Rider Upper

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The hot summer sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays can harm certain bicyclist's face, neck, and eyes with dehydration, sunburn, skin allergies and diseases, visual impairments, and other potential damages if not protected. Such damages are costly for that minority of bicyclists who like to ride, but who burn easily or are mildly susceptible to the hot sun. For them, the head/neck wraps, helmet capes or covers, narrow helmet visors, sunscreen lotions, and sun glasses alone do not give enough face and head protection. Since a bicycle helmet prevents head injury during crashes, why not use it to prevent the injuries mentioned above, particularly for those who need it? A wide-brimmed helmet will completely shade a bicyclist's face, eyes, and neck from the sun during daytime riding.

This brimmed helmet is fairly easy to make. One can simply attach the relatively stiff brim from a well-made two-or-more-ply summer hat to his or her helmet, or to a slightly bigger one in size as needed. Summer hats can be found at several Internet websites or in local stores. The helmet size itself depends on how much headroom is left after the brim is attached to it with Velcro strips to obtain the desired comfort and safety standards. Many chinstraps are attached to the upper inner part of the helmet; thus, they do not interfere with the addition of the brim. However, one should check with the helmet's manufacturer to see if attaching a 360-degree fairly stiff but pliable brim to it will void its warranty, or will interfere with its function in any way. In any case, the brimmed helmet can be returned to its original condition by unfastening the brim, and by removing the Velcro strips from the helmet's inner band.

My helmet has a four-inch-wide fairly stiff brim attached to it. The wider and stiffer the brim is, the more all-around shade it provides. But it must bend flexibly if you crash or hit your head. The brim also has a slight downward slope to it, which protects the lower face and neck much like a safari or jungle helmet will. Because the rider is generally leaning forward with his/her head raised slightly, the brim not only protects the front and sides of the face and neck, it also protects the back of the neck while allowing all of these areas to ventilate at the same time.

How to make the helmet

1. Cut off the top part of the summer hat selected with a sharp scissors, leaving the sweatband (about one-inch) in place above the brim.

2. Remove any soft-foam strips from the inner band of the helmet.

3. Attach several compatible self-stick Velcro strips horizontally to the inner band of the helmet and to the outer band of the hat brim.

4. Fasten the brim snugly into the helmet by matching the Velcro strips atop each other.

5. Reattach any soft foam strips to the inner band of the helmet after the brim is in place.

Additional options

1. To stiffen the front of the brim slightly, find a thin piece of fairly rigid plastic that has a 90-degree bend at one of its edges, e.g., a cutout from one side of a small plastic case. Cut a four-inch-square section of it, keeping a one-inch-deep, two-inches-wide 90-degree bend at one end. Attach this piece to the lower front part of the brim, allowing the 90-degree bend to fit into the helmet and over the contour of the inner band. This plastic piece will firm up the front crease between the hat's brim and band (more about that later). Place a thin foam strip over the 90-degree portion atop the helmet's front inner band.

2. If desired, install a breathable cloth liner into the inner upper part of the helmet to prevent the scalp from sunburning through the helmet's vent holes. First, remove the soft foam strips from the inner upper part of the helmet. Then use double-stick tape or glue to attach the measured precut lining there. Replace the foam strips where they were.

The Velcro strips holding the brim in place give slight cushion to the inner band of the helmet, but they can reduce the helmet's size slightly, causing it to fit tighter. If it fits too tight in this manner, use shorter strips of Velcro. Or, attach the brim to a slightly larger helmet (an alternate one for hot sunny days). If necessary, to prevent the front of the brim from bending down and obscuring your vision while riding at high speed or against a strong wind, attach a thin piece of fairly rigid sheet-plastic to the front of it with glue, staples, or by whatever means is available (see optional step 1 above). Additionally, if a rider is bald or has thinning hair, the inner upper part of the helmet can be lined with a breathable material to shade the scalp. Otherwise, the brimmed helmet is now completed.

For the best all-around sun protection, use the brimmed helmet jointly with sunglasses and sunscreens. Also, to further shade-protect the rest of one's body skin, wear breathable long-sleeved, long-fingered, long-legged bicycling clothing. These combined safety measures drastically reduce the harmful effects of the hot sun's UV-rays, which could include a lifetime of fighting malignant melanoma and several other aggressive/chronic carcinomas, rashes, hives, and dermatitis's, or the spending of $20,000 per surgery to have benign skin lesions carefully removed. These effects make a small investment in a brimmed bicycle helmet worthwhile.

Sun Protection Sites

1. World Health Organization, Ultraviolet radiation & the INTERSUN Programme
http://www.who.int/uv/publications/en/

2. eHow -- How To Do Just About Everything Facts About Sun Safety by Jessica Anne Elizabeth http://www.ehow.com/about_5378399_sun-safety.html

Learning to Ride a Horse

Learning to ride a horse isn't easy. There are so many things that you need to remember and they aren't always related to the horse. Always ensure that you have the correct clothing and a helmet that fits properly before you start. Then you are ready to continue with the rest.

How to correctly mount a horse

When the bridle and saddle have been correctly fitted and double-checked, stand to the left of the horse. Place your left foot in the stirrup, and grasp the withers (mane), not the saddle as this will cause it to slide. Then keeping both of your hands on the front of the horse or on the cantle (back) of the saddle, push up and swing your right leg over the back of the horse, being careful not to kick the horse, so that you seat yourself comfortably in the saddle. When comfortable, reassess your grip on the reigns and hang both your legs down near the stirrups. Make sure they are at the correct length by having the stirrup reach your ankle. Then you should be able to just slide your feet into the stirrup whilst your foot is raised a few inches. Remember that it important that you are balanced to the horse, not them to you.

Now you are sitting comfortably...

Keep your upper back straight and lower back relaxed. Sit tall in the saddle. Always look ahead so that you can see for anything that might spook your horse. Take one rein in each hand; left rein in the left hand, right rein in the right hand. Tuck the reins under all four fingers, with the reins going in under the little fingers. Always hold the reins in place with your thumbs against your forefingers with your thumbs up, palms down and each hand as wide apart as the neck of the horse with them just in front of the saddle and above of the horse. To let more rein in, slide it through by lifting your thumbs. Shorten them by using the opposite hand to take up extra length.

Starting to ride your horse

To start the horse off with a slow walk - the first gait - squeeze your lower legs. After a few minutes stop and check the girth. If you can feel more than one hand under and between the girth and the horse, then you must tighten it. Carry on walking, keeping your heels down, back straight and chin up. You should be able to draw a straight line from the heel to the shoulders. Pull slightly on the reigns so as to turn the horses head enabling you to turn. When you need to stop, simply pull back on the reins and sit deep into the saddle; sometimes you may need to lean back, then relax the reigns and praise your horse. Always release the reins when you stop as this will praise and reward your horse; also they might pull if you don't. Horses can jerk short reins out of your hands, so try to make them long. Practice these basic moves until you and the horse are comfortable with it all.

When you are both ready, try trotting - the second gait. Again, squeeze the horse with your legs and the horse will start to move faster. With a trot, you need to learn how to rise and sit with the trot of the horse. You will need to rise and sit with the movement of the horse without bumping. This takes a bit of getting used to, and you will be using muscles which you may not be used to using! Thinking "lift, sit, lift, sit" in time to the rhythm will help you with this. Try not to sit too heavily as you may unsteady the horse. When you wish to slow down, sit deep in the saddle and pull back slightly on the reins. Again practice this until you are comfortable with the movements. When you are happy, trying turning and stopping from a trot.

Cantering is the next step - the third gait. This is often only managed after weeks of trotting. To ask for canter, squeeze your outside leg while having it back a bit and then squeeze with your inside leg. It's sometimes best to sit trot and then ask, so you are sitting ready for the canter. This means that you should sitting back slightly; when you feel you're sitting back, you're about right. Whilst in a canter, you should be rocking forward backward, with your bottom slightly off the saddle. Again, keep on practicing this as this will take longer to grasp. Ensure you are wary of your posture and heels as you practice; back on your heels and rocked forward but straight with your body.

After mastering the canter, you can move on to a gallop - this is the fastest gait. Again squeeze your calves as you have before, but you must be in a canter. As with the canter you should be sitting slightly forward in the saddle, with bottom off the saddle. It is always advisable to ensure that you are fully confident and well-practiced with each gait before you move on to the faster gait.

When dismounting your horse, swing your right leg over to the back of the horse. Stay balanced with a good grip on the saddle so you don't slip. Then lower yourself down from the left side, you should try to put both your legs down at the same time, keeping your knees slightly bent to absorb the weight.

Other helpful horse hints

Get to know your horse. Always ensure that you approach him carefully from the front or side; touching him and talking to him, thus avoiding spooking him and being hurt by a kick. Then move towards his shoulder, so he knows you're coming closer.

If you are new to a horse, or riding, always make sure that you have had proper rider training before you attempt anything on your own. Try to avoid riding alone; never ride alone if you are a beginner.

Even though it will be a shock and could very possibly hurt when you fall off, try to get straight back on.

Never kneel or sit by a horse; if you are tending to them, always make sure that you are positioned so that you can jump aside quickly if need be.

Make sure that you are comfortable on the horse that you are riding; they will be nervous too if they sense that you are uneasy.

Never yank the bit, as this will hurt the horse and distress him. If you handle it carefully, he will be more relaxed and easier to ride.

For more tips and advice on caring for horses, horse riding and a brand new equine blog, visit the AFI Horse Community website just launched by AFI Horse Insurance - the UK's only not-for-profit pet and equine insurance provider.

About the Author

I need help loosing weight and toneing my body.~~~?

I am 5'10 and pretty slim, 145 lb but I would like to be a little smaller like 130 lb. I need to get toned also. I am a horse-back(hunter Jumper) rider so I have these huge lower calves, but the upper half of my leg is all flabby, not very pretty. I also want my abs to be more toned. I need to know what to eat, and what exercisers to do. I would like to loose this weight and build up my body before my new show season in March. What do I do???

go to www.mypyramid.gov to find out exactly how much you should consume nad how much activity you need. when you are watchin TV maybe you should do sit ups or tune into Fit TV. Wake up a little early and put is some stretches or wahtever sport you like. afterschool do a routine that you will stick to. diet wise, stick to a 1,800 calorie diet. use a diet journal to help. record what you ate and it's calories. figure how much you went over and burn that. record the exercises and calories burnt. write in it daily. ask a counselor for school nutrition.
exercise too. i do 50 push ups, sit ups and stretch a lot. i jog atleast 30 minutes a day, i do yoga in my free time and dance sometimes! have fun doing it too! get buds to join
my food-
i eat a bowl of mini wheats that have lots of fiber with an able on the side for breakfast, school i have no extras for lunch, snack is a handful of nuts and dinner i don't over eat.
sometimes thirst is mistooken for hunger. so drink all the time to make sure.
the average person needs 8 glasses a day! ha!

and check some past questions about BMI and overweight/underweight to find out. and check your doctor or gym teacher to make sure dieting and exercising is okay. you cna damage yourself or hurt yourself a lot!

CMW 2010 Hot Acts: Green Go
Stiff upper lip, down and out bands of Canada. At the beginning of 2009, Guelph, Ont. dance-electro-rocking party impresarios Green Go had a finished album, but didn't have anywhere to release it.

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