Riding whilst pregnant

[Scheherezade]

Ha ha! Okay! I am very much a believer that in the western world we treat pregnancy like a serious illness... all over the world woman carry on like normal, pop the baby out and carry on the same as before. If your having a difficult pregnancy or birth then your exempt, but otherwise, suck it up, carry on and I say this a five month pregnant mother of three who works, has horses, keeps a home and still manages to have fun!! Limitations are only in your mind.

P.s. don't use this as an invitation to take up vaulting/ sky diving at 30 weeks but within reason..... x

Bloody hell, sorry but as a mother of one baby, with a horse on full livery and a ***** tip for a house, I am going to have to put you on user ignore before I turn green!

 

[BeesKnees]

I would imagine that many of the Midwives and Doctors saying it's fine to continue riding, may have limited knowledge of what is involved and how risky riding can be. It would be interesting to know what their response would be if you re-phrased the question to include the possibility of falling off!

My husband (who is a Doctor and non-horsey) was very nonchalant about me riding generally, until a colleagues wife was paralysed after a fall. After that he was always a bit anxious about it.

It's a personal decision for each woman, and I wouldn't condemn anyone who did carry on, but I wouldn't do it. Yes life is risky, but some risks can be removed.

 

[brighthair]

I'm sorry but I think you should stop.
Accidents can happen. What would you do if you lost of the baby because of an accident? Even the best riders have accidents.
I can 100% understand why the cob's oner said no.

But you could lose your baby doing nothing. My colleague just lost her baby at 33 weeks and has stuck to every guideline going
I think as long as you rode regularly before, and you are not doing anything daft, and you know your horse, carry on. And as long as you aren't having any pregnancy issues (bleeding etc)
You could fall off and lose your baby, you could fall off and be fine. You could sit at home on the sofa for months and lose your baby.

 

[BillyBob-Sleigh]

But you could lose your baby doing nothing. My colleague just lost her baby at 33 weeks and has stuck to every guideline going
I think as long as you rode regularly before, and you are not doing anything daft, and you know your horse, carry on. And as long as you aren't having any pregnancy issues (bleeding etc)
You could fall off and lose your baby, you could fall off and be fine. You could sit at home on the sofa for months and lose your baby.

Yes, but by riding you are greatly increasing those risks. There's risks with almost everything we do in life but some are avoidable.

 

[brighthair]

Yes, but by riding you are greatly increasing those risks. There's risks with almost everything we do in life but some are avoidable.

true, but you take those risks everyday. The baby is pretty well cushioned in there, it's like putting an egg in a jar of water and shaking it to break it. Unless you get a direct blow to the stomach of course. I just think you are no more at risk hacking/plodding/schooling a safe well behaved horse that you know, than you are handling them on the ground. You are far, far more likely to be hit by a car crossing the road, or crash your car, or fall down a flight of stairs

 

[bumblelion]

I stopped riding when I was 16 weeks, partly because the risk of falling was high on my exracer. I still did everything else for my two, mucking out, picking out feet, poo picking etc! I felt competent on my horse but knowing how sharp he was I figured it wasn't worth the risk for a few months! I too am 28 and have been riding for 25 yrs ish! It feels more natural up in the saddle than walking!! Lol! My daughter was born 6 weeks early still though! Even though I didn't ride just doing the groundwork kept me very fit and giving birth was a breeze! Even though my daughter was early she still weighed 6lbs so it wasn't because she was particulary small!
My advice would be do what your body tells you. I would've carried on riding if I'd have a pretty quiet horse, just pootling around the school. My midwife actually encouraged me to keep doing the horses etc and riding. Your body will tell you when enoughs enough! I did feel my balance go though as I got bigger so even if I had ridden longer I think I'd have had to have stopped a bit before full term! Good luck!

 

[a kind of magic]

Congrats! Can I be a member of the new clique?

I'm nearly 18 weeks and although I haven't ridden I do plan to potter around on my old, reliable horse. Hubby carries the hay bales but I am still doing everything else around the horses and handling my stallion and his son. However they are both incredibly docile! I haven't ridden due to circumstances and a blood problem that was affecting my clotting and making me bruise easily (pregnancy related) it seems to be under control and the midwives all said I was OK to ride as long as I understood the risks.

The way I see it, we take risks every day, you aren't supposed to drink, smoke, eat tuna, stilton, camembert, raw eggs or have too much caffeine (and everything else), nor lift anything remotely heavy, have a massage, the list goes on. You could follow it to the letter and still lose your baby, no point in spending 9 months wrapped in cotton wool. Just be sensible, enjoy your horse and listen to your body. You will know when it's time to stop.

 

[stencilface]

Just to say though, the food guidelines are UK ones, try telling french women to give up cheese - they don't, I think the get tested more regularly or something.

But if you're french, life wouldn't be worth living without cheese would it, same as horsey people (with horses, not cheese!)

 

[indie999]

so does that mean you are not handling your horse either in case he kicks you?


And your point is?? I AM NOT PREGNANT! If you want to have risks why bother having all the tests etc to check the baby is fine then? You might as well not bother. The point is reducing the risks to the unborn child. If you are pregnant & get injured thats ok its the unborn child you are risking if you fall off or get kicked in the guts!
I always thought horses were animals and animals can be unpredictable,dangerous sport etc. Well thats what I thought? Its if pregant & you fall off or get a kick in the stomach etc then you could be in trouble.

 

[BeesKnees]

I think we've become a bit blasé about pregnancy and birth in the West precisely because Western medicine has made it so much safer so that women here can have a more 'natural' pregnancy and birth.

The idea that women in the Developing World pop them out and go back to work is a myth. In many parts 1 in 3 women die in childbirth and babies don't survive.

I also wonder whether the change in your balance with a growing bump might make falling off more likely?

Tough choice. I think if I was going to keep riding I'd stick to riding in a school. At least the landing is softer and you're near home!

 

[Laura1812]

i consider riding my horse and caring for him as a lower risk than going to work. my horse is 21 and a homebred. i know him better than i know my husband! i really dont think people should be so judgemental as each situation is so individual. on saturday im going beating i am at risk of being shot or falling over but hopefully these risks are minimal. i am not prepared to live the next 6 months wrapped in cotton wool just in case!

 

[AprilBlossom]

Indie99 and others of the same school of thought - when it's your baby that's cool, you're not going to ride as you feel it's too risky, but stop berating those who do - it's an individual choice. I respect you have your views so please respect mine, as I am choosing to ride sedately until my body tells me to stop.

 

[Booboos]

Just to say though, the food guidelines are UK ones, try telling french women to give up cheese - they don't, I think the get tested more regularly or something.

But if you're french, life wouldn't be worth living without cheese would it, same as horsey people (with horses, not cheese!)

For what it's worth the food guidelines for pregnant women are identical in France are very strongly promoted (I am in the south where, due to the heat, the bacteria affecting unpasteurised cheese, etc. are more prevalent). I was pregnant recently and was told of the risks and which foods to avoid at every opportunity (at least once a month!). Of course whether you take the risk or not is entirely up to you like in the UK.

Blood tests are monthly, not because they assume you will be eating the things they advise you not to, but because the French health care system has a bucket load of money and can afford to be more cautious.

 

[SouthWestWhippet]

I rode until 28 weeks, at that point I was having a lot of hip pain and riding was making it worse. By the end I could only walk and gallop which made for some interesting hacks. Trotting and cantering were agony. I would have kept going longer but it was a case of stopping riding or stopping working and I didn't want to take early maternity and lose time with the baby later. Was back riding 6 weeks after the birth. Could have ridden a lot sooner on a physical level but was totally in the newborn baby love zone and didn't really want to leave my daughter at all before then!

I worked with horses full time until 36 weeks, was an RDA teacher so assisting clients with often limited mobility and/or understanding in and out of the saddle and teaching them all day long. Was MUCH more physically demanding and probably higer risk to riding my sensible haffie as clients could be unpredictable as well as the horses they rode.

By the time I stopped riding, I could only dismount leg over the front, was fine until one day my pony lifted his head at the worst possible moment and I accidentally kicked him in the head felt very guilty - he got LOTS of carrots afterwards!

I think you have to listen to your body but also be aware that as your stomach muscles stretch and seperate you will lose a lot of the 'core' strength which riders use to keep them on in times of emergancy.

 

[Tickles]

My other half has asked me not to take that risk with unborn children and I may not have chosen to anyway.

It isn't the riding it is the potential falling that is my/our personal concern.

Riding (any animal however safe) is a risk sport and increases my risk of falling from a height and/or at speed compared to other exercise I enjoy.

My body yes.

But not 'my' baby.

Not even 'our' baby.

As my grandmother used to say 'you don't own your children, you just look after them for a while'.

And I won't take that risk with them.

Most women of child bearing age have decades of potential non-pregnant riding time ahead of them. A few months is nothing.

 

[caitlin95uk]

I'm sure it would be the same with driving or in fact travelling anywhere in a car or any other transport anything can happen to you where ever you are and I'm a fair believer of everything happens for a reason,

 

[NeverSayNever]

well it seems the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists disagree with their own website.

Taken from current issue of Scottsh Rider magazine, I think it sums things up nicely.

 

[weesophz]

a woman at my yard is pregnant and is due in january. it took her a long time to get pregnant and she hasnt ridden the whole time shes been pregnant. she also gets her husband to help her with everything from lifting water buckets to walking her horse in hand. would you really want to risk the baby's health just for a wee plod about? id think about it carefully. obviously its up to you but i wouldnt say its a good idea, plus the pregnancy is only short term, having your horses is a long term thing and theyll still be there when youve had the baby.

 

[Tickles]

"...providing you don't risk a fall."

Erm, you're riding. So you risk falling.

 

[MileAMinute]

I'm not pregnant, and won't be for the foreseeable future (!) but I personally couldn't/wouldn't risk it.
Odds are I'm going to have a very difficult pregnancy which will prob mean hospitalisation due to ongoing conditions.

Regardless of that, I still wouldn't ride while pregnant, horses are unpredictable animals.

I ride a cob mare that you could put a 3 year old on and trust her with their life. I wouldn't hesitate to let anyone on her, as long as owner gave permission.

Last week out hacking she slipped coming off grass onto tarmac, fell to her knees and I came off. Total freak accident, she's normally 110% balanced.

It's all very well and good saying 'I trust my horse' or 'I know he/she won't do anything'. That may be true, but accidents DO happen!

I'm not preaching, but guys, just be careful! x

 

[noblesteed]

Dear me people are very judgemental on here! All I can say is you won't know HOW you are going to feel until you fall pregnant yourself. I was sure that once I was pregnant I wouldn't want to ride any more, but I was surprised to find that I did! In fact I became even more confident, and really tuned in with my horse. I couldn't believe how gentle and trustmorthy my horse has been with me, and am absolutely gutted to have had to stop riding due to medical reasons. Being pregnant and poorly has made me feel like a useless baby-vessel - I can't do my job properly, can't go out with my friends, and now can't ride or look after my horse properly, or even walk properly for that matter. Yes I am very excited about my baby but 9 months is a long time and at least riding kept me from going stir-crazy! My husband is really suffering - he wanted me to keep riding because he knows how it calms me. I miss having the connection with my horse although I try to spend time with him every day even though it is painful for me to walk.

There are many things that cause a risk to pregnancy. The midwife said I would be just as likely to fall down the stairs, crash my car, trip over etc etc. I felt MUCH safer on my horse than I do driving my car with a seatbelt right across my growing baby! And at work I risk being hit by a child or catching a damaging illness off one of them. You can't just wrap yourself in cotton wool for 9 months, that wouldn't be good for anyone! Your body tells you what you can and can't do.

 

[ausipaliboi]

I read page 1 and then skipped through to last page.

I stopped riding when I was 6 weeks preg with my first baby. I had an unpredictable horse (when ridden) and suffered pretty badly during the preg, though I was determined to continue picking out his hooves and did so up to the morning I went into labour

I have been thoroughly enjoying riding my friends old bomb proof pony and should I fall pregnant I would have no issues with continuing to ride her. Considering my 'rides' last about half an hour and consist of walking down the road to pick at grass I should be right

When I was preg first time I was part of a different forum, a very similar post to this came up with mixed answers as expected. One story I heard was a friend of an OP rode every day (an instructor I think). She was still riding at 8 months I believe and it took her OH and friend to get her into the saddle. She only stopped riding because OH and friend had enough of getting her up on horse!

 

[Booboos]

noblesteed if you want you can avoid driving with the seatbelt across the bump. There are a variety of products that adjust normal seatbelts, e.g.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&...=aps&hvadid=9026387945&ref=pd_sl_2jhr0qj00i_b

and ensure that should an accident occur the seatbelt does not tighten around the bump.

 

[freckles22uk]

I rode until the day before my daughter was born, (she was 3 weeks early) only gentle hacking at the end, but at 5 months I did a 3 hour sponsered ride.. I rode my mums horse that I knew and trusted, I found its was the most comfy place to be, as the baby would get right under my ribs, but sitting on a horse made me sit straight and releive the discomfort... though I had to stand on a low wall to get on and off!! haha...

Daughter is 18 now, and is horsey, but sadly the horse I rode (Sherry) died 3-4 weeks ago aged 31! and was still owned by my mum..

I was told by family not to ride, the doctor said it was risky, but also stated that his wife skiied while pregnant and that was risky too...

I think you have to make your own mind up,

But congrats to all you pregnant ladies.. and good luck..

oh, and did anyone tell you giving birth is like passing a pineapple ;-)

 

[NeverSayNever]

"...providing you don't risk a fall."

Erm, you're riding. So you risk falling.

If you read the article it actually further explains that they see women who have had falls every day and it is very rare that it actually harms the baby. Its about minimising risk - as many have said they are more likely to fall walking down the stairs. You risk an accident every time you get in your car or cross the street. Noone wants to risk falling or harming their unborn child but you cant control all risks in life and live in a cocoon worrying about 'what ifs'. For many women, who have minimised the risk as much as they can, continuing to ride is actually beneficial on many levels.


I do think that as long as your partner is in full agreement and its been discussed with your MW, really no one else has the right to judge. Everyone has the right to an opinion of course but there are too many individuals who feel it is their God given right to preach. Noblesteed - amen to that.

 

[kirstykate]

I actually went into labour on my horse and had my beautiful daughter 3 hrs later!!

 

[jessie7]

I think it is up to you BUT.............I think when pregnant we have to remember that it isn't just OUR baby!!! If my OH was unhappy about me riding whilst pregnant I would stop - it is his baby too!

 

[Colleen_Miss_Tom]

Lol no wonder I don't frequent on here much anymore .

The op asked for opinions and advice, No one has been judgemental .

Opinionated yes, shared views ...yes, judgemental ....no

 

[Sarah1]

Wow! This one is going on & on isn't it?!

End of the day it's OP decision (along with partner of course!) and as OP already has 3 children I'm sure she'll do as much she feels capable of doing.

I'm not even sure that opinions/advice were necessary because poster is not a 1st time Mum so knows all the ins & outs of the matter - she was probably just blowing off a bit of steam!

As I say I rode up to 20 weeks and handled my horse right up to giving birth but what suited me wouldn't suit everyone. My daughter is perfect. Maybe I was just lucky but given my time over would I do the same thing?...yes...but thats my decision...do I care what other people think (outside of my family)?...absolutely not and I'm sure OP feels the same

 

[BeesKnees]

Lol no wonder I don't frequent on here much anymore .

The op asked for opinions and advice, No one has been judgemental .

Opinionated yes, shared views ...yes, judgemental ....no

Absolutely - which is a.) what the OP asked for, and b.) surely the point of a forum!!

I never understand why people frequent a forum and then criticise others for discussing the issue and giving opinions Even if it does go 'beyond' the remit of the original question, that is the point of discussion groups!

I don't see anyone judging or berating as one poster called it. And actually the 'stop' group are no more vociferous or absolute in their views than the 'keep riding' group.