If you are new to horse riding, or are coming back to it after a long break then here are a few essential tips to help ride safely and smoothly:

* Heels Down – this is a fundamental technique, as not only does it ensure you have a steady, secure seat on the horse you are riding but it also keeps your feet free from the stirrups, so you don’t get caught up if the horse shies or bolts.
* Head Up – always keep you head up and back straight (or lean slightly back). This may feel uncomfortable at first, but it puts you in a strong, balanced position so that you can control the horse more easily if it bucks or starts. If you lean forward all the time you are more likely fall off before you can even react.
* Proper Clothing – it can be expensive buying all the special clothing to go horse riding with, but there are very good comfort and safety reasons behind these items. For example riding breeches are essential when you are riding a leather saddle as they are designed to grip the seat, but still allow some movement. Jeans and cotton trousers slip very easily, and will give you no protection against falls.

In England, Wales and some parts of Scotland (Border Esk and its tributaries), any angler over the age of 12 years old must purchase a rod license before they can legally fish for freshwater fish and eels, including salmon and trout. Those anglers who are caught without a valid license can be fined up to £2,500.

These are provided by the Environment Agency, and you can buy them in Post Offices or online at the Environment Agency’s website www.environment-agency.gov.uk. There are two different categories of rod license available:

A) Non-migratory trout, char, freshwater fish (coarse fish) and eels.

B) Salmon and migratory trout (sea trout), non-migratory trout, char, freshwater fish (coarse fish) and eels.

Category B licenses are more expensive, but they do cover you for all freshwater fish and eels. For example a full season license for category B is £70, whereas a full season license for category A is just £26. If you are a keen angler then it does make sense to purchase the more expensive license, as you cannot always guarantee which species of fish you will catch.

It is also important to note that if you are fishing with more than two rods, you will need purchase a second rod license.

Martial Arts – Combining the Four Main Aspects of Fitness: Speed, Stamina, Strength and Agility.

Martial Arts include some of the most versatile fighting and fitness techniques in the world and many disciplines focus on defending against, and overcoming a wide range of opponents by breaking down all aspects of fitness to provide the greatest versatility possible.

Speed – this governs how quickly you can carry out moves on your opponent, and also how quickly you can avoid their attacks. Speed is vital in fight situations, and must be balanced with strength and agility for maximum effect.

Stamina – this is vital, as it defines how long your body can provide enough energy to maintain continuous and vigorous movements or activities.

Strength – in fighting disciplines the key is to overcome your opponent as quickly as possible to avoid serious injury or defeat, and so your ability to exert force (strength) is very important, both in terms of getting power into short, sharp movements such as kicks and punches, and also dynamic strength in your muscle structure to support your body weight as you carry out moves.

Agility – it is important that your joints and muscles are supple, to enable you to move quickly, and give you the greatest possible range of movements. Agility combined with speed can help you to avoid powerful punches and kicks, and also give you more range in which to make your own attacks.

Whether you are a beginner at Martial Arts, or you already have a favorite variation, it can be difficult choosing a new school to join in order to learn or improve this sport. Even in the same disciplines of Martial Arts, schools and teachers can vary greatly and one school of Kung Fu may be much more formal and more challenging than another.

Practical Approach
Before approaching a Martial Arts school you need to think carefully about why you want to learn, and how much time you can devote to the task. If you are joining just purely for fitness reasons, and have little interest in learning the full rules and attitudes of a discipline, then less formal types such as Kickboxing will be more suitable. If you are interested in all the aspects of Martial Arts, including etiquette, ceremony and lifestyle, then more formal styles such as Aikido and Tae Kwon Do may suit you better.

Trial Lessons
Martial Arts lessons can be very expensive, so before you sign up for a term, ask if you can sit and observe a few lessons in the school of your choice, just to ensure it will be suitable for you.