Over 90 percent of the US population seeks help for back pain at one point or another during the course of their life. If you're a horseperson, back pain is of particular concern as it not only robs you of the joys of riding—it threatens your livelihood, as well. From grooming and tacking up, to performing a flawless reining pattern or jumping a clean round, to stacking hay bales or pushing a wheelbarrow, everything we do on and around horses demands a supple, strong, healthy back. Now, in his unique, easygoing style, Dr. Jim Warson—a neurosurgeon who also happens to be a lifelong horseman—provides all the practical information you need to understand the diagnosis and treatment of back pain—whether caused by equestrian pursuits, outside activities, illness, or heredity. More importantly, he shows readers how to prevent back problems before they have a chance to unseat you. This book includes: • "Normal" back biology and function • Congenital conditions, trauma, arthritis, and infection • Understanding symptoms and pinpointing problem areas • Tack's impact on the physics of riding • How your horse's conformation can affect your body • Traditional and alternative treatments and therapies • Techniques for saddling and mounting without stress • Recommendations for pregnant riders. In addition, Dr. Warson provides a section specifically geared toward improving rider flexibility and strength. You'll find step-by-step instructions and photo series for 10 stretches and 8 exercises for a healthy, stress-free back, allowing you to not only enjoy your riding but all your day-to-day activities, whatever they may be.

Dr. Joyce Harman's best-selling book and DVDs on saddle-fit have received rave reviews and helped improve the lives of performance and pleasure horses all over the world. Now, due to popular demand, she's written the complete reference on saddle-fit and back health for Western disciplines. In this most thorough, comprehensive book, Dr. Harman, veterinarian and respected saddle-fitting expert, educates the reader about the horse's conformation—particularly the shape of the back, withers, ribs, and shoulders; saddle construction—the tree, bars, seat, skirts, fleece, gullet, and stirrups; and the rider's conformation. She explains how all these variables must be considered in order to keep the horse comfortable. In addition, read about correct use of saddle pads; fitting saddles for different sports such as reining, cutting, pleasure, and trail; and how to care for your horse's back, both over the short and long term.

Discover why you have pain and tension, learn how they affect your horse and riding, and master techniques for treating and preventing pain and injury in the future. Pain-Free Horse Riding is the first book to combine exercises for horseback riders to increase strength and flexibility and improve riding and address the pain they suffer from and how to relieve it. Horse rider and Myofascial Release therapist Nikki Robinson offers realistic ways to improve common conditions--back and neck pain, tendonitis, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, joint pain and stiffness, and repetitive strain injury--without giving up the activity you love. The book provides an introduction to fascia, covers how your body reacts to injury, and addresses common symptoms such as pain, tension, and inflammation. A key chapter focuses specifically on riding posture--the position of your head, shoulders, back, buttocks, and legs--including exercises to solve your riding problems with myofascial techniques. Also included are personal stories from riders who have had success with these methods. The format of the book allows readers to start at the beginning and read all the way through or to go straight to the sections that address their particular condition. There are cross-references throughout to direct readers where to find additional information if they are interested.

Better balance in the saddle, improved body control from head to toe, and increased influence with your seat are just a handful of the simple fixes offered in this straightforward training manual for jumping. Most of the suggestions provided require only a few minutes to learn and offer solutions for making jumping more enjoyable for both riders and their horses. By starting and ending each ride with these simple, easy, and effective fixes, equestrians will happily and efficiently replace old habits with new ones and get out of the riding rut we all find ourselves in at some point in our riding career.

A desperate Jenna struggles to return to normal life, but the knowledge that she is pregnant by Gabrael, the being known in Kamilon as the Kwidatz; is making that readjustment tricky to say the least! Then, whilst working at her school, she receives a visit from a red haired stranger and his white dog and her fragile grip on normality is hurled to the wind, literally. She and her companions are sent flying back into the cold and hostile world of her nightmares to rescue her daughter, who is now being held hostage by an evil force who is bent on devouring Kamilon and all who dwell there. Will she reach Megan before her Nemesis does? Will the Prophesy come true; that her son will save her life? Will she yet again have to surrender her humanity in order to prevail? Who will survive the final battle?

With a fresh approach to a common problem, this self-help guide to overcoming back pain advocates adopting the natural, healthy posture of athletes, young children, and people from traditional societies the world over. Arguing that most of what our culture has taught us about posture is misguided—even unhealthy—and exploring the current epidemic of back pain, many of the commonly cited reasons for the degeneration of spinal discs and the stress on muscles that leads to back pain are examined and debunked. The historical and anthropological roots of poor posture in Western cultures are studied as is the absence of back pain complaints in the cultures of Africa, Asia, South America, and rural Europe. Eight detailed chapters provide illustrated step-by-step instructions for making simple, powerful changes to seated, standing, and sleeping positions. No special equipment or exercise is required, and effects are often immediate.

- ALL-NEW topics provide updates on infectious diseases, including herpesvirus, equine granulocytic anaplasmosis, and lawsonia infection and proliferative enteropathy; pain diagnosis and multimodal management; management of thoracic and airway trauma, imaging, endoscopy, and other diagnostic procedures for the acute abdomen; and neurologic injury. - 212 concise, NEW chapters include both a succinct guide to diagnosis of disorders and a detailed discussion of therapy. - NEW images demonstrate advances in various imaging techniques. - Thoroughly updated drug appendices, including all-new coverage of drug dosages for donkeys and mules, provide a handy, quick reference for the clinical setting.

Drs. Melissa King and Elizabeth Davidson have put together a comprehensive list of topics on the Rehabilitation of the Equine Athlete. Articles include: Principles and Practical Applications of Equine Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy Assessment, Biomechanics of Rehabilitation, Joint Mobilization/Manual Therapy, Hydrotherapy, Advancements in the Rehabilitation of Bone Injuries, Returning to a High Level of Performance Following a Joint Injury, Advancements in the Rehabilitation of Tendon and Ligament Injuries, Rehabilitating Equine Athletes with Muscle Injuries, and more!

Many amputees want to know how it feels to be able to cycle, and some even want to be professional amputee cyclists. The disability market offers many options for amputee cycling. This book shows you how to get started and take those exciting first steps on your way to a higher level of mobility and independence. The contributions in this collection are written by some of the best-known amputee cyclists in the world, including Margaret Biggs, Rajesh Durbal, Mark Inglis, and Keira Roche. Their achievements are nothing short of remarkable—whether cycling around a velodrome at the Paralympics or around the world raising funds for charity. This guide offers great advice from experts and ordinary cyclists alike for arm, leg, combination, and all matters of amputee cycling. The book includes tips not only on the vast arrangement of two wheelers, but also tricycles, recumbents, handbikes, tandems, unicycles, electric bikes, and more specialized cycling forms designed for the disability market. The book offers practical tips and stories, imagery, photographs, and much more to help you or a loved one firmly connect with cycling as an activity that can be done despite a disability.

Humans and horses have been joined for thousands of years, and for much of that time, one thing has served as the primary point of physical contact between them: the saddle. However, for many horses and many riders, the saddle has been no less than a refined means of torture. Horses have long suffered from tree points impeding the movement of their shoulder blades; too narrow gullet channels damaging the muscles and nerves along the vertebrae; and too long panels putting harmful pressure on the reflex point in the loin area. Male riders saddle up despite riding-related pain and the potential for serious side effects, such as impotence, while female riders endure backache, slipped discs, and bladder infections, to name just a few common issues. We must ask ourselves: How much better could we ride and how much better could our horses perform if our saddles fit optimally? If they accommodated the horse’s unique conformation and natural asymmetry? If they were built for the differing anatomy of men and women? The answers to all these questions are right here, right now, in this book.