Do you know what to do if you fall from your horse?
In Surviving the Unexpected, Lindsay Nylund provides a practical guide to fall safety training for riders of all disciplines--professional, amateur, young and old.
Lindsay, a former Olympic gymnast and coach of many national champions, has qualifications in fitness, training, physical education and human resource management. The techniques and skills have been developed in consultation with doctors, scientists and industry professionals and refined by training conducted with over 400 riders across many disciplines. In clear and straight forward language this book includes:
- Theory, science and fall safety training methods
- A single initial emergency response action for all fall incidents
- The learning progression for basic and advanced fall safety skills
- Simple and advanced fall simulation activities
- Pre-ride warm-up and safety routines
- A fall safety instructor guide
- A rider self-help guide with over 10 activities that can be self-taught
Seven days after attending Lindsay's fall safety seminar, I hit the deck at top speed. I was I was thrown sideways/forwards at a flat gallop and as I left the saddle I recalled the simple instructions 'let go of your reins and get your arms up'. I landed on my arm/elbow/shoulder, rolled a couple of times then stood up and walked away. I am sure this basic instruction saved me from a much nastier result. Fall safety training could save your neck or your life.
-Jeremy Bayard, polo player
Industry Reviews
I have known Lindsay Nylund from his successful gymnastic career where he represented Australia at the World Championships and the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. His dedication, drive, talent and knowledge elevated him to the pinnacle of gymnastics, winning the first ever international medal in gymnastics for Australia-a silver medal in the men's all-around competition at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada. As national coach at the time, I had the pleasure to be coach of this team, which won a bronze medal. Many years have passed since that historic time for gymnastics in Australia and, after meeting recently, I was not surprised to see him taking on this current challenge. Lindsay's knowledge and technical expertise, thorough approach to training, and compelling logic can provide incredible safety benefits to horse riders. This book and the system of training includes a review of research and is based on sound scientific principles and training methods. The feedback I have seen from training sessions gives me great confidence that it will equip riders with life-saving skills that can significantly reduce the risk of catastrophic injury should they fall from their horse. I commend this book and the acceptance of the need to undertake fall safety training to all riders, and to organisations and individuals who are responsible for rider safety. Every rider who learns the skills will be empowered to feel safer, be far better prepared, and minimise their risk of serious injury in a fall. Barry Cheales Olympic Gymnast Former National Coach Order of Australia Medal From 2008 to 2013, I was National Medical Officer for the Australian Racing Board and during this time I was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to study improvements in international health protection standards for jockeys in the UK, Ireland, France and Germany, and recommend improvements to Australian standards. More can be done to improve jockey and rider health and safety and this includes learning fall safety skills. As an injury countermeasure, fall safety training is being taken seriously in a number of the countries that I visited. It is a known industry problem that the majority of injuries are a result of riders falling from their horse. It is wonderful that Lindsay has crystallised the training methods and skills in this book, which provides a practical and effective solution to reduce injury risk. Riders who learn these skills from a young age-in particular pony club riders, those doing higher risk equestrian activities such as jumps, and apprentice jockeys-can benefit significantly from the training and the associated muscle memory. I recommend this book to all horse riders and industry professionals. Dr Caron Jander MBBCh, MPhil (Sports Med), FAFOEM, FACSM, FACAsM Consultant Occupational Physician Former National Medical Officer, Australian Racing Board
