HARNESS AND HARNESSING.
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What is the natural result of such a performance, with horses that have any life?
The traces being properly fastened, the coachman proceeds to "pole them up," and in this work the judgment of the true coachman shows to advantage. The pole pieces should neither be too tight nor too loose, but it requires something of an artist to find the happy medium.
Some coachmen have an exceedingly faulty way of fastening their pole pieces ; they twist the kidney link ring,, and then, by passing the point of the strap upward through it, bring the buckle on top. This method makes an ugly distortion of the leather, besides weakening it by unnecessary side chafing.
The pole pieces should be put through the kidney link ring from the inside out (the ring hanging in its natural position). This brings the buckle into its proper place at the side, and the whole piece leads fair from the pole head, instead of showing what a sailor would describe as a " lubber's twist."
The horses being properly poled up, the coachman throws the hand piece of the near rein with the buckle end across the off horse's back, and, walking around to the off side, buckles the ends of the reins together. Then, doubling the hand pieces, he takes the bight, or portion of the reins at the doubling point, and passes it through the off pad terret and over the bearing
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