Pregnancy, what happened with your horse?

charlie55

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Did you half loan? Or keep doing everything yourself? Or something else?

When i had my little boy, i owned my old horse who was 28 and retired, so putting him out, mucking out and getting him in everyday was fine for me and i did it until the day i had my son.

What would/did you do, if you fall pregnant and you have a horse that needs to be ridden...?

I would ride myself between 3 and 7 months, and probably get my dressage trainer to ride him once a week from then on, until i could get back on board...

What about you? (im not pregnant btw, just interested in what people do) x
 
All my friends who've had children have just carried on as normal. It made very little impact on their horse care activities.
 
I rode until I was 5 months pregnant - I physically couldn't ride after that
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I sold my then horse to a good friend who looked after her right up until she died age 20 earlier this year.

I did though get another horse when small child was a few months old and have carried on as normal ever since
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i'm 6 months and starting to find riding a bit hard (it's my third and i blame previous c-section for not very good tummy 'support). so i probably only ride once a week. i am thinking about asking a friend to ride him, or just letting him have a break and doing ground stuff with him - leading him out for a walk up the road - good for my fitness too...

i still do everything on the ground - mucking out, feeding, turning out, getting in, water, hay etc, but again am struggling with the very heavy stuff. this morning i am ashamed to say i woke up and fluttered my eyelashes at my husband to go and do breakfast feed and turnout (and muck out and refill haynet.... etc) as i was exhausted.

if my horse HAD to be ridden, i'd either get a friend to do it, or pay someone (if i could afford to). i have been thinking about getting a sharer, but it's only going to be about 4 months, and i don't think that's much to offer a sharer... also i am exceptionally freaked out by someone else riding him, so i HAVE to be there, and be obsessively in control. so, i'd prefer him to be ridden by someone who knew that about me, and who i trusted, or someone i was paying.

hmmm.... luckily i think he won't suffer from only having a weekly plod/lunge with me or my novice 12yr old on board. x
 
That's what I am struggling to figure out at the moment... I am not VERY pregnant and riding is fine at the moment - I am hoping to keep going for as long as possible. But I have two horses - I am trying to sell the 4 year old and will keep the older horse but would be interested in getting a sharer or someone who just wants to ride a bit later on when it's too hard... How long can you ride for? I haven't a clue yet!

x
 
I'm interested in this thread as my mare is 4 and we are thinking of starting a family at end of year begining of next so struggle what to do with her. i think I will be happy to keep riding in pregnancy but I am not sure about keeping on riding her as she is young, green and a bit of a handful... Think weill look for sharer who is willing to take more as the time comes...
 
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How long can you ride for? I haven't a clue yet!

x

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until it feels uncomfy... or until you get fed up of the disapproving looks... it's a touchy subject as some people think you shouldn't ride AT ALL when pregnant...

i ride because i know my horse is safe. i would get off the minute i felt unsafe. i'm choosing to slow down/stop riding as i ache so much afterwards. my boobs are so giant they need a hammock, and my belly is starting to feel too heavy too.

dismounting can be a pain, i just swing my leg over his neck now.... tut tut!

also, i think my horse is starting to find me uncomfy as my weight is so randomly 'forward' he isn't always entirely sure of my commands... let's just say we wouldn't win any dressage comps...

oh, and don't even start me on what i have to wear to ride in... my attire is almost enough to stop me from wanting to ride... ha! x
 
I had two horses when i fell pregnant. After a long long think, i decided to sell one and keep the smaller of the two. I put her out to grass, then started to ride her again after i had my daughter.
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Thankyou for the comments, im alot like you clipcloppop, if someone else rides my horse i will have to be there, even if its a top dressage rider.

I would always, have done, do all the jobs on the ground when pregnant. Before i didnt ride until 3 months, then i stopped a 6 and half months because it was just too uncomfortable.

Very interesting hearing everyones opinions x
 
My friend rode up untill about 2-3 weeks before she gave birth, we only hacked out. her on the very safe cob. She id the turning out, grooming, and feeding, and me or her husband did the mucking out, haynets and water buckets!!
 
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Thankyou for the comments, im alot like you clipcloppop, if someone else rides my horse i will have to be there, even if its a top dressage rider.


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the irony of it is... my horse used to be a riding school horse... so has had millions of different people ride him! i don't know why i'm such a fusspot. my friend is an instructor and has broken/brought on/schooled/SJed many horses... but i watch her ride with my nails digging into my palms. it's not just the riding either. i don't like anyone else even tacking him up. he's a bit cold backed and i really pander to it (i'm allowed to, he's mine). everyone thinks i pander too much to it, so they whack the saddle on and do the girth right up. then wonder why he is sooooo grumpy for them. so, no one is allowed near him without me there, (except in an emergency)... he's my hero.
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what about when the babies arrive - do u have regular child car which allows you to ride?

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newborns are easy peasy, as they sleep for hours in their pushchairs whilst you get on and do your stuff. my two year old is a bit more difficult as he has to be involved in everything, and his 'helping' means everything takes twice as long...

i can only ride now when my OH has the 2 yr old. but as soon as we move the horse to our own place, i will be able to ride in the school when he's napping as the baby monitor will work in the school/yard.

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Put my mare in foal.
Then rode (even 25 mile rides) until I was too clumsy at 8.5 months to get on every time after I needed to get off for a pee.
Then I turned the mare away for a year because circumstances meant I was by myself most of the time (Thanks Bosnia) and it was easier that way.
 
I used to keep my horse in at night in the winter until I fell pregnant with my first and my horse has been out 24/7 since.
I rode until 7 months with my first and upto 5 months with my second because I got much bigger. My horse is safe and I would not have ridden anything else.
As for sharing, I did share with a treenager for six months but it didn't work out. She would not take any of my instructions on how to ride him ( teenages know all there is to know, of course) and did not get the best out of him and, of course, that was his fault! Another attempt to find a sharer found only complete novices who couldn't even put a saddle on properly.
I only get to ride once a week now, sometimes twice and my horse is never fit enough for anything much. If the OH is busy, eg haymaking, I don't get to ride at all!
 
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Thankyou for the comments, im alot like you clipcloppop, if someone else rides my horse i will have to be there, even if its a top dressage rider.


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the irony of it is... my horse used to be a riding school horse... so has had millions of different people ride him! i don't know why i'm such a fusspot. my friend is an instructor and has broken/brought on/schooled/SJed many horses... but i watch her ride with my nails digging into my palms. it's not just the riding either. i don't like anyone else even tacking him up. he's a bit cold backed and i really pander to it (i'm allowed to, he's mine). everyone thinks i pander too much to it, so they whack the saddle on and do the girth right up. then wonder why he is sooooo grumpy for them. so, no one is allowed near him without me there, (except in an emergency)... he's my hero.
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[/ QUOTE ] Jack is cold backed too!!
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If he is tacked up properly (saddle on first, then bridle, than boots)-to give his back time to warm up with saddle on, and walked around in hand first for a couple of mins he is a diamond. If someone chucked the saddle on and jumped straight on he would be uncomfortable and probably buck you off.

It all has to be done in a certain way and id worry that it wasnt being done right if i wasnt there. Very uncanny how much we and our boys are similar
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I sold my horse when pregnant the first time. I'm 6 months pregnant at the mo and had planned to ride my mare this time but have terrible pain with siatica so would be worried that i got stuck once i was on!!! The same as some of you guys and couldn't let anybody else ride her so has just been getting lunged a couple of times a week.
Bought her a couple of months after my son was born as couldn't live without a horse! Found it quite easy to ride as OH good at taking the little one, the baby car seat fitted perfectly in the footwell of the tractor! Hoping the next one likes tractors etc so i'm able to get back to it this time!!!
 
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ClipClopp - You HAVE to tell us what you wear!!

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pyjama bottoms... pulled up practically to my armpits. tucked into my chaps (if i can find them) or tucked into long socks and jod boots (long boots won't fit fat legs). i actually hacked out in PJs and long socks last week. then the little monkey tripped over (probably my weight imbalance) so i jumped off... and had to LEAD him down the road for about 2 miles, in that get-up... every car that drove past must have thought i'd escaped from an asylum.

shameful.
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