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.

Situated in the triangle between South Asia, Southeast Asia, and China, Burma is a country of 50 million people struggling under the oppression of one of the world's most brutal military regimes. Yet, the voices of its people remain largely unheard in the international arena. Most of the limited media coverage deals with the non-violent struggle for democracy led by Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi or the Army's repression of university students and urban dissidents, but these only form a small part of the story. This book presents the voices of ethnic Karen villagers to give an idea of what it is like to be a rural villager in Burma: the brutal and constant shifts of forced labor for the Army, the intimidation tactics, the systematic extortion and looting by Army and State authorities, the constant fear of arbitrary arrest, rape, torture, and summary execution, the forced relocation and burning of hundreds of civilian villages and the systematic uprooting of their crops. Three detailed reports produced by the Karen Human Rights Group in 1999 are used to give the reader a sampling of the life of Karen villagers, both in areas where there is armed resistance to the rule of the SPDC junta and in areas where the junta is fully in control. The Karen Human Rights Group is a small and independent local organization which has been using the firsthand testimony of villagers to document the human rights situation in rural Burma since 1992. Much of the group's work can be seen online at www.khrg.org. Kevin Heppner, who contributed the introductory sections of the book, is a Canadian volunteer who founded KHRG in 1992 and still serves as its coordinator. Claudio Delang, who edited this book, has a keen interest in Karen life and customs. He is currently completing a PhD dissertation on the Karen and Hmong in northern Thailand.

Suffered in Silence for years without anyone knowing was hard for this family, trusting, even saying yes too this person always without any question when this person said wire me funds. This family would grab the keys and go too the bank without any question and wire money.

Internationally renowned artist Makoto Fujimura reflects on Shusaku Endo's novel Silence and grapples with the nature of art, pain and culture. Showing that light is yet present in darkness, he uncovers deep layers of meaning in Japanese history and finds connections to how faith is lived in contexts of trauma.

Touching, Uplifting and Inspiring This book is designed for you to feel the hurt, love and witness the struggles of my life. The experience of pain will be felt through my words, but evidence will be seen of strength, endurance and persistence that kept me working and moving toward a path of healing. God was truly the force and strength behind it all. Illustrated will be a consistent pattern of the abuse cycle, and then you'll notice how I slowly came through each relationship with a little more knowledge of abuse and a better understanding of myself. Eventually, I realized the love I searched for all my life had to start inside of me. I had to nourish me with love before I could give or expect it from anyone else. Through my years of suffering in silence, I've learned to break the cycle of abuse and continue to develop SELF-LOVE.

In 2005, Renee Hornbuckle's life took a horrible turn. A wife of a prominent pastor and a national speaker, her husband was indicted of numerous sexual assault and drug related crimes. However, today, Dr. Hornbuckle is NOW sharing her story of how God brought her and her family through this challenging period in their lives, and how she survived domestic violence after seven years of silence.

Painful circumstances may be plaguing your life. You may be struggling with secrets you never thought were possible to break free from; things you feel too embarrassed to share with others, so you choose to keep silent. You may believe that physical, sexual, psychological, bullying or any other tragic abuse is too difficult to discuss. But, pain un-dealt with can cause one to become angry and bitter in life, leading you to become secluded and shut off from others. Private Pain was written to encourage those who may be suffering in silence and feel emotionally paralyzed due to past and present traumas. Holding onto painful secrets might have you grappling with overwhelming discomfort to the point of you feeling hopeless, unlovable, or as if no one understands your pain. Experiencing abusive behaviors or struggling with being bullied can cause you to feel isolated, but you're not alone. It may seem like you are stuck in your situation, but there is hope. Regardless of the obstacles and adversities that you've experienced, you can break free from the pain that has silenced you throughout your life. I hope that this book helps you to recognize that no matter how distraught you may feel or how horrendous the circumstances that you have faced, you are valuable. You are one step closer to experiencing a life of freedom and wholeness.