Starting a young horse under saddle requires a lot of groundwork to build the strong foundation for riding that you want. Ground driving is one of those steps of training that should be done before you ever step foot in the stirrup. If your horse has been introduced to gentling, sacking out, leading, yielding to pressure, and wearing a saddle, he is ready to ground drive.
You should accustom your horse to giving to rein pressure, first of all. Outfit your bridle with a plain snaffle bit (O-ring or full-cheek is preferred) that has a thick mouthpiece, as that will be most gentle on an inexperienced mouth. If you have no bitting harness or surcingle, a western saddle will work just fine. To teach the horse to give to rein pressure, you will tie his head around on one side at a time. The right rein should be completely loose, with enough drape in it as to not contact the bit at all when the horse turns to the left, and tied up to the right-side off-billet ring on the saddle. The left rein should be tied to the left stirrup at the exact length where there is contact on the bit if the horse's head is facing straight ahead, but where there is no rein pressure at all if he gives his head and turns to the left slightly. Then the horse can be turned loose in an arena or round pen to figure things out. You should stay nearby in case a rein comes untied or other mishap.
The horse may turn in circles, pull straight ahead, mouth the bit, or ignore it. You may need to adjust the rein tighter or looser. But the result you want is for the horse to turn his head to the left and find a release of pressure and learn to give to it. If he is constantly stiffening against the rein and not yielding to it, he needs more time. If he stands still with his head turned left, or turns in circles to the left, he is learning to yeild, and this is what you are looking for. Then switch sides so that the right rein is tied to the right stirrup, and the left rein is tied up loosely. This can be done in short sessions for several days, or until the horse seems comfortable and smart about giving to the rein pressure on each side. When the horse will turn his head towards the pull of one rein, he is ready to begin ground driving.
Long reins can be made from poly ropes with snaps at the ends, or even light-weight lunge lines if you don't have long driving reins. Run the lines through the appropriate rings on the surcingle, or else through the stirrups of your western saddle. This will help keep them up and away from the horse's front feet and prevent him from getting tangled up. You can pass the right side rein over the back of the saddle until you are ready to begin driving. Then, standing behind the horse and holding both reins, use voice commands and rein cues to guide him into a walk. Stay in an enclosed arena or round pen until your horse becomes familiar and responsive to the reins. You should practice all aspects of control with ground driving, such as moving forward, turning, stopping, and backing up.
The experience of ground driving will prepare your young horse for a rider and make him much more comfortable and controllable when you are actually in the saddle. It may not guarantee a smooth transition into riding, but he will have the knowledge of reining and stopping which may save you a lot of trouble once you step into the stirrups. Ground driving will help contribute to a great start for your young horse.
Trucking companies have revised their requirements for employing truck drivers, from the young and fresh drivers to the retirees, who may still wish to be employed and keep working. There is no limit or restriction on the age factor of the person, if the retiree is still in a position to work or wishes to work.
Of late there has been a significant shortage of drivers for long haul trucks or long distance driving. The reason is that the younger drivers are married and have families. The young drivers wish to be closer to the family and if possible, more at and near home rather than away. The empty nester and the retiree seem to be filling this gap of shortage among young drivers and are therefore on the books of the truck companies.
Why do the truck companies prefer to hire and have introduced relaxed hiring criteria while employing retirees? The reason is that the retiree has a good and reliable work track record, a strong sense of ethics and stability. Retirees have proven themselves to be reliable and dependable and able to get work done, whatever it may be. Besides they have to their credit many years of work experience. Youngsters have proved themselves to be the complete opposite when it comes to reliability and dependability. They soon find that they are unable to cope with the truck driving job which calls for far more responsibility than they are able to handle on their own.
An ever-increasing number of retirees, especially husband and wife teams, are being recruited by trucking companies. Their family duties and responsibilities being generally over, they are still fairly young and very eager to work. As a team, the husband and wife retirees are able to get more hauling done than a single driver would be able to handle on a job. As a team, the couple gets to see more of the country than they would otherwise do and also have the pleasure of spending more time together. In addition to the facilities they are also paid well.
As long as health conditions do not pose a problem for the truck driver, recruitment is easy. Not only does the retiree get himself and his spouse a job, but they also get the benefits given to any truck-driving employee. They become entitled to the sign-on bonuses, insurance benefits and paid vacations. Taking up a job as a trucker gives you that extra buck which had ended with their retirement.
Most trucking companies that recruit retirees provide you with training once you have signed on. So it does not matter if you have never driven a truck before. The training will give you the confidence of being able to drive the long haul trucks as well as driving long distance too.
You have much to benefit as a retiree in a trucking company. It is worth looking at truck driving as a second career, after you have retired from your regular employment. The income that a husband and wife team can earn annually is anything between sixty to ninety thousand dollars, which is certainly a good compensation package.
Both Alex Gwen Thomson & Kris Koonar are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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