Riding an in foal mare?

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CrazyCobLady

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Pony is 7 months in-foal. Would she have a problem with being backed and lightly hacked or would you keep her out of work until she foals? I managed to lean across her back today and she was fine so have spent a while considering whether I should back her or not. She's 6 years old so is an ideal age.

Would having a rider on her damage the foal?
 
Personally I wouldn't.

I don't like to ride pregnant mares anyway (imo their job is to grow and birth a healthy foal and that's enough for me).

I definitely wouldn't ride a mare while pregnant if she has never been ridden before- how would you feel if she took fright at something and had a bad experience or got above her station under saddle and you had to straighten her out?
 
millitiger said:
Personally I wouldn't.

I don't like to ride pregnant mares anyway (imo their job is to grow and birth a healthy foal and that's enough for me).

I definitely wouldn't ride a mare while pregnant if she has never been ridden before- how would you feel if she took fright at something and had a bad experience or got above her station under saddle and you had to straighten her out?
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Thank you very much for your reply. I won't be riding her until after she foals, thank you.
 
millitiger said:
Personally I wouldn't.

I don't like to ride pregnant mares anyway (imo their job is to grow and birth a healthy foal and that's enough for me).

I definitely wouldn't ride a mare while pregnant if she has never been ridden before- how would you feel if she took fright at something and had a bad experience or got above her station under saddle and you had to straighten her out?
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I'm kinda inclinded to agree about not starting an unbroken mare whilst in foal - I did lightly ride my mare from about 2 1/2 - 6/7 months pregnant (we basically hacked out, mainly walk and trot) to help control her weight and keep her reasonably fit - I stopped when she started puffing / struggling and we took things very easy. I very much listened to her and didn't stress her out at all but wouldn't have wanted to back her whilst pregnant.
 
I've usually backed & ridden them away before they have been covered.
If a calm one, then will carry on with long reining quietly for short sessions.

If a ridden older mare, we have carried on hacking them out through pregnancy till girth doesn't meet unless there are any complications, with the reasoning that most other species dont stop doing things...

In your situation tho with an unbacked maiden mare, I really would wait untill weaning time :)
 
All my broodmares are retired sound competition horses. We don't ride them except when we want sales videos of their foals and its easier to do this in the arena with the mare being ridden around. After weaning we ride one of the nanny horses and the broodmares are not ridden again until the next years batch of foals need videos taken.

I have loads of riding horses though so my broodmares only jobs are to make babies but I do realize many people are breeding from their riding horses and in this case there's no harm in gentle hacking until the mother no longer wants to be ridden and that's usually once the tack stops fitting at around 6 or 7 months. In your case you're asking if you can back and ride out on hacks a horse who hasn't been backed yet. I would not consider this at all until after the foal is born. If anything untoward happened you might not forgive yourself for not having patience.
 
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