Post baby HELP!!

[racingdemon]

Can anyone tell me how long it took after you had children to be able to feel like you are riding as well as pre-children.
Fred is almost 1, & i was back in the saddle about a month after he was born, & have been riding almost every day since then, i had a couple of days hunting in Dec & would say i was pretty fit, (i tend to jump once a week, flat work 2-3 times, then hacking & some fast work the rest of the time)

i'm utterly mortified becasue while at a (tiny) SJ comp yesterday, I FELL OFF, not a dramatic cling on for ages, horse was a total pig fall, more of a horse stopped, rider flops to the ground like Mr soft fall, Pre baby i would say i was a capable rider & it would take alot to get me out of the saddle, now I feel like Mr Soft

An utterly mortified RD, considering taking up cross stitch

 

[Patches]

I was only thinking about you the other day as you haven't really posted on here since having Fred.

Can't advise with the riding as I didn't ride before I had children anyway. Just wanted to say "hi" as I've missed your updates.

Is your brother still P2P'ing?

 

[CracklinRosie]

LOL

I was the same after I had my wee girl, now 16months, and it's only about the last month that I've felt better in the saddle.

Your balance completely changes when you're pregnant and i think subconciously you tell yourself not to fall off. After all who would look after the baby??!!! So maybe you're just not as relaxed!!

I know I sometimes have to tell myself to relax when my mare is being silly.

Don't take up the cross stitch just yet racingdemon, unless you'd like me to look after your horse for you??????

 

[racingdemon]

HI Patches!

How is everything with you? No point to pointers anymore, (although I did have a mad 5 minutes & consider having another go, but then decided that i really hadn't got enough bottle any more!!) My brother grew to 6'4, so that put the cybosh on that for him!

RD xx

 

[Patches]

[ QUOTE ]
HI Patches!

How is everything with you? No point to pointers anymore, (although I did have a mad 5 minutes & consider having another go, but then decided that i really hadn't got enough bottle any more!!) My brother grew to 6'4, so that put the cybosh on that for him!

RD xx

[/ QUOTE ]

6ft 4!!!!

Seems strange to think of "racing demon" not being just that!

Everything's fine with my tribe but I cannot quite believe that Fred is nearly one already! Time flies!

I'm getting braver slowly but I'll never be a great rider. Have discovered the joy of having a blast over our fields. Can't think why it took me three years to realise I have my own "built in" farm ride at home. I used to only ride over open land on paid farm rides. Silly me!

Hannah has a new ponio called Oliver. He's a cracker. Just developing their partnership at present.

Do you still have Sally/Sallie (can't recall if she spelt it differently) and her foal from a year or two back?

 

[racingdemon]

Thanks Rosie, its nice to know it happens to other people as well, in some ways i think i'm riding better, as its not my main focus any more, so i'm a bit more relaxed about waiting for results/improvement in my horse, but on the other hand, as you say any ability to Balance has totally gone out of the window

(i rode until i was about 32weeks pregnant with fred, so only had about 3 months out of the saddle, which is frustrating me, as while i was pregnant I was Hunting & jumping allsorts - without falling off..... now i'm like a bag of spuds!)

 

[YorkshireLass]

LOL!

First of all your centre of gravity slowly alters over a few months and your way of going adjusts to compensate. Pregnancy re-educates your muscles. All your joints and ligaments come under strain as the hormones make them soften in preparation for the birth. Then you are either sawn in half or feel like you have passed a fridge. Your stomach muscles are pulled out of all proportion, then suddenly released, you end up with an undercarriage like a wizards sleeve...

then you are deprived of sleep...

And then we expect to get back in the saddle and ridfe off just as before! It takes 9 months to have a baby and double that to return to something like normal.

Pilates will get your balance and muscle tone back more quickly than anything else. It is what all those celeb mums do to amaze us all with their spandex outfits 3 months after dropping a sprog.

 

[Patches]

Pregnancy really takes it toll on the core muscles, which in turn is bound to affect core stability isn't it? Surely it's only natural.

When you think how long you'd ridden before baby came along, those muscles had had many years of riding to develop and become ultra strong. It will come back, but it's bound to take some time.

As a non rider until a few years ago, I was shocked at how many muscles you use that you never used before. My stomach used to really ache at one point, thus proving that my core muscles were pretty useless initially.

 

[racingdemon]

LOL, i'm glad you're enjoying blasting around the farm! I sold Sally about 18 months ago as she wasn't going to go any further and wasn't getting any younger, so now she's having a lovely time living near stafford hacking & generally chilling out. Sadly her foal died while at leahurst having a pin removed to correct a crooked knee, which was a shame, and as she had had that foal with a crooked knee we didn't want to breed from her again, hence selling her. We've still got our other broodmare who is in foal to Reel Buddy & due next month, she had a lovely Pursuit of Love last year, who will hopefully go into training the end of this year.

 

[racingdemon]

Pilates it is then.... funnily enough i have a leaflet for 'post baby exercise' on my desk.... I keep forgetting it took 9 months of stretched muscles before fred came, and seem to assume because they look like they used to, they should behave like they used to!!

Thanks!

 

[Patches]

Oh no. I'm sorry to hear her foal died. What a shame. Sounds like Sally's deserves her time of chilling out and hacking. Bless her.

Good luck with this year's foal. This time last year we were all talking about when you and H's Mum were due to foal!

Just chuckled at your signature. I have only just discovered the joy that folding clothes straight from the tumbler. They don't need ironing! (well most of them don't!)

 

[Weezy]

RD I have NEVER EVER regained my pre pregnancy riding skill and I doubt I ever will

Having 2 monster babies back to back resulted in such a knackered pelvis and everything is just *out*

Not one to spread joy am I

 

[Sooty]

Hello!

Doesn't time fly. I think there is a psychological aspect to riding after childbirth too, which is pretty much inescapable. It is instinctive to want to nurture your child, and thus it is harder to be as bold as before - especially when they are tiny. It is early days in the scheme of things; give it time. I can't believe your brother has grown so much!

Hope all is well in your world.

What car did you get in the end?

 

[racingdemon]

Thank Louise!! how much would you say you regained? What is Marg Kings secret?

P.s. new horse looks lovely, have you still got porridge?

 

[racingdemon]

HI Sooty, how are you, we're all really well, yes you're right about the psycological part, i'm certainly alot less brave, I now think that 65mph is a really fast speed to drive at!! I settled on an A3, which even though its the 5 door just isn't big enough for all the junk i now cart about with me, looks like i'll be getting a minibus next!