The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-10
WOMEN TAKE TO FOUR-IN.HAND
NAVY FEMININE PUPILS FOh
THE WHIPS THIS SPRING.
They Get Up with the sun to Tnke Lessons
Some OF Them Never Drove Even =
Single Horse BefOrc--FOur'in'Hah
Driving as a sport for women


the aim Of many fashionable New YORK
women and of many others who would
like to be thought fashionable. That this
ambition has developed at surprising rate
since the first mild spring days set in the
noted professional whips OF New York agree
Furthermore each gives this testimony
with n cheerfulness which suggests that
the fact means good many extra dollars
in his pocket
Ono Of these whips has in. fact been so
rushed of late that he is obliged to begin
work at o'clock and keep it up all day
long. When seen the other day at his stable
about $3.50 in the afternoon, he had already
been driving or showing others how TO
drive for nine consecutive hours and he
was going out again at 43O.
my 9 O'Clock pupil. "he explained, Chooses
! that hour in order that she may have tho
Park virtually to herself. Women are
/ sensitive about making lightning in
public.
Another lady who came to arrange for
lessons yesterday, when she found that
the earlier hodrs were all engaged, ex-
pressed her Willingness to take the hour
from to o II l would consent. That offer,
however / refused. To make so early a
start would mean that must get up be-
tween and 4 o'clock If I would reach the
stable in time"
Astonishing as it may seem, more than
half the number of women who apply for
four-in-hand lessons have never driven a
single horse, much less four horses, and are
quite ignorant of even the first principles
of driving. Apparently however, such
a handicap has no power to keep them
from having try at the sport.
Women who never before were known
to get out Of bed before 10 o'clock in the
morning now see the sun rise. If neces-
sary they would get up even earlier, Surely
feminine enthusiasm can go no further.
-In the case Of novices suppose you
have to begin with one horse and lead
up to four was the remark made to a
teacher.
Not at ALL" was the surprising reply.
ITO learn to drive four-in-hands is what
the women come to me for, and they won't
have anything else.
in almost every case I have begun with
brake and four horses Occasionally
pupil will express wish to vary this with
driving tandem simply because that form
of driving is also extremely popular at
present but am never asked to assist at
driving team or a single horse.
Il have one pupil who has taken perhaps
dozen lessons in four-in-hand driving.
and really does very we'll at 1t too. who
confessed to me the other day that much
to her own confusion when she had es-
sayed TO drive single horse while visiting
out of town she scarcely knew what to do
with it.
n nnt- ln1r m tn ri Four in
hand? Well, almost any one, unless it is
the woman who is afraid Of horses. A very
timid woman will never make n success
of IL and it is much wiser for her not to
attempt 1t. except indeed, when she sits
beside some one who is an expert and can
take the lines ut a seconds notice. Even
then she is apt to he dreadfully in the way.
Few Of the women now taking lessons
will probably ever drive hand
good driver. For that reason there is
really no necessity for their knowing how
al ell; for any man who is good whip
would ten times over rather ha ndle the
lines himself than sit with folded hands
and see woman do 1t.
Nevertheless, since coaching has become
SO popular in AID around New York. the
women are determined to learn to drive a
coach, and must say admire them for it.
OF course it is fad, but it is a mighty
healthy one.
-As a muscle builder and a cure for ner-
vousness, it has no equal IN my opinion.
No one dares to give way to nervousness
when driving four horses, and a knowledge
of that act-alone does good deal to help
women who have been accustomed to letting
their nerves have their own way.
AT the very outset l tell them that the
first lesson a would-be whip must learn
is to keep cool, and again to keep cool
That in fact is the most important thing.
The next thing. is to know how to manage
the whip and it ia just here that a good
many women are hard to teach.
Some who are not accustomed to horses
labor under a sentimental delusion that a
whip can be dispensed with altogether.
! had one Of this kind the other day who
lazy wheeler every now and then. even
when she held the lines.
"She suggested that We slacken our speed
for that one animals especial benefit, on
the plea that perhaps he didn't feel we'll
1t took me long time to convince her that
that horse had lazy streak in him, and
that, furthermore, under some conditions
TO allow one of the real horses to lag behind
the other might result In twisting a coach
to one side and into ditch, If one was
near.
Once had made that point and some
others clear to her. she withdrew her OBJ
jeotions and Is now doing her best to
master some of the intricaoies of whip
"You see necessarily the thong Of whip
for four-in- hand driving is very long longer
than anything a woman has ever before
attempted to manage. To touch the forward
horses 1t must be let out Its full length,
then drawn back, and the extreme end OF it |
twirled around the handle so as TO let the
surplus fall in double thong, as 1t Is called,
or long loop
As he spoke the teacher with a single |
graceful wave of the whip illustrated his
meaning; The end Of the. thong, curled