The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-24
THE COST
OF A SWELL FOUR.
INLAND

Ten thousand dollars is what il &C
tually costs to set up swell and repre-
sentative coach and four, and after this
amount is put out at least $500 more
must be sren; a year TO run it. A pretty
| deep pocket is needed, therefore, ii a
man wants 10 take part in the fascinatin g
| and rapidly growing hobby vi driving his
own tallyho.
There are now from forty to fifty pri-
vate uallyhos in New York City, and the
coaching club, TO be member of which
| "a man must be an accom plished driver OF
''fours," though be does not nece ,sarily
have TO be coach owner, has about fifty
gentlemen on it's roll.
1t is not everyone ~ho can learn 10
tool coach successfully. Many man
who can handle the ribbons skiIlfully
over the backs of the most spanking of
teams finds himself much to his chasrin,
utterly unable to handle tours. Strength
10 needed Beyond all, firmness and stead.
mess of band, power of quick thought
and rapid decision ana CONT lete nerve. 4
good fours driver never reaches the maxi
nun OF excellence unless De Is able to
guide his te ans mile after mile with the
most perfect apparent unconcsrD. steadily
chatting meanwhile TO tho fair woman
be mas on the box seat, which is the post
OF no nor on q coach.
Nearly all coaching enth usiasts havs
as their chisfsst ambition. not toolins up
and down the roats about New York,
but entering the famous horse shows
with view Of contestng for the prizes.
Comparatively few ever dare to 20 in the
coacn classes, however, for the reason
that there is no show of first, second
4, 10 i
coach itself are OF the greatest excellence.
An auth ority on the SUI ject gives these
figures and details of swell coaching:
The best coach made N America costs
$3.50. Several English and French man
uficturers can turn cut tallyhos that are
prec sely as good at slightly lower
Il CURE than this, but the cost of getting
them over here brinrs the expense Up to
about the same. A set of harness, plated,
and thoroughly smart is worth ABOUT
$3.50. The hv5 aprons, four urge aud
one somewhat smaller. the latter for the
box seat cost on the ave-a.s over Sl25
apiece. OF say, 500 for them all.
Driving blankets are nada of the finest
box cl tn. Tney are elaboratelv eu brold-
cred. Fac one of the four horses has
his own blanket, also elibor4tely EN-.
hroidered, and of eXquisitely fine nate
rial. There blankets ran hardly be had
for less than 1928 apiece, or 500 for the
tour. The whip COSTS s15, and the we'll
appointed coach has at least two of these.
A kind is a jointed whip worth $20),
which can be fitted together in trice,
and is carried along for uss in case OF
acclde.t.
Every coach has two iiveried men.
Their llvrries must be made by an expen-
sive tailor, for it is all absolute essential !
to have them perfect in r and thor ugh |
ly up to the mode in style. With boots. |
tall bats and long over-coats. these out |
N
$3.50 for the two.
Roughly speaking the cost o! the four
horses may be put at $4,000, $3.50 apiece,
though as matter OF fact it is a very |
difficult thing TO approx mat the ex.
penses OF getting togrther good four.
While the price Of horses on the whole
has decreased within the past four or hvs
years, really good coacn horse. are 60
rare and hard TO get that they are hed |
at about the old figures. II le quite pos.
sible to get wellmatched ami good |
driving four for $1,000. But such four
would hardly nave any chance OF en- a |
third in a show
One OF the most famous horses in the !
Madison Square Garden last year, the
crack steed on one OF the very best |
coaches, only cost, when he was pur-
chased several years ago, 500 But ne !
was lucky acct lent. year later his |
owner purt based a mucn more proa.ising
horse for $3.50, wac has not shown hall |
the ,rm.
A good coach, II it he driven frequently. |,
requires six horses-though only four are
used at time-for the reason that |
otherwise two teams cannot be dc pended !
upon. One or sven two OF the animals |
are nearly always likely to De out Of form /
and the man who is bent upon SETH G !
up good establish ment seldom cares
to risk it With less than six.
Added up. these various amounts come /