Vocabulary
The expression «Down the road» began to be used about the middle of the 19th century when driving a coach and four was becoming increasingly popular among wealthy young men. Some of the older men thought that the style of turnout seen at meets of the Coaching Club was not in keeping with the true coaching tradition. They believed that driving a coach over any kinds of road for long distances with different team of horses like the old public stage coaches was the true coaching tradition , or , as they piut it, truly "down the road" . These were enthusiasts who strated «road coaching» during the 1860’s
Tom Ryder
« DOWN THE ROAD »
L’ expression “Down the road” fut employée à partir du milieu du XIXème siècle lorsque mener un coach attelé à quatre chevaux était devenu un sport très prisé des jeunes gens nantis de la bonne société.
Cependant, parmi les anciens pratiquants du coaching, certains estimaient que le style des équipages se présentant aux réunions du Coaching Club, ne respectaient pas l’esprit de la vraie tradition du coaching.
Ils estimaient que, mener un coach sur toutes sortes de routes, et sur de longues distances, en utilisant des attelages e chevaux différents, comme cela se faisait au temps des anciens Stages coachs publics, représentait la vraie tradition du coaching et comme ils le disaient, vraiment down the road.
Ce furent ces mêmes passionnés qui mirent sur pied le Road coaching, dans les années 1860.
Tom Ryder
NB : Déjà en 1837, l’expression "Down the road" était employée comme titre d’un ouvrage de Birch Reynardson. Arba

by Rebecca Morris
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Photographs and postcards from the personal collection of Rebecca Morris
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