To loan or not to loan during pregnancy...

[Spookywood]

A WWYD post...

I am 11 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. At 14wks I have to have an abdominal operation that will take roughly 6weeks to recover from at which point I'm assuming I will be too large/unfit/sack of potatoes that I probably shouldn't get back on (coupled with the fact the horse will be a tad fresh having also had 6 weeks off!) I had planned (hoped for) our first full season of eventing this year - horse is feeling the best she ever has and going great.

Due to said operation I will have to have a C-section and therefore will have a period of recovery at the end of pregnancy also, so looking like the end of the year Nov/Dec time at the earliest before I'm back on board (everything crossed!)

My dilemma is - do I loan her out/get a share for someone to keep her ticking over and compete her over the summer, building on our competing experience we started at the end of last year. Also means it will be easy for me to get back on and get going with her.

or

turn her away for 3/4 of a year and pick her back up again for next year.

She is my horse of a lifetime and I would be devastated if she got injured but on the same vein I'm loathe to go back to square one with her as it's taken us 18 months to get to this point.

WWYD??

 

[Notimetoride]

I would struggle to loan mine out. I would rather turn the horse away and give it a period of down time. Often does horses the world of good.

 

[xDundryx]

I turned mine away last year when I was 6 months pregnant, gave him 5 months down time, shoes of, hairy in the field with some buddies. Brought him back into work when mini person was 2 months old.

He would have been hard to loan (young TB out of racing) and it would have been harder to keep tabs on a loaner in amongst work, antenatal appointments and nappies!

He came back super, really tough with better feet and a new outlook x

 

[Denbob]

My friend got lucky and found someone to loan her 7yo without riding when she got pregnant. They do groundwork with him and keep him happy and occupied without riding and potentially injuring/undoing the work she's put into him. It's still a long period of down time but works out financially and means he is well looked after and fussed over. It's not going to be getting back on a competition fit horse, but it's better than back to square one as he is still doing the odd long-reining/lunge/pole work and being handled regularly. My point being there are people out there that kind of hit the middle ground and will give you peace of mind without doing too much.

Best of luck whatever you decide and congratulations!

 

[PaddyMonty]

IF you can find the right rider then a share would be ok. You can then keep track of what is happening to horse and step in if not happy.
There are experienced riders out there looking to keep a horse ticking over.

 

[MuddyTB]

A loan/share on your yard or very local where you can keep an eye on everything, (and know people who could keep you updated), might work well.
Could you afford to pay a professional rider to keep her ticking over a handful of times a week? We have a girl on our yard who is a nice rider and will ride other horses for £5 to £8 a time.

 

[Breagha]

I am currently pregnant (22 weeks) and my friend who is a novice has taken the ride on my mare. Which I think is working out well as I am managing to teach her to ride Breagha without people thinking they know better. I have to remember Breagha is only 6. I am still getting on here and there but nothing much but my husband is also riding her to keep what she has been taught in her head.

I had someone message me to take her on but I just couldnt bring myself to let it happen. I think if my friend didnt step up, my husband would have had to ride her more or I would have turned her away.

 

[Breagha]

Oh and congratulations too

 

[googol]

Why don’t you try to get a sharer at your current yard? I am 19 weeks and had planned just to let my horse tick over with some light work throughout my pregnancy but about 6 weeks ago he went lame and got lammi and has been diagnosed with EMS so once he’s sound, work will be a critical part of his management. I have decided I will probably need to look for a sharer to ensure he gets enough work while I am preggers and potentially for a few weeks after giving birth(argh saying that still creeps me out lol). I think the pressure that will be relieved by him getting enough work, will outweigh the potential stress of having a sharer. I haven’t done anything like this before but my new motto is to take each thing at a time instead of worrying about everything all at once! So why don’t you try a sharer and see how it works out for a bit.

 

[tallyho!]

I think you've just got to find what's right for you and whatever will give you peace of mind during these months. Don't stress yourself out.

If you can find a loan home, up to your standards then I don't think there's much wrong in that. If you can find a rider to ride from your current place then thats also an option. There's always a professional yard to consider and I have also sent my mare to such places with no problems even though the cost is more than double - that is the price we pay for having horses I suppose. I think, if I couldn't have afforded riders/livery then I think I would just turn away - not an option for most adult horses though due to lami risk - although......... having said that, I have just found out there are two paddock paradise barefoot yards I would consider not that far from me!