Can you ride an impregnated mare?

We rode a pony mare who we didn’t know was preggers until about 3 days before, when she bagged up. We were trying to get weight off her… this was 35 years ago and she arrived preggers. Had a beautiful healthy black foal. I would ride my mare if she was in foal, but gently and mostly hacking to keep her fit and well, and I would certainly stop when she told me to or it became impractical, or reaching 3rd trimester whichever happened first.

I think it’s like humans, if you can take gentle exercise safely and comfortably during pregnancy that’s gotta be a good thing. Mind you I have had precisely zero children so I’m basing this view off my sister’s experience!
 
Yes and no it really depends on the mare. In early stages you are at risk of a mare miscarrying and many vets say a mare shouldn’t be ridden for the fist months as it the highest risk. in mid to late pregnancy is the tack fitting is the biggest concern. To be honest I don’t know why these people breed their mare if they are not willing to give up ridding ( excluding surprised foal) majority of broodmares are retired horse.
 
Lexi 123 said:
To be honest I don’t know why these people breed their mare if they are not willing to give up ridding ( excluding surprised foal) majority of broodmares are retired horse.
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I don't think that's necessarily true - plenty of private owners will have a foal from a particularly nice mare, and we have a stud local to us that rides their mares when they're not in foal.
 
Years ago, I bought a nice 5yr old mare off some travellers. She was a BOGOF.
Nice skewbald colt foal appeared in due course.
After weaning, I gifted him to a friend who had just lost her beloved old Thoroughbred boy. They did very well together.
 
My friend competed in a show jumping class one evening and her mare dropped an unexpected foal the next morning. At first they thought the mare had pinched the foal from another mare that they had realised was in foal (bought from the same dealer a week later). The second mare foaled that afternoon.
 
Our vet always recommended keeping a mare in work for a good chunk of the pregnancy, as a fit, healthy and well muscled mare should foal easier and recover quicker than an unfit, fat one.

Most I’ve known let you know when they’re starting to get uncomfortable with it.

Farm horse mares used to work up until a few weeks before and then go back into harness with the foal at foot.
 
Years ago, the riding school I went to bought a mare who was a BOGOF. She showed no signs at all (hardly any belly) and was being worked quite hard right up until she started bagging up a few days before giving birth about 5 months after she arrived. She and the foal were absolutely fine, although she was a totally different horse after the foal was weaned and she came back into work. The quiet riding school type was actually very strong and forwards when she wasn't heavily in foal and wasn't very suitable for the riding school after all. I do sometimes wonder if the sellers knew that and seized an opportunity to get rid while she was quiet.
 
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My mare is 7 months and still very much enjoying a ride 2/3 times a week. She isn’t a broodmare, she was very fit and competing at the time of AI. She slowed down considerably for 30 days after AI to reduce any stress and risk of slipping the foal. She then built up to absolutely normal levels of work (avoiding anything NEW) until she was 5.5/6m and then since she has slowed down gradually to a little hack/school, ground work etc. we have limited winter turn out and as she is an active competition horse my main reason for keeping her ticking over is for her own sanity/enrichment! Also as mentioned a horse that has good muscle tone and not overweight has a safer delivery. My vet was out yesterday and has said she is in fantastic condition. I’ll ride her until one of the following A) she just doesn’t want me to B) if her saddle starts to not fit her C) we get to good weather for total turn out and she can get her daily exercise in the field all day.

There will be lots of different theories on if and how much riding should happen - I’m just going with what my mare wants and needs under the close care and advice with an excellent repro vet.
 
HappyHackerK8 said:
My mare is 7 months and still very much enjoying a ride 2/3 times a week. She isn’t a broodmare, she was very fit and competing at the time of AI. She slowed down considerably for 30 days after AI to reduce any stress and risk of slipping the foal. She then built up to absolutely normal levels of work (avoiding anything NEW) until she was 5.5/6m and then since she has slowed down gradually to a little hack/school, ground work etc. we have limited winter turn out and as she is an active competition horse my main reason for keeping her ticking over is for her own sanity/enrichment! Also as mentioned a horse that has good muscle tone and not overweight has a safer delivery. My vet was out yesterday and has said she is in fantastic condition. I’ll ride her until one of the following A) she just doesn’t want me to B) if her saddle starts to not fit her C) we get to good weather for total turn out and she can get her daily exercise in the field all day.

There will be lots of different theories on if and how much riding should happen - I’m just going with what my mare wants and needs under the close care and advice with an excellent repro vet.
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That sounds like a good idea, keeping a horse fit is vital especially during pregnancy :)
 
Annagain said:
Years ago, the riding school I went to bought a mare who was a BOGOF. She showed no signs at all (hardly any belly) and was being worked quite hard right up until she started bagging up a few days before giving birth about 5 months after she arrived. She and the foal were absolutely fine, although she was a totally different horse after the foal was weaned and she came back into work. The quiet riding school type was actually very strong and forwards when she wasn't heavily in foal and wasn't very suitable for the riding school after all. I do sometimes wonder if the sellers knew that and seized an opportunity to get rid while she was quiet.
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My friend has a similar situation, unknowingly sold a quiet BOGOFF, rode until she noticed she'd bagged up 2 weeks before she foaled. Mare had the foal, and once she came back into work once foal was weaned and all done and dusted she wasn't the quiet mare she was sold as!
 
I rode my mare until two months before the foal was due and walked her out in hand daily once I stopped riding. The vet recommended that she was kept fit as foaling would be easier. She did have a text book foaling and I was back riding her eight weeks after the foal was born, originally in the field with the foal alongside for a week or two then out for short hacks while the foal was left with another mare she was stabled next to. Worked out fine.
 
The first horse I bought was pregnant. I jumped, hacked and schooled her, and even put her on a diet a she was gaining weight. It was 2 months before the foal was born that I realised she was pregnant. I stopped riding as soon as I found out.
 
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