Bibliothèque mondiale du cheval

« […] To become a practical coachman, it is necessary to understand thoroughly the subject of draught by animal power. Direct practical information respecting this will be found in Youatt ’s treatise. The coachman should carefully peruse, and stow away in his knowledge-boot, the instructions there given regarding the angle of inclination of the line of traction. He will thus learn how to put his horses to, and how to make the most of his moving power. The necessity of acquiring this knowledge will be sufficiently obvious to justify my insisting on the primary importance of mastering the theories of draught and coachbuilding.
Perfection in the practice of driving, too, is only to be attained by attending at the same time to the theory. It is only by being well up in his work, and knowing what he is at, that the tyro can be put on the same footing as ’ one of us,’ as the old coachman has it.
The name of Nimrod , and the masterly style of his writings on all sporting subjects, are well known ; and his essays on ’ The Road,’ which originally appeared in the form of letters to the ’ Sporting Magazine,’ and are now reproduced in this volume, will be read with delight by both old and young hands. A careful study of them will enable the tyro to perfect himself in the theory of the art of coachmanship ; and the dragsman may learn ’ a thing or two ’ by the perusal of these truly unique essays, now for the first time collected and published in a separate form.
To be a coachman, says Nimrod, you must take your degree ; for driving four horses is an art, ’ and a very pretty h art,’ as was said by that excellent coachman ’ Chester Billy.’ The knowledge necessary to qualify a man for his degree will be found in Nimrod, and by acquiring it the theory of driving will be mastered.[…] » Présentation de l’éditeur (1876)