I know it's been done before but riding/owning horses while pregnant?

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Sarah1

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Hi guys
Please can you all give me your experiences of riding/owning horses while pregnant?
What are yout thoughts on riding while pregnant & how have you fitted your baby into your life with horses?
Thanks
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Rode whilst pregnant with both of mine but confined myself to the school for the last couple of weeks as people were having collective nervous breakdowns about me hacking on my own.

Started again after my six week check as I promised OH I wouldn't ride before it and it only seemed fair if it kept him happy.
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Rode up to the week I was due with the first but had to stop about 4 weeks before with the second as the bump was lower and bigger and I was actually uncomfortable in the saddle. Still mucked out, lunged etc though.

However! I think it is a very personal choice, only you know if it feels ok. I would never suggest that because one person did whatever whilst pregnant another can.
 
I am still riding my 15hh coblet, George, but will soon stop as I think I'll get far too heavy for him. I would be riding my 17.3hh if it wasn't for the fact that he (brilliantly timed
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) went lame and is awaiting an op for OCD/possible meniscal tear and will probably never be ridden again... may even have to be PTS.

As for owning: my husband is also horsey, so he helps out a lot; and when they baby is here, I fully intend to do as much as I always have and to still go on and get another horse if Lanky is PTS, because I need a life as well!
 
have 6yr old daughter 10 month old son and currently preg now. i know glutted for punishment!

i have a 16.3hh DWB and I'm still riding! ill stop when i can no longer get my leg over and steer! and start lunging.

My kids love trips to the yard Nicolai sits in his buggy watching Ben in his stable probably thinking what a big doggy he is and my6 yr old fills hay nets cleans out buckets.

Riding i do myself when kids aren't there as i wont leave them on yard obv! but i do not find it hard working the 2 unless kids ill then i go up there when they in bed and sort him out
its doable in all respects OK poo picking takes me hours as well my bump with son was huge! but he was a 9lbs baby lol
 
Thanks for your replies guys - please everyone keep your opinions/experiences coming!
It's not something that's an issue as of yet but maybe soon...
 
My son (who is now 4) I rode until I was 30 weeks and I had to stop then as my bump got too big and I had put on too much weight for my boy. I hacked, schooled and did some jumping (when I didn't really have a bump) I continued to do dressage competitions and a couple of small novice SJ classes HC. When I stopped riding I kept my boy going with lunging once a week, a friend hacking him out once/twice a week and my trainer schooling him once a week.
10 days after the birth of my 9lb son I was back in the saddle. 2 weeks after that I went to my first competition.
My son was exclusively breast fed so I just used to park him in his buggy by the menage whilst I rode.....if he needed a feed when I was riding I just used to hop off, feed him whilst sat on the mounting block then get back on again!
My horse is on DIY and other than friends helping out occaisonally I do everything my self. My son comes with me and 'helps'. He loves horses, clambers all over my TB and rides him (horsey is a complete angel with him and will even go in a nice outline for him
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) He also now has his own pony. When I school my son 'teaches' me and we often laugh that he must be the only child in his nursery who says things like "circle at C, mummy"
He is also very useful at rebuilding knocked down jumps
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I am currently pregnant again with my second
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Again I am still riding although due to the season starting to wind down I'm not competing or jumping. I don't seem to be putting on as much weight this time (I am still running as well) so hopefully I will be able to keep riding for longer. I fully intend to get back in the saddle ans carry on as before, in fact at the start of next year I'm hoping to buy myself a new eventer!

Yesterday I treated myself to as this shavings fork as mucking out with a big bump can be tricky and hopefully this will make thinks easier.
When I get a big bump I continue to wear my ordinary jods I just keep them undone and attach them at the front with a tied piece of elastic (I will try and take a pic and post it to show what I mean) then over the top of this I use a bump band [url="http://www.bumpband.co.uk/"]http://www.bumpband.co.uk/
When the baby is born I keep a box of essentials in my tack room. This includes a changing mat, wipes, nappies (I use cloth nappies), muslins, spare set of clothes, spare coat/snow suit - you can guarantee the time you are nipping up to the stable to do something baby will do a poo/ projectile vomit
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It also means that I can literally shoot to the stables and ride etc without having to worry about lugging all of the associated baby stuff with me
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Oh and if you do intend to ride whilst baby is sleeping in their buggy I like these http://morrck.com/department/baby_hoodie/?final=baby-hoodies&gclid=CM-oiKCb0JwCFaAA4wodzyM8JQ
 
i'm about to pop... with my third. i didn't ride with my first two... but rode until 7months with this one, as trust my horse.
however, i didn't ride for first few weeks of pregnancy as i was bleeding, so tried not to do anything at all.

i stopped riding when my weight made it uncomfy. mounting/dismounting became comical... and also my imbalance caused Raff to trip out on a hack and i nearly came off.

i didn't jump during pregnancy... but that's cos i have a tendency to jump the jump without the horse...

poopicking, mucking out, even just leading them in from the field is getting a bit hard now... but do-able. to be honest, getting out of bed for a wee is pretty damn hard at the moment... i'm lucky cos my OH poo picks for me, and does all the heavy stuff (water buckets, huge haynets etc). but, when he's not around, i cope ok.

babies and horses work well... small babies sleep a lot. and can sleep in their pram whilst you do yard chores, ride in school etc. toddlers aren't quite as easy. we've ended up getting my 2yr old a shetland to 'do' whilst we're at the yard otherwise he has a tendency to run around the bigger horse's legs... however, saying that, ours are on livery at the moment. we're moving (in about two weeks) to our new house, which will have land etc so we're having the horses at home... which will make life SOOOO much easier. kids nap for a few hours in the afternoon... so i will plug in the baby monitor and get all yard duties done whilst they're sleeping.

simples....? i hope!

oh, and you get the excuse to buy a shetland and do cute little leadrein classes..... x
 
i found that i could ride ok, positively enjoyed it,but once baby came i was so tired i found the horse care difficult. As i was married to a farmer I just turned the horse out 24/7 with the sheep.
If you have help and dont mind leaving baby with a relative or friend then you can get on doing the horse, but i found organising all thi difficult, i couldnt ride on a whim as i was used to and didnt like leaving the bay TBH. When he went to school I got back riding.
 
I rode up until 8 months pregnant, by this time I was struggling get on and off!

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However! I think it is a very personal choice, only you know if it feels ok. I would never suggest that because one person did whatever whilst pregnant another can.

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Agree with this
 
I'm pregnant with my first 33 days to go hurray! Sopped riding at 27 weeks as found trot uncomfy and wasn't schooling effectively enough to make it worth it. I was gutted but we relocated and I was only getting over at weekends because of work and that spelled the end really, I reckon if I'd still ridden daily I'd have carried on a little longer. Still lunging mucking out etc now but have a sharer for Len thats riding 3 times a week and competing most months, this will continue after the baby comes to so I have had to compromise but some riding is better than none. Len is also on part livery and is done Monday to Friday so I will just have to go up and ride in the week while OH is a work, we have no local family or childcare so will be a juggle but keeping him at all is just fantastic so I won't complain.
 
I'm 18 weeks and still riding. Concessions have been: no more cantering out hacking in case she gets spooked (we have some vicious grass around our way that terrifies her), and no jumping. Yard owner has banned me from carrying anything heavy and from truning out or cathcing 2 at once. I did my last show at 16 1/2 weeks largely because I'm bursting out of my jacket and have gone up 4 inches in the waist of my breeches. Still schooling and hacking and have said I'll give up when I want to. Really lucky - yard owner is taking her on until I want her back, which will give me a chance to decide if I can have her back or if I can't. Can't see how I'll know until I have a baby and try to make it work, and it must depend so much on whether you get one that's content to co-operate or one that isn't! No family nearby. OH will help but will be at work so am going to be limited.

Can we keep this one going please - think I need the support!
 
With my first I had two horses on DIY and was working full time in London! Carried on riding until about 3 weeks before due date when getting on and off became too uncomfortable
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. Carried on looking after both until the day I went into hospital to be induced, due date +10.
Both horses went on full livery for about 3 weeks after and didn't ride until my 6 week check.
As the yard is not far from home I tended to go v early before my husband left for work so that I didn't have to take baby with me (still do this now and oldest is 7). Then would either go back in the afternoon with baby or wait for hubby to come home.

By the time I was pregnant with 2nd I was down to one horse as I didn't have time to exercise both. I rode up until about 7 months but then became too uncomfortable (was bigger 2nd time around!) Still continued to do him myself until the day I went in to be induced, due date+11.
Horse on full livery for a week then back to DIY, rode again 2 weeks later.

As others have said it was fine for me but everyone is different so only you can decide whether to ride/ how long for etc.
 
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I'm pregnant with my first 33 days to go hurray! Sopped riding at 27 weeks as found trot uncomfy and wasn't schooling effectively enough to make it worth it. I was gutted but we relocated and I was only getting over at weekends because of work and that spelled the end really, I reckon if I'd still ridden daily I'd have carried on a little longer. Still lunging mucking out etc now but have a sharer for Len thats riding 3 times a week and competing most months, this will continue after the baby comes to so I have had to compromise but some riding is better than none. Len is also on part livery and is done Monday to Friday so I will just have to go up and ride in the week while OH is a work, we have no local family or childcare so will be a juggle but keeping him at all is just fantastic so I won't complain.

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Good luck! I have 35 days to go with no2. So pleased you can keep your gg, mine is out on loan and has been since I was pg with no1. Cant wait to get riding again in a few months!
 
I carried on riding until 30 weeks or so, after that my hips and pelvis were too uncomfy, plus I couldnt get off very well!, no cantering on hacks or jumping, because I usualy end up doing involuntary dismounts. I only rode about 1 or 2 times a week because I was soooo tired.

Carried on doing all the 'jobs' but at a slower speed and with slightly reduced loads until the bitter end 40 weeks +14 days! Bending over became tricky towards the end because I had terrible heartburn. My 4 were turned out 24/7 which made life much easier, the neighbours kept tutting at me wheelbarrowing bales of hay out to them. I was very lucky that I also have a 17 year old daughter who was able to do lots and keep my mare ticking over.

I carried on doing 'jobs' as soon as I was out of hospital and back riding at about 4/5 weeks, however I am still only riding about 2 times a week as I will only ride when OH is about to look after baby Evie. Plus as she is waking up to 3 times a night still so I am shattered most evenings and have to force my self of the sofa and outside (feel good when I do though).

Getting 'jobs' done is doable as Evie likes to be outside in her pushchair, however you cant push a wheelbarrow and pushachair at the same time and at 5 moths she is too heavy for her papoose.

Things I would recomend would be to get a papoose for the first few months, they are realy good, especialy in the winter. In the summer get a fly net for your pushchair. Get a 2nd hand yard pushchair/pram that doesnt matter if you get muddy wheels and has a big tray underneath for putting feed buckets into etc.

Good luck and just go with your own body. You will know when you have done enough
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I rode until I was 30 weeks - I had 2 horses in ridden work, and they were both saints and looked after me. We just schooled away - nothing too stressful, with no jumping.

My GP was also very supportive and said that it was natural that I would want to ride and be around my horses, and so long as I didn't do anything mad, ie hunting/xc/suddenly deciding to break TB's etc, he was in favour - for both my physical and mental health! Furthermore, he said that it wasn't as if I was just deciding to ride now that I was pregnant.

I also competed at Dressage with the same 2 horses until I was 22 weeks.

It was when I demonstrated a 0-60 halt to canter in pony club games at 30 weeks that I decided it was time to stop, otherwise my son would be arriving sooner than anticipated!!

I looked after my 4 horses single handedly throughout my pregnancy - thoroughly enjoying morning sickness when mucking out - and fed and checked all of them the evening before I had my boy.

You will make your own decision, based on what is best for you. It is a very personal choice. I know I would have gone mental if it wasn't for my girls....the last 8 weeks were deadly without riding...but It had to be done!!

Best wishes for a safe delivery and for Mum to be back in the saddle asap.
xx
 
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