Dose any1 have very young children and horses???

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keekee

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I am expecting in 8weeks and am desperate to get back on i know it wont be for a few weeks after birth but im not lucky enough to have alot of help as we,ve just moved away from most the family and my husband works away so i just wondered how most people manage with exercising and being good mummys x
 
my dad would take us with him, hed put us in a buggy and wed sit there while he rode 8/9 horses in the arena..... when we got a bit older 3/4 we started riding some of the polo ponies (15.2hh) and so we would go on hacks with him... he got us on horses very early so that he could be with us etc. but keep the horses going...
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when we were starting to walk, we would just sit on the yard, lots of people were about to check up on us and wed sit there with colouring books and some biscuits to keep us happy for a couple of hours....
 
Hi, we have one 4 year old little angel (well most of the time) and 9 horses here at the mo! It is possible to do it all! You just need to find routines that suit you.!
 
and make sure your baby is tired when you go up to the yard and as suggested make a routine, so he/she knows that it shuold go to sleep and then once youve finished you do something fun with her/him, so that they get the idea
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... it can be done... my dad managed with 15 horses and 2 kids... although mum was around she was erm... doing jack all lol... but yeah we prefered being out and about...!
 
Just prepare yourself for things to take longer.
I muck out with by 2 and a half year old every weekday and she insists on doing the sweeping and shovelling after I have picked up the most of it.
If I was on my own, I'd be done within the hour, at the moment, we're down there just over 2 hours in the morning.
 
Firstly congratulations!
I would add is that for every person who says they managed and it never interfered with riding etc, there will be many others that struggled and found the horses took a back seat.
For myself, I thought I would sail through it by being organised and it didn't work. I got stressed by trying to do it all but found the riding took months before I could get back to it cos anytime I had during naps etc was filled with basic horsecare, mucking out etc.
So, if you can work it, and OH does his fair share of babying then great, but if you struggle, then please remember, horses will be there for years to come, but a baby is only small for a very short time so please enjoy it!
 
My daughter is 6 now, but I remember having her didnt effect my life hardly at all, I was only looking after a pony at the time, and had 2 dogs, but I was working at a yard mucking out stables. A lot depends on your birth, mine was very good and I was back doing my running on day 4 after birth, I was up and about doing pony and walking dogs the day after fine, just stuck baby in her stroller or in the baby sling and off we would go, I hate sitting around so the thought of sitting at home with a baby day in day out would have drove me mad. I do remember when shen was about 1 yr old and being mobile was a bit of pain, doing the horses and her keep wandering off.
 
I have a 3 year old and I'm currently pregnant with my 2nd
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I got back in the saddle 10 days after the birth of my son and was competing again 3 weeks later, my husband works away a lot and I have no family around here, but I managed just fine.
When my son was a baby I just used to park him at the side of the menage in his buggy and rode whilst he slept. I breastfed as well so if he did wake up hungry I just used to hop off, whip out a boob and feed him sat on the mounting block
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No messing about with bottles here!! lol
I poo picked my fields and mucked out with him in a baby sling...which he used to love
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I kept some essentials - clean clothes, nappies, wipes, changing mat, toys in a storage box in my tack room so I always had stuff to hand.
My first competition my husband was on call so I paid a 'babysitter' to come with me to the show. She looked after my baby whilst I rode (it helps if you do use someone like this if they are horsey so they can also hold horses, help with tack etc)
As he has got older my son just 'helps' me. As quirky said just expect everything to take twice as long
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but my son loves it, he now has his own pony and must be the only 3 year old at his nursery who has phrases such as 'working canter at c' in his vocabulary
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Hey,
I've got a 11 month old that comes up the yard with me and she has done ever since she was about 4 months old. I dont have the time for a horse full time, Im putting my horse out on part loan. However I did manage it, its just a personal choice.
I find it works for me, luckily I've got my mum up the yard with her horse as well, and a very supportive partner.
 
Ahh congratulations, Good luck to you, some very good advice given already,
I have a very BUSY little boy who will be 2 on friday, unfortunatly he is a little screamer and I was never able to put him in his buggy whilst I rode in the menage, I have no family around as my mum and mother in law died while I was 6 months pregnant, I do have a very supportive partner but I understand that he also needs to have his freetime aswell.
(So I get him to muck outsome nights lol)

No seriously I have found it hard but <font color="red"> </font> , I managed to go to shows pretty much every weekend, It really does help if you have got a horsey friend about that can help ride or just watch baby whilst you go in class. because all the other time at the show you will actually will be taking care of the baby

And please do not feel like you are a bad mum for enjoying doing things with your horse. hundreds of new mums go through this... you horses are your babies aswell !!!
( A Baby also has to fit in to your life/routine)

My boy loves to stick his hands in sugar beet. its amazing how long things will take but also how quick you can get things done when you have to run to the muck heap and back before they start eating sugar beet,

As long as they are safe then dont worry, a good bath afterwards is great for us both.
 
I have a 3 year old and I really really struggled the first year. I was ill a lot, and my horse was ill too. Fortunately for the first year I only had 1 of my horses. I remember in my worst moments trying to give my beloved horse to various friends! I feel that now my son is 3 1/2 I am finally coming out of the other side and things are getting slightly easier. I was never able to ride like some people can putting their baby in the pram in the corner of the arena as my son would scream as well. I dont get to ride very much unless i haul myself out of bed at 5am and am home before 7.30 am so my husband can go to work. I dont have family near by and my husband works full time and long hours to support us all and my two horses so its all on me to work out how to do it all.

The one thing thats made it easier on me is another girl on the yard having a baby at the same time. We can put them together now and they will play whilst we muck out, and also we can take them out on their ponies for a lead rein hack. I think my son would be lots less happy to go to the stables if he did not have someone to play with.

The other thing that makes it possible is that I am at a very laid back DIY livery yard, and the farmer built 4 new stables behind the farm house away from the main yard, so me and the other mother with a toddler are away from everyone else. Because toddlers and prams and horses really really dont mix. They never seem to understand about not running behind horse's back ends etc. I dont think I would have coped at all if I was on a busy normal yard with lots of other people.

Good luck. The early months will actually be easier as you can drive to the yard, baby will fall asleep then you can put them somewhere safe whilst you quickly do your stable. Be prepared to feel guilty whatever you do though - if you are not feeling guilty for not singing "wheels on the bus" at toddler group whilst you are waiting for the farrier at the stables you will be feeling guilty for sitting at some baby music class whilst realising that you have not bathed your horse all summer...

Cassandra
 
Hi
I have an 11 week old boy. I had to have my gelding PTS just before I had my son, and purchased another horse when he was 5 weeks old. I swear by the Gina Ford routine (Contented little baby book). He has a 45 min nap in the morning &amp; I use this time to muck out &amp; sort the yard &amp; horses out while he sleeps. He also has a nap that ties in with when I get to the yard to bring the horses in for the night, &amp; I use this time to get the horses in. I keep a musical swing chair up the yard that he can play in or nap in while I ride in the menage. Hacking out takes a bit more organising &amp; I need to make sure my hubby has him for an hour or two.
It can work- just get yourself into an early routine with the baby so you know where you are. You do always feel like you need more hours in the day, but its much better than being bored!
I do have my own yard, which makes things easier in that I can do as I please, however the fact that there are lots of people around on a livery yard would probably be a great help.
I would say though, that you will need help in the first few weeks to look after the horse as I found I was exhausted &amp; depressed in the first 2 weeks. After this, things were fine.
Good luck!
 
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