Riding when pregnant

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babeandbessy

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When pregnant have you or are you riding? I'm 12 weeks and only ride my older mare once or twice a week, won't ride my youngster as he's just too unpredictable but my OH doesn't want me riding at all :/ Should I stop riding or carry on I don't know??
 
Completely an individual decision. I rode once a week just walking and trotting, but my pony is safe as houses. That's not to say something would never go wrong- they're animals at the end of the day! I rode until 24 weeks when it just got uncomfortable.
Have to say that if my OH really didn't want me to ride, I probably wouldn't have done, it's his baby too. *awaits someone to comment I'm under the thumb!*
 
A very personal decision and only one you can make.
Pros
it keeps you sane
sensible midwives/ doctors will tell you to keep doing what your body is used to (don't take up riding/ sking/ mountin biking etc. but if that's what you do - fine)
Being fit will help in birth and looking after new baby
Baby is pretty well protected where they are
Accidents can happen anywhere - car crashes for example

Cons
Even a lovely steady horse can trip and fall
You are at more risk of a fall then if you were just on your feet
Ongoing debate over whether strong pelvic muscles are good or bad during birth - too quick a birth leads to tearing (sorry if TMI)
You have to consider you OH's feelings as it is his baby too
Could you forgive yourself if something terrible did happen?

With my son I rode (and competed XC on not perfect horse) until about 18 weeks, the snow stopped play and I was too big to get back on him when it had gone.
I took a friend SJ (safely watching from the warmth of the viewing area) and she fell off and broke both bones in her leg, really nasty -I went into labour that night and gave birth at only 29 weeks - stress of it (and staying with her in ambulance/ A&E) - we will never know - I suspect I'd have been safer competing than watching tho !

I'm now 20 weeks pregnant again and stopped almost immediately and am taking it very easy - I guess I now have the knowledge of what you go through when things don't go to plan - it is making me miserable and I have seriously thought about hopping on for a little hack (especially as the sun was finally out today) I probably won't sadly!
 
Same as above. One of my friends rode until the week before she gave birth to her first baby. She's just had her 2nd, but stopped riding at about 4 months with him cos he made her uncomfortable. Im pregnant & will continue to ride for as long as Im able. However, Im only riding one of my own & we wont be jumping or anything mad. I've had her for 11 years & trust her as much as it's possible to trust a horse. My mum HATES that Im refusing to stop, but at the end of the day, i think my mare is safer than some of the idiots on the road, yet nobody expects u to stop driving. My oh hasn't asked me to not ride. Im not sure what id do if he did, but i know he won't.
 
Well im 22 weeks and still happily riding. Its up to you, how you feel and how happy you are with your horse.
I enjoy the exercise. I hack and school although getting to the point where I have to do a xc position in canter as its too bouncy otherwise lol. Hacking I stick to walk and trot.
Im going to carry on until it feels uncomfortable or I feel its time to stop.
My horse is a 7yr old ex racer but ive had him since he was 4 and he is a laidback, trusty worthy horse.
I ride about 4x per week, lunge once and pay someone to jump him once a week and do some competitions. My horse likes working.He'll probably havea month or two off when baby comes.
 
i rode every day with my first , includeing the day i had her, went xc at nearly 5 months gone over small course. second baby i had pubis symphis (sp?) and couldnt ride at all.. it up to you and each pregnancy is different , do what you are happy with . xx
 
I rode right up till the night before she was born. But, I've had her forever, I know her inside out, she's very safe & trustworthy & far more chance of falling on my own feet than off her. So I think not only is it a decision based on what you think, its the horse too. There isn't a right or wrong imo, its how you feel.
 
I.m 23weeks and rode for last time last weekend. I couldn't actually get off as my belly (which is still really small) was in the way of the pommel. I couldn't swing my leg over!! Lol it was quite hilarious but I managed to slide off somehow.

How on earth did you get off littlelegs????
 
36" legs & a 14.2! Yard had a wall type thing that was level with a raised lawn thing, which was actually above the height of my feet. So when I got off at first, was easy to just dismount as normal but onto wall. When I got too big for that, I'd get someone to help & swing my leg over the front straight onto the wall. Not something I would have felt happy doing on anything else but her though.
 
I didn't but I know lots of ladies that did, some carried on hunting.

It is entirely your decision, but I don't think it is worth falling out with your oh over.
 
Ah yes, that's how I got off in the end :D didn't have a wall, would have been really useful though... :rolleyes:

Trotting I found harder to do and if you do want to continue, I found it easier to put my stirrups up and also do Xc position for canter. Infact I found it better just to walk or canter. Hated trotting for any length of time, I would just lift my arse out the saddle but even so it was a bit uncomfortable... Oh and I sneezed on my last ride and wet myself!! Not a good look on the old saddle.... Lol too much info, I know but you gotta be open about these things :D
 
I didn't, but I was breaking in my youngster at the time.. But prob wouldn't have any way if he had been safe and older.. but I had suffered a miscarriage and wasn't going to risk anything
 
I am 17 weeks and still riding but just hacking out a few times a week. Went to the hunt meet today but went for a hack instead of going with them.
Last baby I rode til about 20 weeks but I had symphis pubis thingy so had to stop because of that. I am hoping this time I may not get it as bad but docs think I will. So I will ride as long as I physically can, then stop.
OH is fine with me just hacking about. i wouldn't hunt or do anything daft, and I've had my horse 5 years and trust him.
I think driving is much more dangerous. I had a car crash at 8 weeks - totally not my fault, someone just drove into me. Thank goodness no harm was done but it brought it home how vulnerable you are. Midwife just says that I could just as easily fall downstairs as fall off my horse - so it's up to me!
 
I rode until I couldn't do my jods up any more and then gave up. This was about 18 weeks I think and I was jumping still at that point (only little though).

I did give up driving at about 36 weeks as well as I could no longer bend forward enough to see out of our driveway, and had to give up washing up as my belly was too big for me to be able to reach the taps!

Good luck with it all!
 
I stopped hacking out shortly after I found out, but got on to gently school him in the field until I was about 20 weeks, then I started to feel too worried about falling off.
My horse is a bit on the edgy side though, I may of carried on a few more weeks if he was a well mannered plod!
 
Lol Tallyho, I found the opposite, the weight of my bump used to pull me forwards in xc position, I gave up galloping when I no longer felt 100% balanced in anything but upright position. And the last few weeks, with her head fully engaged, on the horse was the most comfortable place.
 
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