Pregnancy and horse owning

Caz89

Caz89

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Sooo I'm not pregnant but me and my OH were talking about it the other day and it got me thinking how on earth do you manage? My boy is on pretty much full livery everything but riding so the looking after would be ok but finance would be a problem. It just raised a few questions in my head that maybe some of you can answer? :confused: I appologise if this has already been discussed :)

Are there certain times that you cannot ride? Obviously not when you are about to pop :p
Financially.... realistically paying for a horse and having a child on the way?
Can you physically still ride as I have heard you are often exhausted?

Selling him or loaning would/will not be an option
 
The friends that I have with kids have managed just fine. Horses on DIY - with assistance available when needed - and have ridden (or not) according to how they felt.

The thing is to only do as much as you feel able to - and that is safe - and to take each day as it comes.
 
:) Wowsers DIY'ing whilst pregnant i take my hat off to them. So is it ok to ride in the first few months?
 
Caz89 said:
:) Wowsers DIY'ing whilst pregnant i take my hat off to them. So is it ok to ride in the first few months?
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Well with the greatest of respect, you're talking about pregnancy, not illness. And as long as assistance is available when needed, why not??

As for riding - you'd need to take advice from your GP about that.
 
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I rode until I was about 6/7 months pregnant and had my horse on part livery. I stuck to gentle hacks once my bump got to a reasonable size, but was lucky in that I had a little bump. It was my hips and pelvis aching that finally stopped me riding.

Every pregnancy is different though - I had morning sickness for the first couple of months, and needed a nap after work before I went to ride the horse early on, but had a very healthy pregnancy. I went over by 2 weeks, and was lunging and mucking out the day before my induction.

Financially, managing whilst pregnant is fine. I went back to work part-time when my daughter was 7 months, and had to move my horse from part livery to a much cheaper diy yard. I couldn't afford part-livery on my wage, along with childcare costs. It's a juggling act combining horses, children and work. I'm coping with one horse, one child, but couldn't manage anymore of either :)
 
A woman at my yard has just had her baby, she stopped riding at 4-5months. carrided on the daily chores when she couldnt drive so a 3-4weeks before baby. He went on full cover. After the baby she came back this week so 3weeks after baby was born and rode for 15mins that day. Now she is doing him when she can with the help of cover when needed. She has a sharer to keep him fit for her.
 
I rode up to 3 months but would have gone longer if I hadn't sold my horse at that point. I am 6 months now and don't feel like I would want to ride as my tummy is quite big and I don't feel as agile as I was before (I find putting my socks on a challenge!).

Everyone is different though and I know some people ride right up to near the end. I took the decision to sell as I had been thinking of selling before I fell pregnant due to lack of time, which was only going to get worse when the baby came along.

It's a hard decision though and I miss riding desperately. Am looking forward to finding a share horse once I can fit riding in again - hopefully not too long after the baby is born.

How about finding a sharer for your horse to take the pressure off financially/time wise?
 
Im 7 and half months pregnant and still mucking out 2 horses daily, some days someone else does it for me which is a nice break.

I make sure I muck out first thing so that its done before im tired after work in the evenings.

I was really sicky from about week 8 - 16 so didnt feel like riding, and so consequently horsey was too stupid to get back on when I felt better. He is having a nice long holiday until I feel able after the birth to ride again. Thankfully he is more settled now and easy enough to deal with.
 
I had 2 horses on DIY when I was pregnant with my daughter 7 years ago. I didn't ride as they were both youngsters and I didn't see the point of riding someone else's horse for the sake of it.

This time my horse was already on loan when I became pregnant, but I have been over and ridden him a couple of times.
 
I guess you get used to having the bump ... I think I am thinking like you will go from a flat tummy to a massive bump over night lol :p
 
Obviously, safety-wise you will get seriously nagged by your OH, your parents, his parents, friends, neighbours, midwife (anyone else that happens to know you are riding) to stop. Riding is a dangerous sport and horses are unpredictable. I think you would probably feel pretty crappy if anything did happen to the baby that was caused by you falling off.

However, if your horse is 100% safe most of the time then gentle hacking in company, off the road would be OK.

Financially, you will be stuffed - sorry - horses and babies are bloody expensive things to keep. Babies when they are little are actually very easy to "do" it is when they get bigger that they become a little more of a nuisance.... I sold my boy when I was pregnant with my first and it is only 10 years later that I started up again. Money and time are the key factors - neither of which are very plentiful with kids!

You will also need a VERY supportive partner - it will be a pretty big strain on you both financially and if he is working every hour that god sends to bring home the bacon and you are spending a large proportion of that on your horse then things could get messy.
 
mcnaughty said:
Obviously, safety-wise you will get seriously nagged by your OH, your parents, his parents, friends, neighbours, midwife (anyone else that happens to know you are riding) to stop. Riding is a dangerous sport and horses are unpredictable. I think you would probably feel pretty crappy if anything did happen to the baby that was caused by you falling off.

However, if your horse is 100% safe most of the time then gentle hacking in company, off the road would be OK.

Financially, you will be stuffed - sorry - horses and babies are bloody expensive things to keep. Babies when they are little are actually very easy to "do" it is when they get bigger that they become a little more of a nuisance.... I sold my boy when I was pregnant with my first and it is only 10 years later that I started up again. Money and time are the key factors - neither of which are very plentiful with kids!

You will also need a VERY supportive partner - it will be a pretty big strain on you both financially and if he is working every hour that god sends to bring home the bacon and you are spending a large proportion of that on your horse then things could get messy.
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It's not something we are looking to do any time soon as although we have been together for 4yrs we are only 21 and financially we couldn't afford it. I would like to get a bit of money behind us before that. I guess horse wise it would just be a case of seeing how we went.

Thankyou for your replies :p
 
This is a really contentious one because some people get really angry with you for riding! I think it's totally up to each individual to do what they feel happy with. I kept my horse on livery, so didn't have to do any chores but I competed up to four months, when my breeches started to get tight, and kept hacking up to 7-8, when it was uncomfy to get off. But loads of others stop immediately they know they're pregnant. My doctor said it was up to me, and told me not to fall off! But as we all know, you can fall down the stairs...
 
I had a disagreement with my husband the other day because he swears blind I still rode when I was pregnant with my first baby, but I know for a fact that I didn't sit on a single horse for a minute!

He wasn't very impressed when I told him I'd been riding Axey either!
 
Caz89 said:
:) Wowsers DIY'ing whilst pregnant i take my hat off to them.
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I have to laugh at this! As amymay says- youre not ill! Everyone is different and some people can have complications however i have 13 horses and i looked after them all mainly on my own, with some help with the heavy lifting and a couple of days a week in the last 2 months of pregnancy. I was still feeding, mucking out, etc the night before my waters went! :)

I didnt ride at all though, my personal choice for safety reasons. And i was careful (obviously) with lifting, handling youngsters, etc. I had to have an emergency c section in the end but as soon as i could drive i have looked after the horses mainly on my own since my baby was 8 weeks old.

The way i see it, you either really want to stay involved with horses or you dont. And if you do then you find a way to do things. The yard isnt always swept every night as it would pre-baby and the other odd thing has to be done differently but its not impossible!

There will be tonnes of people who are negative and think it cant be done- i get negative comments all the time (How on earth do you manage? being the main one) but i dont agree, its perfectly possible with a little bit of help :)
 
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I am currently 6 1/2 months pregnant and have a 3 1/2 little boy
Thankfully horses are both myself and my partners passion so I have his help but we have our own land so there is no option of help from people around.

We currently have 4 in total, 2 yearlings and 2 5yo geldings, when I was pregant with my son we only had 2 youngsters (now 5yo's) so riding was never an issue, although i did find it very hard work towards the end finding the motivation to go up the yard, and the first few months after my son was born were equally as hard until a good routine was established.

This time round things are a little harder, i have put my horse out on loan to a friend as i have chosen not to ride during this pregancy, as my boy only being broken in a year can still be a tad unpredictable at times. But I have known people ride up until days before birth and then back on as soon as possible after the birth.

Money isnt easy, but you learn to cut back....much easier when maternity leave is up and you can return back to work
 
my daughter is nearly two and im 35 weeks pregnant with my second. Both my horses are on diy and always have been. I was actually mucking out etc 3 hours before i went into labour.
My midwife always told me as long as im not doing anything my body isnt used to i should be fine. I didnt ride in my first pregnancy but have rode this time around until i was 20 weeks as i started to feel uncomfortable then. The first 3 months i found the worst due to sickness and tiredness.
Regarding cost everyone situation is different.
During pregnancy you have all the baby items to buy such as pram, moses basket, steriliser, bottles, cot, clothes, car seat, monitors and then when baby is her you have regualr items such as nappys, wipes, milk, clothes and shoes every 6 to 8 weeks which range from 30 - 50 pound.
You have to budget extra for xmas and birthdays
and also maternity wear for yourself
ad then if you want to go back to work you have childcare costs to consider
you do get child benefit but it doesnt cover everything
I think the best thing for you to do would be to work out what income you have spare every month and see if you would be entitled to any benefits
good luck
 
My YO was pregnant whilst running a riding school, doing assisted DIY/part/full liveries. She was still also riding her very young, green dressage horse and competing him. It wasn't until she was about 7-8 months pregnant that her family near enough locked her in her house to stop her from coming to the yard....luckily she did have a couple of grooms to look after and exercise the horses then. Once the baby was born she was out mucking out and teaching again with the baby strapped to her back!

She ended up selling her horse as she did not have the time to do him justice. She then became pregnant with her second and calmed down a little bit. She was still teaching and mucking out a few full liveries and hacking out on a nice cobby cob.

As amymay said...your pregnant...not ill!! It is still possible...however I think it depends on the individual. My current yard owner was thrown from her horse in the early stages of pregnancy and she lost the baby, when she became pregnant a second time she pretty much stayed away from the yard completely for fear of something like that happening again.
 
CAZ89 if you would like a break down of what my 7 month old baby has cost me and costs me a month PM me.
Its about 100 pounds a month running costs including clothes and on carton milk and 500 pounds set up. I'm sure people will argue more or less but PM me for a breakdown if you want one.
When OH and I were just looking at costs hypothetically nowhere had a realistic break down.
 
Oh - can I add at this point - DON'T DO IT!!

At 21 you should be enjoying your lives, travelling the world (on horseback or otherwise..) and not even considering having babies!

Trust me - you should having a whole lot more fun for a few more years yet!

Oh - and no you are certainly not sick and from the ground should be able to do as much as you do now - actually it will keep you fit and keep those maternal bulges at bay...
 
21 when I had baby 22 now, application for Sandhurst in, degree done, married check, skiing holiday in January :D:D:D, still go out once a week, been everywhere in the world I wanted to go. As my mother proved with me babies don't stop your life they just add an interesting dimension and logistical challenge. :cool:
 
Sorry CAZ89...may I get some info from your thread! :-)
Following this thread with interest...planning on having a baby next year (to be born mid 2012 so not yet!)
I'm 26, OH 30 and been together nearly 3 years.
One 16 year old 13.3 gelding pony in DIY livery 15 minutes away from home but lives out 24/7 so very easy. (For the little story, I'm from France originally, in the UK since 2006 and have eventually managed to bring him here in May this year. Has always been out 24/7 in France with no rug and trying to do the same here)
Farmer puts ad lib hay in winter and check on him when I can't (icy roads...)+break ice in the through.
He is the only one out 24/7 but has 2 mares for company during the day.
In few months time I'll try to find a sharer so it would be easier to keep Bilto fit (he would get fat very quickly in Spring/Summer if not riden so don't want to risk laminitis which he has never had in France)
Hopefully I would find someone but I put an ad not long ago and didn't get many replies-no one suitable as need someone under 11 stones :-(
I only hack with him so anyone interested let me know!

Anyway, I would be interested in the real cost of having a baby, have been trying to find it on internet but can't find a lot!?
My friends who are in their mid 30's say they don't cost much but they don't have a horse/pony...
I'm a nanny, OH electrician (not self employed unfortunately).
I work 38 hours a week and pay all expenses for Bilto myself (£25/week DIY including hay)+extras like wormer,worm count, etc...but to be fair it probably doesn't come at much more than £150 per month on average.
Sooo do you think we would be able to afford baby and pony?(would have to as no question of selling him/loaning him as he is my pony for life...he is nearly 17 and had him since he was 4)
PM me please if you can help and if you need some more info just ask!

Thanks everyone :-) and sorry again CAZ89 but hope it helps you as well!
 
Also something I was thinking about, I have three on DIY. 2 Live out and are good doers, one is a youngster will be getting backed next summer and the other is a broodmare (not in foal atm)
My gelding who I compete is stabled but we do have someone who can do it for us and my mum is still a great help.

I was also thinking with horses is there ever a good time?
 
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/bringing-up-a-child-now-tops-pound200000-if-youre-lucky-1907381.html

Your friends are right in that babies don't cost much. You don't need to spend much on a baby - ikea does cheap furniture, or you can get 2nd hand or join freecycle. They don't need many clothes or toys either, just lots of sleepsuits until they are walking. Disposable nappies cost us approx. £20 a week (averaged over 2 years).

What is expensive, and essential unless you stop working (and therefore lose your wage) is childcare. Childminders are from £2.50 an hour, nurserys around £150 week for full-time care. If you have relatives nearby that can help then that helps financially, but can impact in other ways... :)
 
Ive not read all the replies, but Ive got 4 weeks to go and I stopped riding one of mine as soon as I found out I was pregnant purley because he is SO sharp, but I carried on riding and competing my other one and finally stopped riding her about about 26 weeks as it was getting too uncomfortable, although I did still plod around on her in walk, just stopped schooling and jumping. I have stopped riding completely now as I can hardly walk let alone ride a horse!!
My horses are on DIY, but I do have help in the mornings with them and I do them every evening and at weekends. Although as from next week I have arranged for them to be done by others, as Im just finding it too much at the yard now, plus I cant bend and my back is giving me too much grief when mucking out.
Financially, I have no idea how the hell we will cope!! Ive told both my horses that they need to do bloomin well competing next year to win me some money!!
Once the baby is here, he will have to fit in with the horses routine, as Im planning to get back riding and competing as soon as I can. I am lucky that I have alot of help though.
 
fairhill said:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/bringing-up-a-child-now-tops-pound200000-if-youre-lucky-1907381.html

Your friends are right in that babies don't cost much. You don't need to spend much on a baby - ikea does cheap furniture, or you can get 2nd hand or join freecycle. They don't need many clothes or toys either, just lots of sleepsuits until they are walking. Disposable nappies cost us approx. £20 a week (averaged over 2 years).

What is expensive, and essential unless you stop working (and therefore lose your wage) is childcare. Childminders are from £2.50 an hour, nurserys around £150 week for full-time care. If you have relatives nearby that can help then that helps financially, but can impact in other ways... :)
Click to expand...

Also keep a good hang onto friends that have previously had babies and may donate some of their old things (my YO was an instructor so many parents donated prams/clothes etc), relatives can help keep child minding costs at bay. And car boot sales, charity shops and ebay are your friends!!
 
i had 3 horses on DIY while i was pregnant, i managed fine. finances wernt a problem while i was pregnant but things wer a bit tighter after wee ryan came along (nappies, milk ect lol). as for riding, i stoped riding my warmblood as he was unpredictable and i didnt have the confidance (unfortunatly it never came back and i had to sell him at the begining of the year) but i kept riding my old 14.2 untill i couldnt get on any more, i only did this as i had absoloute trust in freddy and i never did more than a walk.
my gp told me not to ride as it is risky if you have a fall .
 
Thanks fairhill!
I'm a nanny so hopefully the family I work for (or an other one depending when we'll have a baby if this one don't need me anymore...)will take me on with the baby but some family don't want that so I'll have to find one who doesn't mind. Then no childcare cost :-D
My family is in France and we wouldn't trust my OH mum to look after the baby (she is a bit weird and she works anyway...)

I am already on Freecycle for house things and OH and I both agree than we will try and get most of the stuff in second hand from Freecycle, Friends (most of them have already toddlers) or Ebay.
I don't see the need in buying only new things as a baby grow so much and so quickly!!! (clothes wise for example)
I'm sure we would manage :-)
 
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