Horse-drawn buggies or wagons and other animal-drawn carriages have been used by the Plain Communities as the primary means of transportation for generations. Equestrian sports and tourism business enterprises have also increased the number of horse-drawn carriages on streets and highways.

Approximately 52.2 million, or more than 1 in 5 Americans, suffer from arthritis. This chronic disease is more prevalent among farmers. A survey of Virginia farmers revealed that about 30 percent of the respondents have been diagnosed with arthritis.

The goal of this publication is to introduce readers to the Assistive Technologies (ATs) used in agriculture and to the steps involved in the design of a successful AT system. This publication also discusses both common and operation-specific AT systems used in agriculture and how they influence secondary injuries, and it provides lists of agencies and resources that can help farmers and ranchers with the implementation of ATs.

The intent of this fact sheet is to reduce the number of secondary injuries by familiarizing the readers with secondary injuries and the steps they can adopt to minimize them. In addition to identifying common secondary injuries and the most vulnerable groups, the publication discusses steps that can be taken to prevent such injuries. The fact sheet also provides a list of agencies that farmers can contact for assistance when they experience secondary injuries.

Machines; no farm or ranch can function without them. They save valuable time and are essential to agricultural productivity. They also represent an ever-present danger to the people who operate them. There are a host of hazards that makes agricultural machinery the leading cause of injury and death on American farms and ranches.