The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-11-07
them at others, this horse and chaise were
let to gentlemen orladise who drove them
selves.
CHAPTER XVIII.
A JOB HORSE AND HIS DRIVERS,

JOB HORSE AND HIS DRIVERS.
Hitherto had always been driven by
people who at least knew how to drive
butin this place I was to get my expert
ence of all the different kinds of bad and
ignorant driving to which the horses were
subjected; for 1 was lob horse" and w as
let out to all sorts of people who wished to
hire me; and as I was zood-tempered and
gentle, think was oftener let out to the
ignorant drivers than some of the other
horses, because could be depended upon
Itwould take long time to tell all the
different styles in which 1 was driven, but
l will mention few of them.
First, there were the tight-rein drivers -
men who seemed to think that all depend
ed on holding the reins as hard as they
could, never relaxing the pull on the
horses mouth, or giving him the least lib
crty of movement. They are always talk
ing about keeping the horse we'll in hand, u
and "holding horse up" just as if horse
was not made to hold himself up.
Some poor broken-down horses, whose
mouths have been made hard and insen-
Hible by just such drivers as these, may
perhaps, find some support in it but for a
horse who can depend upon his own legs
and who has a tender mouth and is easily
guided, 1t is not only tormenting, but it lie
stupid
Then there are loose rein drivers, who
let the reins lie easily on our backs, and
their own hand rest lazily on their knees
Of course suoh gentlemen have no control
over horse, if anything happens sudden.
ly. If a horse SHES, or starts, or stumble
they are nowhere, and cannot help the
horse or themselves, till the mischief is
done. Of course for myself had no OBJ
lection to it, as 1 was not in the habit
either of starting or stumbling, and had
only been used to depend on my driver
for guidance and encouragement; still
one likes to feel the rein little in going
downhill, and likes to know that ones
driver is not gone to sleep.
Besides, a slovenly way of driving gets q
horse into bad and often lazy habits and
when he changes hands he has to be whip
ped out of them with more or less pain
and trouble. Squire Gordon always kept
US to our best PAGES and our best man.
ners. He said that spelling horse, and
letting him get into bad habits, was Just
as cruel as spelling child, and both had
to suffer for it afterwards.
Besides, these drivers are often careless
altogether, and will attend to anthing else
more than their horses. | went out in the
phaeton one day with one of them; he had
a lady and two children behind. He flop.
ped the reins about as we started, and Of
course gave me several unmeaning cuts
with the whip, though l was fairly off
There had been good deal of road mend.
ing going on, and even where the stones
were not freshly laid down there were q
great many loose ones about. My driver
was laughing and joking with the lady
and the children, and talking about the
country to the right and the left; but he
never though it worth while to keep an
eye on his horse, or to drive or the smooth.
est parts of the road; and so it easily hap
pened that got stone in one of my fore
feet.
Ito be continued next Sunday.)