Mums & mums to be...horses & pregnancy?

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I've just found out that I'm pregnant (around 5 weeks) and am starting to panic about what I'll do with my horse for the next 9 months at least.

We've not had the easiest of times since I bought him 3 years ago. Ridden wise it's been stop, start, stop, start since the beginning due to various reasons...lack of facilities through winter, no one to nanny us, a few issues with tanking off, etc. Anyways, I had decided that this spring was the time to bring him back into proper work (he's not been ridden for about 2 months) and keep him going. We've moved to a yard with great facilities and plenty of support now.

As he's not been ridden for a while and can be quirky at the best of times, I don't feel comfortable getting on him now :( I will try to find someone to do this for me but what should I do in the longer term? He's only 7 so could do with proper work & fun now but I won't be able to give him that for a while :(

What did you do / are you doing with your horse during pregnancy?

Thanks x
 
Congratulations!
Can you just turn him away? Maybe do groundwork/lunging or long reining?
Try and find a sharer or loaner from your yard?
I carried on riding lightly until there was an accident involving horses from my yard (and my horse with a friend on him) a young girl riding the quiet horse of the yard was very ill for a long time so I stopped riding at that point and gave him a holiday. He was fine for it and it was a huge relief aswell tbh!
 
Congratulations! I kept mine on DIY throughout my pregnancy and she just became a giant pet for a year I enjoyed the grooming, mucking out and poo picking kept me active throughout. She was a quirky mare but 19 at the time and it didn't really bother her taking it easy.
 
Congratulations!

Each person is different. I rode to 5.5 months but I had been riding before and the horses were (relatively) well behaved. I stopped at that point because I was becoming very ineffective and I was too worried about the possibility of accidents. My groom lunged twice a week, she rode once and my instructor rode once, so each horse got about 4 sessions a week which was enough to keep them ticking over.

I found riding after having had the baby more difficult (and it still is now that MiniBoo is 22mo). She has never been a good sleeper and was quite attached to me so fiding time to ride was quite difficult.
 
Thanks everyone :)
I would love to turn him away but he's really not done much so far and IMO at 7 years old now is the time we should be making massive leaps in his education.
I'm going to ask a couple of people at the yard if they'd help me out ridden wise but most have more than 1 horse so not sure if they'll have time.
I've advertised for a sharer before to try to up his exercise during winter. As I work full time and at the time had nowhere to ride in the evenings I tried to get someone to ride on weekdays but the few suitable people that enquiried either didn't turn up to meet him at all or had an excuse not to ride every week. I'll try again tho.
I really don't want to put him on loan away from me, I'd miss him far too much but if nothing else works I may have to consider it.
 
Every person and every pregnancy is different, my son I rode until about 4 months (only stopped because he had a month off with bad snow and I was too fat to get back on sensibly after time off!) I was competing inc. XC (when I was fat enough I needed safetypins to hold jods together!) and on a not so strightforward horse.

I'm now 24 weeks with my second and haven't ridden since 6 weeks! partly terrible winter weather partly my feelings have changed this time.
Mine boy is having a holiday (he thinks he's retired - ha ha) shoes off, out as much as possible being pampered occasionally. He's loving it.

Yes yours is young but how much he needs to progress in the next couple of years is probably dependent on what you ultimately want to do with him - if he's a horse for life that you want to do a bit of everything with when you can a year off will make no difference. If you think you'll sell him in the medium term then yes a 9 year old who's not done much will be worth a bit less.

Sharers/ loaners/ friends helping out are great - but you can't rely on them, you'll need a plan B for when they all stop a week before you're due!

He doesn't sound like he'd be the easiest to sell now (sorry if I;ve misread anything) and IMHO time off won't make much difference to him. If you can afford to keep him as a pet and enjoy spending time with him, and you've got family/ friends to help once baby is here so you can get back into it - great.
If it will worry you that he's being 'wasted' and that causes you stress and you think taking time out of baby life once they are here will be tricky - maybe see if there is someone you know looking for a summer project?
 
Congratulations :D. It is such an exciting time!
I'm 27 weeks now with my first and I was also worried with what to do.
My horse is 7 rising 8 ex racer but I've had him for 3 years, done a lot with him and have a good bond. He's a pretty safe and trustworthy horse.
I have just carried on! I'm lucky in that Ihave felt good in my pregnancy and it has gone smoothly so far.
I have put him on part livery. This is to help with the stable chores and is a god send when I'm feeling tired. It was more to get him settled though ready for when my baby comes. If I can't make it up to the yard I wanted to know he was happy and in good hands.
Secondly I have found a fab lady to jump him for me and she comes once a week. Even though I am riding I stick with schooling and steady hacking.
She is also doing some shows and events with him. It's nice as it keeps him ticking over. He's young and he loves working so it's going well.
I really feel fine and as I was small to start with I havent grown too big. I'll just carry on until it feels right to stop. I think I'll ride up until about 8 months ish. I have people like my mum who rides who can tick him over for a short while but I think by that point a holiday will do him good. He hasn't had a ptoper holiday since I have had him and 6-8 weeks out in the sun he will like :).
For me I get a big psychological benefit from riding. Even just lunging him for 20 mins and giving him a brush on a day I feel tired perks me up no end and for me the gentle exercise of a half an hour school is keeping me trim and fit for having my baby.
Its a very personal decision though and depends on the horse. If my horse was unpredictable or my pregnancy had been complicated things may have been very different.
 
I went through a similar thing when I was pregnant, we'd just started getting into some serious work, ready to compete (I'd also only owned him for about 6 months) and I found out I was pregnant. He was also 7 at the time.

I went through quite a lot of stress about it all, I wasn't happy to ride him myself and he also became a bit of a handful on the ground (probably due to not being ridden as much). I had different people ride him but they could only do this every so often and I carried on with DIY livery.

In the end I had to move yards due to a grazing issue and being put in a field 1/2 a miles walk back to the yard, which I just couldn't handle whilst pregnant with a handful of a horse.

He ended up going into full livery towards the end of my pregnancy, it didn't work out that much more expensive than DIY to be honest, once I'd calculated it all up and a lady there started riding him 3x a week. It took a lot of the stress away and he's stayed on full livery now so I don't have to worry about getting to the yard everyday, it was the best thing I could have done.

Don't feel guilty about him not being in work for a little while, he's your horse at the end of the day and you can pick up where you left off once you've had your baby, it goes quickly (although at the time will feel like forever), trust me. He won't mind the break!

Loaning out can bring with it a whole host of other problems and potentially a lot of stress for you which you don't need.

Maybe try and find someone to ride him and keep him ticking over, but just take your time and find the right person, I'm sure someone will come along now the weather is improving.

In the meantime just keep yourself and your baby safe and enjoy the fresh air, his company at the stables, make a plan for the things you'll be doing with your horse when you return to riding and look forward to the future When you'll have a little mini you to join in at your yard. Congratulations :D
 
I had a horse on loan and 6 weeks in I found out I was pregnant! The owner couldn't ride due to bad health so I rode until I was 20 weeks, walk and trot in the school and the odd hack, after that I was too fat to do much lol! I waddled down her field every day to see her (found out I was pregnant in December so by the time I'd stopped riding it was fairly warm and she was living out) and my sis rode her as well. Towards the end of the pregnancy the owners daughter wanted to start riding her so I gave her up on good terms and bought Slumdog when Calum was 3 weeks old, I still find it hard juggling kids and riding and he's 3 and a half now but we manage.
 
My boy is definitely with me forever. The only reason we'd temporarily part would be money and even then he'd go on loan as a last resort.
I just wish I'd been able to keep him ticking over this winter & then I could have carried on riding for a while and he wouldn't have such a massive break if I do turn him away.
You're all very helpful & very sweet. Thank you x
 
I promise a long break will do him no harm in the long run, have a look on here for threads about people bringing horses back into work after 3/5 years off and how sucessful that can be.
I picked up mine when he was 14 and he has learned a huge about in the years I've had him - so no worries if his education isn't fast paced while he is young.
 
I'm 12 weeks pregnant and haven't ridden since I found out which was fairly early on. At the beginning I was very gunho about getting on with it, but have actually been too exhausted to do anything!

My mare is quirky to handle and can be sharp to ride, luckily OH rides so has been filling in for me although I have a tendancy to nag 'don't do that' etc. She is on full livery and at 15 can really take it easy, what I am very worried about is having anytime afterwards to ride etc.

Don't put too much pressure on yourself or you'll worry yourself into a problem. Honestly even at 7 having sometime off won't do him any harm either. Agree a sharer is a great idea. We have another horse on loan whilst his owner is pregnant and has her baby, it has worked really well apart from us getting too attached!

Congratulations!
 
Im 26 weeks pregnant and also have a young-ish horse.
As it happens she was lame when i found out i was pregnant and she came sound around two months afterwards but she had already been out of work for 3 months by then and unfortunately she is too quirky for me to risk so i havent ridden.

To cut a long story short, she came sound and i moved her to grass livery.
I moved her around 4 weeks ago as we are entering into the drier months and *touches wood* its worked out so far really well. She will have the rest of the year off now from any type of real work, i have a sharer who rides once a weekend hacking to keep her ticking over as she is complicated/quirky and needs some type of entertainment. Occasionally the sharer just grooms her instead as im easy with what she wants to do, she pays a very small fee in return and added to the livery being very cheap its been such a massive stress off my shoulders.

I see her a few times a week for a groom, cuddle, carrots with no additonal stress to concern about mucking her out or lugging new bedding around or filling haynets etc.
Shes actually loving her early retirement and seems the most relaxed ive ever seen her. I think i will probably move her back to a yard with facilities next summer and then start turning her away every winter if this is the relaxed mare i get in return.

I hope to ride her once baby is born once or twice a week as my baby is due in June so i have quite a few summer months before the weather gets bad again :)
 
Thanks equestrianfairy. It's nice that you're in the same position as me and so relaxed about the horsey situation :) it's just a shame for me that I'll completely miss this summers riding :(
 
Kittyk - I wish my OH was a rider! And oh my goodness... the tiredness is horrendous isn't it?![/QUOTE said:
I never used to be very sympathetic when people complained how tired, I'm sooo paying for that now, never have I been so exhausted! Bed and pj's on before 9, truely sad. Apparently you turn a corner at 12 weeks and are full of energy, I have a pile of ironing relying on that being the case!:o
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I rode mine until about I was about 4 months, when I had to stop due to my hips hurting (he is a wide boy). TBH I would have carried on longer otherwise (he is a sensible cob and very safe, especially in the school).

After I stopped riding I carried on working in hand (both Natural Horsemanship type "manners and bomb-proofing" work, which I always did a bit of, and more classical schooling / straightness training type stuff from a book I got). I also took him to some in-hand shows just for a laugh (and because someone else on the yard had a youngster going out and about and offered a free place to a sensible traveller). The last one was at 7 months and I regretted the trot-up afterwards! I had a play with teaching him some tricks using clicker training too. If you don't ride it doesn't mean they have to stand in the field.

I had mine on assisted DIY and the YO had to put up with quite a lot, I was always falling asleep and not turning up when I said I would. We had to make some adaptations to cope with that (I would always leave extra haynets for instance). He went onto part livery for about 1 month over the due date as I practically went into hibernation for a fortnight after I had my daughter, even though it was a straightforward birth (no drugs, interventions etc).

I had no problems getting him going again, I had planned to do it properly but in the event it was my birthday, lovely weather, and I just said "what the heck" and took him for a 1hr hack (slowly of course). Getting back on in the literal sense was an issue though, make sure you have a good high mounting block because it took me 6 months to get my "pop" back.
 
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Im about 29wks and do everything as normal although I have begrudgingly given up riding (im too big to get on anyway) I put one on loan bt my other 2 are jst out of work till ive popped there a bit 'special' so doubt anyone else wud put up with them, inc my 5 year old wwho like yours has bin very stop start with his education due to weather and lack of facilities. I rode all the way thro with my first pregnancy but that was with different less complex horses! I think it does you good to carry on as normal keeps you fit and sane! CONGRATS!
 
I lost my horse in a freak accident in December, rushed out to buy another one and then discovered aged 47!!!! that I was pregnant. I rode the newbie 3 times but I really don't think that this is a good time to be starting a relationship with a new horse. I would have ridden the old one until delivery date I think but as soon as I'd had my scan which showed twins ffs. I have lots of baby horses but am definitely more 'risk averse' these days.

I suppose its 'each to their own' really.
 
Honestly slumdog, I have never felt tiredness like it! I, like kittyk, used to think that pregnant ladies exaggerated how tired they are...how wrong I was!
I'm hoping to avoid throwing up :)
 
whispers - I was constantly knackered until 20 weeks and now am only just partially knackered! 9pm would be a late night for me at the moment!

Oh and if you think your tired being pregnant don't ask anyone how tired you might be getting up ever 2 hours to feed them 24 hours a day for a few months !!!
 
When I was pregnant with my first child, my horse went to College! I loaned him to the Equine Department of an Agricultural College. Some people have horror stories about how their horses were treated at colleges, but for me it was a perfect result. The college took over my horse's running costs for nine months of the year and I had him back for three months in the summer, during which time he could live out 24/7 on grass livery.

I visited him every weekend at college and built up a lovely relationship with college staff. The students adored my horse, and he loved all the attention and activity in a busy yard. He stayed for five years in the end and became quite a well-known college character!

It is not a solution for everyone, but it was brilliant for me and my horse, so worth investigating if you have an equine college locally.

Congratulations and good luck!
 
Omg scarymare! I am the same age (47) and just found out I am pregnant too!

Whispers thought I was well past it!!

Congrats everyone xxxx

I am still in complete shock, but starting to think a little more clearly about how to manage things. My riding pony is normally pretty safe n steady, so I am hoping to keep pottering out on him for as long as possible. The other one is a small companion mare, both are pretty good and well mannered to handle. As the riding pony is 21 some time off ain't going to hurt him. Hopefully i can put them on livery when I am no longer capable to look after them myself.

Op your horse will be fine with a holiday, all a horse really needs is care and food. The riding thing is not essential honestly! :D

Good luck everyone xxxx
 
Really interesting thread! We r thinking about starting to try for baby and I'm so worried about what to do with my lovely horse. He is normally a steady neddy!
 
I am 21 weeks with my 2nd child.
With my first child I rode my horse til 20 weeks til sciatica stopped me. He was 12 so fine to be a happy hack without loosing his abilities! I gave a friend's daughter lessons on him after that til she was confident and then she took over, she gave me a very small contribution towards his costs but he got to stay at his yard. I saw him twice a week. I was still lunging him when I was 10 days overdue! Sadly when my son was 4 weeks old horse got laminitis - the girl wasn't accustomed to checking for it and the lady who I shared the yard with had started bossing her about and told her he didn't need his grazing muzzle :( Cue lots of stress with a tiny baby and a poorly horse :( I was back on him once he came sound when my son was 3 months old. I have averaged time to ride about 4 times a week, though less during dark nights.

With this baby I advertised horse for sale or loan. Thankfully a local girl had been looking for a long time and has taken him on loan, with her mum's help. We have a proper loan agreement and she is paying me a decent amount of money so I know she will take care to keep him sound. Horse is now at a proper livery yard so he will be supervised, plus he's very close to home so I can see him twice a week and make sure he doesn't get fat.

Whether I keep him or not I don't know, he'll be 14 this summer. It's hard finding time to ride, but I had PND with my first child and getting back on my horse was necessary to get me out of it... I also find I really need the 'me' time. So if I do end up selling him I'll be looking for something to part-loan anyway - so it's hardly worth selling him really.
 
I'm 21 weeks and stopped riding last week. I too have a not done much 7 year old so was a bit worried about him not doing much until I give birth in July but have got my head round him having a break!
I'm doing a bit of ground work/lunging/long reining etc whilst I'm not too big, then he'll have the last two or three months completely off.
Like others have said, its not a vast about of time to have off :-)
 
1Lucie said:
Really interesting thread! We r thinking about starting to try for baby and I'm so worried about what to do with my lovely horse. He is normally a steady neddy!
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Oh I'd start planning what to do with your neddy before you start trying....I was only thinking of starting to try for a baby! I didn't expect it to happen so quickly and I have no idea what to do with my boy yet but need to make a decision so that I can relax about it :eek:
 
Ah thank u, good to have advice ! I have already advertised him for loan last week but had no interest :-( I love him dearly and he's v trustworthy just hope I can find suitable loaner!
 
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