Dr. Kerry Ridgway is one of the innovators of integrative equine medicine and an internationally-recognized clinician and lecturer. An endurance veterinarian and competitor since 1967, his experience working with endurance horses allowed him to develop the “Cardiac Recovery Index” which is now standard practice internationally. Over the years, in his equine performance practice, Ridgway has found that saddle fit is too often the source of problems leading to performance and behavioral deficits, as well as to back pain and unsoundness. Because so many of the horse’s functional and musculoskeletal problems are associated with improper saddle fit or shoeing, dental problems, or other tack-induced problems, he has developed deep interest in the integration of these factors as part of a “whole horse” approach to solving equine performance issues. It is his philosophy that complementary medicine combines well with conventional medicine to provide the best of both worlds with regard to health maintenance and peak performance potential.
A veterinarian for over 20 years before incorporating the 2000+ year old modality of acupuncture into his equine practice, Dr. Ridgway trained in 1990-1 with The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS). He then completed chiropractic training with the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) and was certified in animal chiropractic by that organization. He is currently an instructor for IVAS, and has served on its board of directors and education committee.
The son of a horseman, Dr. Ridgway graduated from Colorado State University with honors in 1964. In addition to being a doctor of veterinary medicine, Ridgway has a degree in chemistry. He served a total of nine years as the chair of the veterinary advisory committee to the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC). In 1990, he was elected to the AERC Endurance Riding Hall of Fame, for his contributions to the sport. He was a founding member and officer for the “Association for Equine Sports Medicine (AESM),” now a large international association. He continues to teach both nationally and internationally. He is on the faculty of Equinology, INC where he teaches popular courses In saddle fit and farrier science and acupressure. Kerry is truly a teachers’ teacher.
Dr. Ridgway and his wife, Christine Heraud-Ridgway, operated the “EquiSport Center for Therapeutic Options,” in Sonoma County, California, an equine sports medicine rehabilitation practice based principally on acupuncture, chiropractic, and physical therapy modalities, including massage, stretching, microcurrent, laser, muscle-stimulation, therapeutic ultrasound and rehabilitative-therapeutic riding. In September of 2003, they moved their practice, now known as “Equine Therapeutic Options” to Aiken, SC. He has also produced an educational DVD, “Saddle Fitting from A-Z.”
You can learn more from Dr. Kerry Ridgway by visiting http://www.drkerryridgway.com/ which is the link for his “Institute for Equine Therapeutic Options” where he hosts webinars, clinics, seminars, video clips and DVDs, educational articles, virtual online courses and a blog. Visit this link to read Kerry’s very first blog post ever! http://ridgwaydvm.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/74/