Returning to riding after pregnancy

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wings

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This is my first post on this forum, so 'hello everyone'!

I am 26 weeks pregnant at the moment. I stopped riding when I found out I was pregnant, and I am itching to ride again! Very sadly, my share horse of 6 years passed away a few months ago, so I will have to find a new share horse if I want to return to riding. This is also something that worries me, as I will have to find a new horse while not having ridden for so long. I always find it quite nerve wrecking to get on a horse I don't know, and this will only be worse because I know my body won't yet do what it used to do.... I am planning to take a few lessons at a riding school first, to get back into shape for riding, but it's hard to find a good riding school.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me their experiences of returning to riding after being pregnant. For example, how long did it take before you were back in the saddle? Did you find you had lost a lot of muscle/strength, and/or confidence? Did your baby become your only priority in life or did you still have the same interest in horses?

Here is a pic of my lovely previous share and me:
GreatBookham2007_09_23.jpg
 
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Gorgeous horse, sorry to hear he passed away :(

I went back to riding around 2 years after I had my son. I ended up splitting with my partner while still pregnant, so being a single parent I a) had no energy for anything else b) no money for anything else and c) no time for anything else haha so when I realised it had been two years I got my bum in gear and booked a lesson!

It was really scary the first time, purely because it had been so long, nothing to do with the fact I'd had a baby. I have a friend who complained of having a sore pelvic area after she went back to riding after pregnancy - it passed, but I had a c section, not a natural birth, so I didn't have any problems like that.

I was obviously very stiff, very unbalanced, and I hate to tell you, but baby brain NEVER GOES AWAY! So I felt like a complete beginner, having to learn all the 'lingo' again haha
 
Hiya I no how your feeling, I've got four children my youngest is four months old. After getting over the labour I'm always desperate to get back in the saddle, even if its only once a week. Maybe you could have riding lessons to build your confidence or until you find a share xxx
 
What a gorgeous horse! So sorry he passed away.

I got back in the saddle 7 weeks after a c-section but I have my own horses at home so I felt a bit of pressure to get going again. I think if you don't have responsibility for a specific horse you are in the best position. Have the baby, see how you feel both physically and mentally and when you are ready take lessons at a riding school. That way you can decide how often you ride and how much you do without the pressure of keeping a horse fit.

I found I couldn't really school effectively for the first 6 months and my abdominals are still messed up (19m after birth) because they were split in the middle with the pregnancy. I am still not fit as I used to be but I don't have the time to ride nearly as much as I used to.
 
Firstly Congratulations :D

I have 3 children and after my last who is now 3 1/2 I was riding within a week. Luckily it was a warm summer so I was outside with her all the time anyway.
Just take your time and start up as soon as you feel ready to. It meant alot to me to just have a bit of a break and time out to myself.
 
Congratulations, I got on my steddy old boy who'd been ridden by a sharer 2 weeks after, which tbh was too soon, it hurt and I didn't try again for another 3 weeks.
I took it slow for a good few months, didn't get back on my boy (who was off while I was!) until I was a bit fitter - but he can have his moments!
I'd see about a few lessons when your ready to get your fitness back up before going to try new share horses.
Your core stabilty will take some time to come back but fitness will be helped by running after your newborn!!
 
Congratulations and sorry for the loss of loan horse!

The riding lessons will get you back on track and you will wonder why you were so worried :D I gave up at 6 months pregnant and got back on just over a week after (own horse) BUT i'll never forget this bit - use a mounting block! I never thought about muscles being weak and tried to mount 14.2hh pony from the floor, it didnt go well lol but I did eventually make it. Also pelvic floor exercises are a must even if you think you are fine - pop a course of jumps you will soon see lol! I went to a hunter trial 3 months after baby and my boy took a jump really big, I actually peed a little EMBARRASSING!!! I did find it funny though luckily :)

I think time wise to ride is different for everyone but if you are the sort of person who just gets on with things and doesn't cling to your baby you will find time. Good luck with everything xx
 
I rode 10 days after a natural delivery, no stitches. I felt fine but I rode up until two weeks before I had my son.

I rode my lovely old boy who is now retired, a bit spooky but never bucked or reared so I trusted him completely.
 
Hi, congratulations. I have a 4 month old and also gave up once I found out I was pregnant, and put my show jumper out on loan. 6 weeks after giving birth I bought an unbacked 3 year old, and am now back riding regularly. My stomach muscles also split during pregnancy and I had an emergency c section, but these haven't caused any bother in terms of my riding
 
With son no.1 a week after he was born (natural), son no.2 6weeks as i had a c section. With my daughter i got on after 2weeks, i over did it (i didnt feel right after birth but carried on) i was very poorly after (due to poor aftercare :()Im not trying to scare you by the way! I think it all depends on your birth, how your feeling etc just maked sure your 100% before getting back on :) dont push your selftoo hard with your first few rides and congrats, sorry for the loss of horse what a stunner!
 
Congratulations. :)

I rode till I was 8 months pregnant but didn't start again properly because of circumstances until My daughter was 6 months old.

I had an emergency section but healed very quickly and was driving after a month.

I had to buy a new horse when I started again so it was a bit daunting and I felt like a lump of lard crossed with a weeble but it improved very quickly and now I have been riding 7 months although my tummy is still horrid I am pretty fit and strong and a days hunting is no bother.

Good luck with it all, go at the pace for you and don't push yourself.
 
Thanks for the replies. It's really good to read about others' experiences. And it's good to know some people manage to get back to riding quite quickly. I was reading some advice on the internet about not riding for 6 months, as your ligaments/joints will have loosened due to pregnancy/breastfeeding hormones. That sounds a little excessive though!

I guess it all depends on the birth (fingers crossed for no stitches!), and how you cope with living with a baby afterwards. I think being at home with a baby 24 hours a day would drive me mad though, so I hope I can make some time for riding to get away from it all.
 
Hi, I have a 9 month old baby.
I had pelvic instability when I was pregnant so I only managed to ride til I was about 20 weeks. I put my horse on part-loan to a teenager and gave her lessons on him til I was about to drop! I was even lunging him when my baby was 1 week overdue!
I have an induced, assisted delivery with stitches - couldn't even bear to sit in the car for a week!
Due to my pelvis I wasn't allowed to ride for 3 months, but before then I went to a riding school and went for a hack on the safest old plod they had! I was fine. I have just really got over the problems with my pelvis and hips, and still having physio, I still get the odd twinge so can't really school more than once a week, but it's winter and the mucking out is really sorting out my core muscles!
 
Hi, first of all congratulations. I returned to riding after 5 weeks with my daughter, with whom I had an emergency C section, and 3 weeks after my son (planned C section). You will know what feels right and when it is time to get back on board.

Where about are you? Someone on here might have a horse available for you to share.

All the best.
 
Hello and congratulations :)

Thought I would share my experience as I was in a similar position recently.

I have a TB gelding & a 5 month old son. I stopped riding as soon as I found out (last December) and only returned to riding this December. I had a c-section.

To be honest I would have returned to riding sooner than I did (although the op and major lack of sleep still put this on hold for at least 10 weeks!) but my horse became a nightmare to handle. I became a little worried about handling him to be honest and when I went to ride for the first time, I lead him out of the field and he attacked me!

He's now much better and so is my confidence, my stomach muscles have all but disappeared so it's going to take a while for me to get back to my previous riding strength. I'm not sure if it would be as bad with a natural birth or not.

My confidence did go down not just because of my nutty horse but I was worried about getting hurt and not being able to look after my baby (or worst still, getting killed!) Other mum's I have spoken to relayed similar experiences of self preservation. Confidence issues do pass, although you may always be a lot more cautious than you were before your pregnancy.

I must admit I love my son more than anything else in the world and spending time with him is by far my favourite hobby now. But getting out for a ride a few times a week, on my own, with my horse, helps to recharge the batteries, refresh my mind and get some exercise. I feel so much better for it, even if I have to push myself out the door sometimes!

It's quite easy to fall into a pattern of staying with your baby 24/7 but it's definitely important to have other interests too - no one wants to be friends with the woman whose only interests involve poopy nappies and how many hours sleep you can manage in a week! ;)

Enjoy your pregnancy, look forward to riding and just take it at your own pace. There's no race to get back in the saddle, you'll know when you feel ready. It's different for everyone.

Good luck with it all. x
 
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