Early pregnancy and riding

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Fetlock12345

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I know this topic has been covered quite a bit in the past but I'd really appreciate people's own experiences.

I have just found out I'm 5weeks pregnant with my first child. Before I conceived, I had originally been planning on trying to hack my old horse for as long as possible throughout the pregnancy and stopping riding my younger horse as soon as I started to feel unsafe/unwell.

I'm due to compete this weekend (BD) and am now in a quandary as I can't decide if I feel well enough or not to go. At the moment I seem to be switching between feeling slightly weak/lightheaded/nauseous and feeling absolutely fine and not pregnant! Had a cracking couple of rides the other day when it was very hot but shorty afterwards I felt exhausted and I put this down to the heat, but now I'm wondering if I'm silly to be thinking of competing.

I'm aware of the risks to the baby if I were to fall, and I accept that different mums-to-be will have different opinions on whether it is ever safe to ride, so I'm not looking for a debate on whether it is safe to ever ride when pregnant. However I'd appreciate hearing from people who have been through pregnancy and can advise whether they felt well enough to compete or not? If you did compete, did you find it exhausting and regret your decision? I wouldn't be driving the lorry (my husband would), but it would be a 1.5hr drive each way and horse isn't the easiest to handle when loading etc, so it won't be a super quick trip out!

If you did cancel your competitions how did you disguise it from your trainer/liveries/friends/family? I don't want to tell anyone that I'm pregnant this early on and I don't know how to tell them if I decide not to go competing without them being suspicious (horse has been going really well and they know I was excited to be taking him out!). I have him on full livery so I can't just say he's lame/not right as the staff ride him too and will know that's not the case.
 
See how you feel on the day and w/d if you don't feel able to compete. Doesn't matter if you w/d when you get there does it?

Difficult to give a precise answer as everyone is different. I had a very easy pregnancy - so much so that I didn't realise I was pregnant until about 9 weeks. I rode and competed until I was about 5/6 months but forgot dressage tests and got the giggles a lot.

If you don't want people to know, then invent an invisible injury.
 
I was out of the competition period for the early part of my first pregnancy but I did go to my trainer's yard for lessons. For the first couple of months this was perfectly fine but then I started feeling more and more nauseous and as the bump grew I was less and less effective in my riding so the whole thing was a waste of time. I stopped sooner with my second as I was even more nauseous, even sooner.


Why don't you see how it goes? Do what you feel able to do, take a lot of breaks and let someone else deal with loading your horse if he is likely to play up.

Congratulations!
 
Congratulations!

I stopped riding as soon as I knew I was pregnant, but it was an easy decision for me. My mare was also pregnant and we were just pottering about, so seemed best to just stop.

I felt (still do) incredibly ill throughout, so riding wouldn't have been possible for me. Some days I couldn't even get out of bed. The tiredness is indescribable and I was throwing up constantly.

In your position I would take each day as it comes. The sooner you admit to yourself that you don't feel 100% the sooner you'll stop feeling guilty about not being able to do what you could do before.

I'm 26 weeks now and I struggle to bend down and carry water buckets. I was determined to continue 'this pregnancy won't stop me' attitude, but in reality, it does knacker you out and you do have to look after yourself.
 
Thanks all. We are very excited if utterly terrified!

I had thought about going at the weekend and seeing how I felt and playing it by ear but I'm a bit worried about doing it as my husband is completely non-horsey and the horse is very quirky to load and I seem to be the only one that can get him on the lorry (other people have tried to help in the past and it just makes him worse) so in worried if I'm utterly exhausted after riding him and he plays up to load it might not be fun! We also have a family member coming along with us and if I suddenly withdraw at last minute on the day she will definitely be suspicious! Think I'll need to make decision tomorrow and if necessary invent a human injury!

I'm just finding it difficult to work out how I feel at the moment as one minute I feel absolutely fine and then the next minute I feel dreadful! I've only known for a few days so it's difficult to work out what normal is going to be! I have heard so many stories of people riding into late into their pregnancy (including mere amateurs like me and not just Mary King!) and feel like I'm failing if I give up so early! I also can't imagine not riding for 9months!!!!
 
Congratulations! I am 39 weeks at the moment and stopped riding around 4 months, I was so sick at the beginning it was hard with the motion of riding and I found myself hating the feeling of my stomach pressing down (ie getting off!) my partner was also not happy about me riding and I respected that and stopped, if something had have happened I would never have forgiven myself! I understand a lot of women carry on but it wasn't right for me and my situation and only you and your partner can decide what the right thing is to do.

I like you couldn't imagine not riding, I was competing and riding quite a few horses for other people but you do adjust, I have had someone ride my horse and paid a pro weekly which is the highlight of each week to watch for me! even today had him out and sat in awe of how wonderful a job he does with her. I also judge and have been weekly up to this week which gives me a massive dressage fix each week plus teaching still although I have stopped that as of this week also. I also taught my horse to long rein while I haven't been riding and taken her on little hacks and she pulls me along which helps keep me active and the swelling down!!
 
EQUIDAE said:
Stay away from electric fences - I miscarried after being shocked by a mains fence: (
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear this :(

OP I had a jumping lesson at 6 weeks, and I think competed in combined training the week after. I rode until about 7-8 months and I was doing walk rehab with my pretty trustworthy horse, he started to be an idiot so I stopped riding. But I felt fine the whole way, no sickness,actually didn't feel pregnant at all, and only got a noticeable bump by about 26 weeks, so we are all different. Do what you feel like.

Pregnancy bit back in the end though, I got pre eclampsia at 36 weeks and I was literally full of fluid, I had elephant legs lol
 
I was happily doing lessons and a dressage training test up to 16 weeks but had no nausea etc. and felt fine. Went skiing at 12 weeks which was also great but am well aware that physically I was lucky not to be feeling ill.

I took the view that miscarriage is statistically not unlikely in the 1st 3 months regardless of what I did so considered myself "late" rather than pregnant until 8 weeks at least. I know this approach is not right for everyone but worked for me.

DH was also happy about that approach which was important!
 
Do whatever you feel comfortable with, you're pregnant not ill!!
I had twins 3 years ago and had a really rough pregnancy with it. I was sick right up to 28 weeks and constantly exhausted with it but I didn't let it stop me having fun.
I went to a RC show when I was 8 weeks pregnant, drove and did 3 classes and had a great day but I slept like a log as soon as I got home. I then took a friend's pony to camp the following week (my horse went lame the night before) and that was the last time I jumped solid fences.
I continued jumping until 20 weeks so I could do the championships I'd qualified for (only at a little height) and rode up until I went on mat leave at 34 weeks although I stopped hacking around 20 weeks too so it was only arena and fields in the later stages.
The thing for me was that I knew I would struggle to get out as much once they arrived so I took every chance I could while pregnant. Somehow I managed to get out to my first competition back (just a dressage test locally) when the twins were 10 weeks old.
 
Thanks everyone - you're an inspiring lot! Really impressed with how you've all managed to carry on riding (sometimes until quite late in the pregnancy)!

I'm also amazed how many of you have felt so well throughout as most of the people I know who have already been pregnant had a rough time with it, so had got me worried about how I was going to feel. I've also definitely not felt well the last few days - struggling to eat and feeling light headed which would make it difficult to ride, so for the moment I've decided to take a break.

Going to see how I feel and play it by ear. I would definitely like to get back on my old boy once i feel less sick so I can enjoy some hacking in the sunshine.
 
I'm another one who felt well throughout OP, and was lucky enough to be able to ride in the school until about 15 weeks, and hack until 30 weeks. Hubby was happy for me to stop at this stage, and became an expert at ride & lead off his mare..

Just play it by ear, and see how you feel in a week or so..

Fiona
 
I fell pregnant rather sooner than expected in November and was still producing my 5yo, so that was an incentive to keep riding over winter! I did feel sick early on, but it only lasted a couple of weeks and eating lots of fruit seemed to help (being hungry made it 10 times worse). Other than that i felt fine riding, although stopped riding my older horse at around 17 weeks once I felt my core muscles were starting to get compromised, as he can be a bit of a tit, and as he is massive I am reliant on core strength to keep me in the plate!

My little mare I carried on riding and competing, and but at around 20 / 22 weeks I started to feel uncomfortable during a polework lesson as the baby was sitting very low, so it was after this I advertised her for sale. By the time she went I felt ready to stop riding as was having some pelvic pain too. Seems everyone is different, just have to play by ear and see how you feel. Other than that I've not had any aches n pains, just think my pelvis has taken a battering over the years with a few falls!
 
I rode properly to 26 weeks with my first and was still plodding around at 35 weeks. With my second child I gave up riding totally at 12 weeks but I fell off at 6 weeks (no one's fault, one of those things) and I couldn't quite relax after that.
I was back riding 3 weeks after the first and 2 weeks after the second.
Good luck with your pregnancy and enjoy it, it's a very special time :).
 
Hi! Firstly congratulations :)
I'd say the best way to approach riding during pregnancy is to not set anything in stone and just play things by ear. It's a bit maddening if you want to plan things such as lessons or competitions but as you know, you just can't predict how you're going to be!
For me, I really wanted to keep riding certainly in the early days, as my horse needs the work and I'm naturally a very active person so can't bear the thought of not being able to keep at least some of my normal routine! I'm now almost at 24 weeks and still hacking out in quiet places once or twice a week in walk with the very occasional trot. I hadn't planned to be riding now, I just decided to take things one day at a time and not set a specific point to stop until the time felt right. However....Due to the growing bump, my body protector isn't going to fit for that much longer and I know once this dreaded day comes I will stop altogether and either long rein or someone else will ride him for me a little bit.
My husband wasn't thrilled to start with because of my horse's past behaviour (not a problem now can I add!) but I promised to be very cautious and have deliberately avoided doing any new things with my horse or putting him in potentially spooky situations, hubby did come around after this which was great as I would have had to stop otherwise! Most people that know I'm still riding have been very positive and supportive - including the midwives, unsurprisingly there have been a couple of people who have made their disapproval known but at the end of the day the responsibility is yours and yours alone. If at any time you feel you should or shouldn't be doing something then that's a good indicator rather than what others tell you (unless they're a medical professional!).
Some compromises I've made are that I've taught my boy to let me dismount by swinging my right leg up over his neck and then sliding off facing out from him, either that or I hold my weight off my tummy as I dismount to avoid putting too much pressure on bump (it just feels wrong!) and I would definitely not jump or canter, also if at any time I feel he is unsettled or worried I'm ready to hop off and lead him just in case - I'd rather be safe than sorry. You can't ever remove the risk completely, but my feeling is that you could also have a car accident or fall, or something could happen while you are handling your horse on the ground, or sometimes sadly a pregnancy can end of its own accord. It's a personal choice at the end of the day and as long as you are aware of and accept the danger, it's your (and also somewhat your partner's) decision. I do know some people who immediately gave up riding as soon as they found out they were expecting, everyone is different! It's great to hear other people's experiences too.
I hope you have found a happy balance to suit you, your baby and your horse :) good luck with everything!!
 
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