bit would not understand the steady pull as a signal to desist; and some would so throw up their heads as to deprive the rider of all power without dropping his hand, when the horse would drop his head. In that case, a second pull would find his mouth, and thus speedily his progress might be stopped.

_Plunging._

In plunging, a horse gets his head down, cringes his tail between his quarters, sets his back up, swells his body to burst his girths, and, in this position, kicks and plunges till his breath can be held no longer--that is, till he makes six or eight plunges. To sit these is to cure them; and to do this, the rider must take a firm hold with his legs, and be mindful that the horse, in getting his head down, does not pull him forward. There is no danger of his rearing; and therefore the rider has only to keep his body back, and hold firmly with his hands, to prevent him throwing himself down.

_Shying._

When a horse, either by shying or restiveness, springs to one side, or turns short round, the rider’s security depends on strict conformity to the rules already laid down, as to not bearing on the stirrups; keeping the legs near to the horse, to be ready on these sudden and unexpected occasions to lay hold; and yielding the body to go with him.

When a horse is about to fly to one side, he may be stopped by his rider’s leg being pressed on the side he would fly to, and by keeping his head high and straight forward, so as to prevent his looking towards the object he starts at, unless indeed it be something you desire to accustom him to the sight of, and then, whether you keep his face to it throughout, or avert it at first, and turn it gently towards it at last, great steadiness is necessary. When he curvets irregularly, and twists himself to and fro, his head should be turned to one side, or both alternately, without permitting him to move out of the track; and the rider’s leg should be pressed against the opposite side. In this case, he cannot spring on one side, because the pressure of the leg prevents him, nor will he spring to the other, because his head is turned that way, and a horse never starts to the side to which he looks.

Moreover, he will not fly back from anything, but go forward, if both legs be pressed against his sides. Thus he may be made to pass a carriage or other object in a narrow road; and here perseverance is especially necessary when the object is just reached, or partly passed, for if in the habit of going back and turning round when frightened, he will certainly do so when, if, by the hands slackening and legs failing to press, he discovers that you are irresolute; and this he would probably do at the most dangerous moment, when there was scarcely room for him to turn, and the wheels might take him in the rear. To touch his curb rein at such a moment would add to the confusion and danger.

_Restiveness._

The horse generally commences his attack by stopping, turning short round, mostly to the right hand, as taking the rider to the greatest disadvantage. He expects the rider will oppose the opposite hand, designedly attacks the weakest, and is so prepared against its efforts that it is vain to attempt them. It must be the rider’s rule never to contend with the horse on that point on which he is prepared to resist.

Instead, therefore, of attempting to prevent the horse with his left hand, the rider must attack him with his right, turn him completely round, so that his head is again presented the right way, and then apply the whip. If he turns round again, the rider must still attack his unguarded side, turn him two or three times, and let the heel and spur, if necessary, assist the hand, before he can arm or defend himself against it.

If he still refuse to go the right way, the rider must take care that he go no other, and immediately change his attack, turning him about and reining him backward, which the horse is easily compelled to do when he sets himself against going forward. In these contests, the rider must be collected, and have an eye to the surrounding objects; for restive horses try their utmost to place their riders in awkward situations, by sidling to other horses, carriages, the foot-pavement, the houses, &c.

In this case, the rider, instead of pulling him from the wall, must bend his head to it, by which his side next the wall is rendered concave, and his utmost endeavours to do injury are prevented. The instant, therefore, that the rider perceives his horse sidling to any object, he must turn his head to that object, and back him from it.

There are some horses who fix themselves like stocks, setting all endeavours to move them at defiance. There, happily, their defence can in no way endanger the rider. It must, however, be converted to punishment. Let them stand, make no attempt to move them, and in a short space--frequently less than a minute--they will move of themselves.

When these various defences, however, are not powerfully set up, the general rule is to push the horse forward; and, for this purpose, at first to make use of the switch, as it alarms him least, for the spurs surprise a horse, abate his courage, and are likely to make him restive. Indeed, the application of the whip or spurs, except to shift the croupe, or give efficacy to the hands, is of little use; and to repeat either, to make a restive horse go forward, is certainly wrong. When passion possesses the rider, it prevents that concord and unity taking place which ever should subsist between the rider and his horse. He should always be disposed to amity, and never suffer the most obstinate resistance of the horse to put him out of temper. If the contest does not demand his utmost exertion of strength, he should be able to hum a tune, or converse with the same composure and indifference as though his horse were all obedience. By these means, the instant a horse finds himself foiled, he desists, having no provocation to contend farther, and is abashed at his own weakness. It is the absence of passion which, added to cool observation, makes the English the best riders and drivers in the world.

TREATMENT OF THE HORSE.

Stables are generally too dark and too hot. They should be kept quite cool, though without any draughts.

“A way,” says De Beranger, in Helps and Hints, “of making the most of your horses, is to rise early in the summer, in order to do half your day’s work before the heat of the day; for lying by the whole of the rest of the day, not only affords a traveller time and opportunity for examining what is worthy of being seen, but enables him to start with horses quite fresh, and to finish the remaining stage after sunset: not only will your horses go through their task with less labour in the cool of the evening, but you will find them travel more freely towards a resting-place, which darkness leads them to expect.”

A horse ought not to be ridden a stage while in physic, nor on the day of its coming off. If he be pushed at first setting out on a journey, or be compelled to make long stages, or be deprived of his customary baits, he gets jaded, and every additional mile adds to his uneasiness. Moreover, at setting out in the morning, a well-kept horse is necessarily full of food, and consequently, until his great gut be properly emptied, brisk action occasions uneasiness or pain, which causes restlessness.

“When I travel on horseback,” says the same writer, “I make it a rule to walk every seventh mile, be the roads ever so level: it affords a wonderful relief both to man and horse, and, instead of producing a loss of time, helps you on. When you dismount for such ends, always slacken your girths, slightly lift up the saddle to let a little air under it, and teach your horse (what he soon will learn) to walk briskly by your side, and keep the step with you, taking care to hold either of the reins lightly in your hand, and without shifting it over the horse’s head. Your steed will soon give you demonstrations of his gratitude, for he will be full of affectionate playfulness as he jogs along at your side, only to be rivalled by his willingness to let you mount after you have tightened the girths again. I need hardly tell you not to put your arm or wrist through a rein whilst walking or running by the side of a horse, for it is replete with danger. A good run with one hand on the horse’s withers is pleasant, and greatly removes the stiffness of the joints so frequently occasioned by much riding; but the reins should be held between the fingers only, and rather loosely.”

Hence, it follows that, although expedition be indispensable, the horse ought not to be put on his best pace at first, but considerably within it. Even this pace should be for a short space only; the reins should be loosened; the mouth played with; and if he do not evacuate, the pace may be repeated once more,--unless, indeed, he sweat much with the first, which is a sign of weakness, or that his dung is hard, and he requires purging.

While on the journey, the rider should be less attentive to his horse’s nice carriage of himself, than to his own encouragement of him, and keeping him in good humour. Though generally he should raise his horse’s head, yet when he flags in consequence of a long day or hard work, he may indulge him with bearing a little more upon the bit than he would in taking a mere airing exercise, or afternoon’s canter in the Park. Keeping company with some other horseman facilitates a stage, by the emulation it excites; so that a dull animal, which one can scarcely get seven miles an hour from, will do nine or ten without fatigue when in company.

In road-riding, a picker is indispensable both in winter and summer. In winter, it is necessary to relieve the sole when snow accumulates there. When, however, the traveller knows that snow is on the ground, he may avoid the trouble of dismounting, by previously ordering his horse’s soles to be payed over with tar, or with tallow having no salt in it. At all times, when the roads have received fresh dressings, a picker is indispensable, because a loose stone is very liable to lodge in the hollow of the foot, and is dangerously driven backwards between the frog and the shoe, at every step the horse takes.

Pace and length of stage must be adapted to the heat of the weather in summer, and to the depth of the roads in winter; both seasons having the effect of knocking up the horse. In either case, a cordial promptly administered recovers him for the prosecution of his journey. The cordial readiest provided, and which should be kept at hand by the provident traveller, is in the form of a ball, and composed of aniseeds, ginger, carraway, of each, powdered, half an ounce, and mixed up with treacle and meal to the proper consistence. But good ale or porter, from one pint to a quart, made warm, operates sooner, and, upon emergency, is nearly as readily obtained as the ball.

Walking a horse the last mile, especially of a long stage, is a practice highly beneficial. As, upon setting out, we should not go off at the quickest pace, so upon coming in, we should not dash into our quarters with the perspiration streaming from each pore, in the mild season, nor covered over with dirt, in consequence of the pace, in wet weather. Even in winter, the perspiration flies from a strong horse, if in condition, upon coming in more sheltered places, and the practices he is then subjected to are commonly of such a nature as to cause disease in one way or another, in embryo, if not immediately.

The rider is greatly to be blamed who stands quietly by, or hides himself in the parlour, while his horse is brought in hot, stripped of every thing, and led about to cool, in the draught of a gateway, or has the dirt washed off by plunging him in a horse-trough or pond, or his legs brushed in cold water in the open yard, while pailfulls, at the same time, are thrown over them; the consequence of all which is cough or colic, bad eyes, swelled legs, or inflammation of some vital part, which deprives the animal of life.

The horse should have a large and comfortable stall, and without any door behind him, a draught from which, by blowing up his coat, might expose him to cold. On coming in, after being coaxed to stale, he should undergo (in winter-time in doors) a wisping all over with straw, beginning at the head, and proceeding to the neck and fore-quarters. His eyes, nostrils, &c., should also be cleansed with a sponge, and his ears rubbed. He should, at the same time, have before him a lock of sweet hay, in his rack, or a prickle, or the hand; and the rider should see whether he eats or not, whether he enjoys the wisping, and whether he chiefly evince a desire to lie down or a craving for food.

The girths having been already loosened, but the saddle still remaining on his back, his head should be turned to the rack, and his hind-quarters, legs, and belly, sheath and fork, wisped, and his feet picked clean and washed. After this, the saddle should be removed by sliding it back over the croupe; and the dressing be extended to the withers, back, and so completely all over the carcass, until it is dry. The saddle should be hung out, with the inside toward the sun; and when the pannels have been duly aired and dried, they should be slightly beaten and well brushed.

If the horse refuse the first proffer of hay, the rider may conclude that he has been pushed too much, as to time or length. If he still refuse his food, though the dressing be finished, he may be assured that his stomach is disordered, and he must be cordialled. In winter, a warm mash of malt is most eligible; but, if not at hand, a bran mash with an admixture of oatmeal, and a quart of good ale, may be given. In summer, a cordial ball will restore the tone of his stomach, without increasing the heat of his body so much as a mash would. If he is not aged, nor inured to cordialling, a small pail of stout water-gruel, almost cold, excels all other cordials, and supersedes the necessity of watering; he will take his supper an hour or so afterwards, with a relish.

The traveller ought to look to every particular himself.--In the next place, let him see that his horse gets his allowance of corn, that it be good, and that it contain no indications of having been in a manger before; for, in that case, he must wait by him until all the food is devoured. Dry food is alone proper to travel upon, and oats are the best; much hay being apt to engender flatulencies. When, however, a very long stage is to be taken, or it is cold, dreary, wet, or windy, a handful of crushed beans sustains him admirably, staying by him, and imparting vigour for a long time. The horse should not be denied water often; though too much at one time should not be given, nor, without its being chilled, any immediately after being fed.

His feet and shoes should be looked to, to ascertain if aught require repair, in order that it may be furnished as soon as he has recovered from his fatigue.--His limbs, moreover, should be examined all over, for cracks, pricked foot, &c., and the body, for saddle-galls, &c. Now, as ever, his dunging should be looked to. Even if in full condition, having been well and regularly fed, and as regularly worked, he will contract a tendency to constipation; the least ill consequence of which is defective pace, or short step, arising from more laboured action. As the inconvenience may be suffered to last, he sweats immoderately at the least extra exertion, his eyes lose their wonted brightness, his mouth becomes hot, and his manner is languid. All these evils may be prevented by timely physicking, whenever the dung is seen to fall upon the ground without the pellets breaking. Even a little green food, or a day’s mashing with bran, thin oatmeal gruel, and the like, will soften the dung considerably. It must be remembered that these things are to be undertaken on blank days, when the traveller is certain the horse will not be ridden a stage. The following allowance per week is generally enough to keep a horse in good condition:--

_Oats._ _Beans._ _Hay._
For a horse of from 14½ to 16 hands 1¾ bushel; 2 quarterns; 1¼ truss.
For a horse under 14½ hands 1½ bushel; 1½ quartern; 1 truss.

DRIVING.

Among the ancients, for more than one thousand years, the greatest honour that could be bestowed upon a man was a sprig of the wild olive tree entwined round his brow, for having gained a victory in the chariot-race at the Olympic games of Greece. This sprig of olive, moreover, was accompanied by other marks of distinction: the wearer of it was not only honoured with statues and inscriptions during his life-time, but the immortal Pindar, or some other great poet, was called upon to hand his name down to posterity in an ode. The Olympic games were revived, as a religious ceremony, by Iphitus, an Elean, about nine hundred years before Christ. They were celebrated near Olympia, in the territory of Elis. Horse and chariot races were considered their noblest sports. No one was there prevented from driving his own chariot; and kings were often seen contending against kings.

The Greeks were the most enlightened of the ancients, and their taste in the arts has never been even rivalled. What they did, therefore, on this occasion, could not be considered as in bad taste; and, when we remember that the celebration of these pastimes outlived the laws, customs, and liberty of their country, we need not say more in their vindication. The honours of victory were not even confined to the brave and skilful man who won the race: even the horses were crowned amidst the applauses of the spectators; and in one race, where forty chariots were broken, the victorious one was preserved in the temple of Apollo. Such being the havoc among the competitors, it is not wonderful that Ovid should say, that the honour of contending for the Olympic prize was almost equal to the winning of it.

Sophocles modestly speaks of ten starting at the same time in the race; but Pindar, availing himself, perhaps, of poetic licence, makes the number forty. Four horses driven abreast was the usual number. The length[72] of the course on which they ran did not exceed an English mile, and as they had to make twenty-two turnings round the two pillars--generally, we may suppose, at full speed--it is not difficult to imagine what dreadful accidents must have happened.

[72] The Circus Maximus at Rome, in which the Romans exhibited their
chariot-races, was an oval building of one thousand eight hundred
feet in length, and four hundred in breadth.

Nothing indeed but the form of chariot used could have ensured safety to any one. From the representations on ancient coins, it appears to have been very low, and only on two wheels, somewhat resembling our curricle. It had of course no springs; and, as there was no seat for the charioteer, much of his skill consisted in preserving his balance, and keeping upon his legs.

According to Pausanias, the following was the method of starting:--The chariots entered the course according to order, previously settled by lot, and drew up in a line. They started at a signal given, and to him who passed the pillar at the top of the course twelve times, and that at the bottom ten times, in the neatest manner, without touching it, or overturning his chariot, was the reward given.--As, however, it was the aim of every one who started to make for this pillar, as to a centre, we can easily imagine the confusion there must have been in forty, twenty, or even ten chariots, all rushing to one given point, amidst the clanging of trumpets, &c.

The following translation of a description of a chariot-race, from the Electra of Sophocles, is worthy of a place.

“When on the sacred day, in order next
Came on the contest of the rapid car,
As o’er the Phocian plain the orient sun
Shot his impurpled beams, the Pythic course
Orestes enter’d, circled with a troop
Of charioteers, his bold antagonists.
One from Achaia came; from Sparta one;
Two from the Lybian shores, well practised each
To rule the whirling car: with these the fifth,
Orestes, vaunting his Thessalian mares:
Ætolia sent a sixth, with youthful steeds
In native gold arrayed: the next in rank
From fair Magnesia sprang: of Thrace the eighth
His snow-white coursers from Thesprotia drove:
From heaven-built Athens the ninth hero came:
A huge Bœotian the tenth chariot filled.
These, when the judges of the games by lot
Had fix’d their order, and arranged their cars,
All, at the trumpet’s signal, all at once
Burst from the barrier; all together cheer’d
Their fiery steeds, and shook the floating reins.
Soon with the din of rattling cars was filled
The sounding hippodrome, and clouds of dust
Ascending, tainted the fresh breath of morn.
Now mix’d and press’d together, on they drove,
Nor spared the smarting lash; impatient each
To clear his chariot, and outstrip the throng
Of dashing axles, and short-blowing steeds,
They panted on each other’s necks, and threw
On each contiguous yoke the milky foam.

“But to the pillar as he nearer drew,
Orestes, reining-in the nearmost steed,
While in a larger scope, with loosen’d reins,
And lash’d up to their speed, the others flew,
Turn’d swift around the goal his grazing wheel.

“As yet erect, upon their whirling orbs
Roll’d every chariot, till the hard-mouth’d steeds
That drew the Thracian car, unmaster’d, broke
With violence away, and turning short,
(When o’er the hippodrome with winged speed
They had completed now the seventh career),
Dash’d their wild foreheads ’gainst the Lybian car.
From this one luckless chance a train of ills
Succeeding, rudely on each other fell
Horses and charioteers, and soon was fill’d
With wrecks of shatter’d cars the Phocian plain.

“This seen, the Athenian, with consummate art,
His course obliquely veer’d, and, steering wide
With steady rein, the wild commotion pass’d
Of tumbling chariots and tumultuous steeds.
Next, and, though last, yet full of confidence
And hopes of victory, Orestes came;
But when he saw of his antagonists
Him only now remaining, to his mares
Anxious he raised his stimulating voice.
And now with equal fronts abreast they drove,
Now with alternate momentary pride
Beyond each other push’d their stretching steeds.

“Erect Orestes, and erect his car,
Through all the number’d courses now had stood;
But luckless in the last, as round the goal
The wheeling courser turn’d, the hither rein
Imprudent he relax’d, and on the stone
The shatter’d axle dashing, from the wheels
Fell headlong; hamper’d in the tangling reins
The frighted mares flew diverse o’er the course.

“The throng’d assembly, when they saw the chief
Hurl’d from his chariot, with compassion moved,
His youth deplored; deplored him, glorious late
For mighty deeds, now doom’d to mighty woes;
Now dragg’d along the dust, his feet in air:
Till, hasting to his aid, and scarce at length
The frantic mares restraining, from the reins
The charioteers released him, and convey’d,
With wounds and gore disfigured, to his friends.
The just Amphictyons on the Athenian steeds
The Delphic laurel solemnly conferr’d.”

In a political view, these games were productive of local advantages; for, being sacred to Jupiter, they protected the inhabitants of Elis against all the calamities of war. In an economical point of view, they were of general use; for, as Greece was generally short of horses, nothing was so likely to encourage the breeding of them as the emulation thus raised among the different states. The circulation of money also was not a trifling consideration; for the olive crown was obtained at great expense. By these games being celebrated at the beginning of every fifth year, the Greeks settled their chronology and dates; and as they lasted a thousand years, a great part of the traditional history of Greece rests upon their base. That the honour of the prize was above all price, the following anecdote shows:--A Spartan having gained the victory at the Olympic games with much difficulty, was asked what he should profit by it? “I shall have the honour,” said he, “of being posted before my king in battle.” As a further proof of the value and the moral effect of these contentions for honour, it is stated that, when a conqueror returned to his native city, he made his entry through a breach in the wall--by which was implied that cities inhabited by such men had no need of walls.

A senator of Rome, indeed, says Gibbon, “or even a citizen, conscious of his dignity, would have blushed to expose his person or his horses in a Roman circus. There, the reins were abandoned to servile hands; and, if the profits of a favourite charioteer sometimes exceeded those of an advocate, they were considered as the effect of popular extravagance, and the high wages of a disgraceful profession.” The Romans, with more pride, were far less intellectual than the Greeks; but it must still be borne in mind, that, inconsistently enough, the interest taken in the charioteers of Rome shook the very foundation of the government.

In modern times, notwithstanding the sneers directed against gentlemen-coachmen and driving-clubs, it is to them chiefly that this country is indebted for the present excellent state of the roads, and for safe and expeditious travelling. The taste for driving produced, between men of property and those connected with the road, an intercourse which has been productive of the best results. Road-makers, and those who have the care of roads, if they have not acted under the immediate direction of these amateur drivers, have been greatly benefited by their advice--doubly valuable, as proceeding from knowledge of what a road ought to be. The intercourse also that has lately been carried on between proprietors of inns and of coaches, and gentlemen fond of driving, has greatly tended to direct the attention of the former to the accommodation and comfort of travellers. The improvement in carriages--stage-coaches more especially--would never have arrived at its present height, but for the attention and suggestions of such persons.

Moreover, the notice taken by gentlemen of coachmen, who are at once skilful and who conduct themselves well, has worked the reformation which has been of late years witnessed in that useful part of society.

Gentleman-driving, however, has received a check, very few four-in-hands being visible. The B. D. C., or Benson Driving Club, which now holds its rendezvous at the Black Dog, Bedfont, is the only survivor of those numerous driving associations whose processions used, some twenty years ago, to be among the most imposing, as well as peculiar spectacles in and about the metropolis.[73]

[73] The reader will bear in mind that this is many years after date.
The R.D.C., which is now in the “Crescent,” promises an ascendant of
no mean effulgence.--ED. Fifth Edition.

THE ROADS.

The excellence of our present mail-coach work reflects the highest credit on the state of our roads. The hills on great roads are now cut triangularly, so that drivers ascend nearly all of them in a trot. Coachmen have found out that they are gainers here, as, in the trot, every horse does his share, whereas, very few teams are all at work together when walking.

As, however, dreadful accidents have occurred to coaches when descending hills, a very simple expedient has been suggested, by which these accidents may be avoided. It is merely a strip of gravel, or broken stone, about one yard wide, and four or five inches deep, left on the near side of the hill, and never suffered to bind or diminish. This would afford that additional friction (technically called a bite) to the two near-side wheels, so that the necessity of a drag-chain (never to be trusted) would be done away with, and even in case of a hame-strap or pole-chain giving way, one wheel-horse would be able to hold back a coach, however heavily laden. No inconvenience to the road, it is observed, could arise from this precaution, as carriages ascending the hills would never be required to touch the loose gravel, it not being on their side of the road. This has been objected to, because some of the loose stones might find their way into the middle of the road. But, admitting this might be the case, a trifling attention on the part of the surveyor would obviate the objection. A man might be employed every second or third day to rake these stones back again. At the same time, it is obvious that the neat appearance of a road is not to be put in the scale against the limbs and lives of the people.--Some more permanent contrivance than loose stones even might be found.

CARRIAGES.

Of carriages, those with two wheels are the cheapest, lightest, and most expeditious; but, however sure-footed the horse, and however skilful the driver, they are comparatively dangerous vehicles.

As to gentlemen’s carriages, in this country, it has justly been observed, that the view at Hyde Park Corner, on any fine afternoon, in the height of the London season, is enough to confound any foreigner, from whatever part of the world he may come. He may there see what no other country can show him. Let him only sit on the rail, near the statue, and in the space of two hours he will see a thousand well-appointed equipages pass before him to the Mall, in all the pomp of aristocratic pride, in which the horses themselves appear to partake. The stream of equipages of all kinds, barouches, chariots, cabriolets, &c., and almost all got up “regardless of expense,” flows on unbroken until it is half-past seven, and people at last begin to think of what they still call dinner. Seneca tells us that such a blaze of splendour was once to be seen on the Appian Way. It might be so--it is now to be seen nowhere but in London.

As to stage-coaches, their form seems to have arrived at perfection. It combines prodigious strength with almost incredible lightness; many of them not weighing more than about 18 cwt., and being kept so much nearer the ground than formerly, they are of course considerably safer. Nothing, indeed, can be more favourable to safety than the build of modern coaches. The boots being let down between the springs, keep the load, and consequently the centre of gravity, low; the wheels of many of them are secured by patent boxes; and in every part of them the best materials are used. The cost of coaches of this description is from £130 to £150; but they are generally hired from the maker at 2½_d._ to 3_d._ per mile.

It is said to be the intention of Government[74] to substitute light carriages with two horses for the present mail-coaches drawn by four. On this, a writer in the _Quarterly Review_ observes, that when the mail-coach of the present day starts from London for Edinburgh, a man may safely bet a hundred to one that she arrives to her time; but let a light two-horse vehicle set out on the same errand, and the betting would strangely alter. It is quite a mistaken notion that a carriage is less liable to accidents for being light. On the contrary, she is more liable to them than one that is laden in proportion to her sustaining powders. In the latter case, she runs steadily along, and is but little disturbed by any obstacle or jerk she may meet on the road: in the former, she is constantly on “the jump,” as coachmen call it, and her iron parts are very liable to snap.