To those who continued to ride during pregnancy...

LauraBR

LauraBR

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... I'm just wondering how long you carried on riding for, and how you found it?

I am 22 weeks pregnant now and still riding. I appreciate this is a contentious topic with many people believing it too big a risk to take getting on a horse at all but it is something I thought long and hard about and considered VERY carefully at the start of my pregnancy; I have the full support of my GP and I'm confident carrying on is right for me, until I decide it is the 'right time' to stop.
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I am lucky to have a very sensible horse, and a nice big indoor to potter about in; I stopped jumping and hacking months ago and just school him gently really.

I thought I would feel uncomfortable once I got a bit of a bump but so far I really don't- there is no hiding the fact I am pregnant now yet once on board I really don't feel any different at all? In fact, I think it is doing me the world of good- just a nice amount of exercise, it helps use muscles in my shoulders and back that I'm having trouble with day to day due to my posture changing and it really has a de-stress happy endorphin effect on me.

Anyway, to those who made similar choices during their pregnancies- at what point did you decide to call it a day? And why? Really interested to hear how others' found it?
 
I continued competing until 6 months and carried on hacking and schooling until a couple of weeks before my 1st child was born. The downside of this was an extremely long labour which the midwife put down to me being too fit and my muscles and ligaments too strong to stretch easily!

I only hacked during my second pregnancy until about 5 months because;
1 its hard to fit in riding around an energetic 2 year old and
2 my second baby had an ectopic twin which needed emergancy surgery to remove and my scar was stretching with my bump and causing a lot of pain!

The best bit of advice a doctor gave me was "if it hurts, don't do it"!
 
When I was pregnant the first time I rode every day until I was past my due date, but I only rode my own horse who I trusted as much as you can trust a horse. I used to get alot of people telling me that it was wrong - even abuse off cars driving past - but my gp said it was fine and that because i rode alot my muscles were very strong and i had an easy birth and got back to my normal size very quickly.

My second pregnancy is another story!!
 
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The best bit of advice a doctor gave me was "if it hurts, don't do it"!

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Sounds like something my doctor would say
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Interesting about being too fit etc... you'd think being stronger and fitter would have a positive effect rather than a negative one?
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Hi,
I stopped riding the day i found out i was expecting, but my pregnancy has been full of ups and downs. I rode once when one of my mares was being naughty for my hubby when i knew i was expecting but i just didnt feel right.
I am now thou full of regret.
My 'main' riding mare, i last rode on the Wed 18th July 07, she was her typical hyper self but i had her goin really well, I found out i was expecting on the 20th July and that was that. Very tragically, i lost my mare yesterday in a freak accident and i am now full of regret that she had pretty much been retired since i found out i was expecting. I know its kind of a different situation but i now really wish i had just walked around the indoor with her before my double bump grew.
I guess i have learnt the hard way not to take your horse for granted and i hate to say it, but at the moment i resent my unborn twins for me missing out on the last 6 months of my mares life. Its early days thou and i am not coping well with loosing her.
I would now def say as long as you feel comfortable and trust your horse - go for it!
 
I carried on riding gently into the 9th month. I test rode a horse for my husband to buy when I was about 5-6 months pregnant (the owner was terrified!) It always frightened other people more than it worried me. I stopped when I simply couldn't get off any more without just rolling off.

However - my son was very overdue and eventually I needed to have an emergency C section - the tough ligaments around my back, possibly due to riding, caused real problems for getting the epidural in, in fact the first snapped off and is still in my back and they had to have a second go. That was the only complication though and I am convinced my fitness helped me afterwards - I was back on board after a month.
 
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I used to get alot of people telling me that it was wrong - even abuse off cars driving past!

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Blimey, people shouting at you from cars?!
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TBH I have learned not even to mention to non-horsey people that I'm still riding. I too would never ride any horse but my own who I know well enough to trust a great deal- and know well enough what situations NOT to put him in too.

Has really cheered me up to hear that you both enjoyed riding for so long!
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So sorry to hear about your mare
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It's odd but I think if I was pregnant with twins I would feel differently about riding. Maybe because of the higher risks involved in a multiple pregnancy?

I'm sure once you have your babies in your arms any resentment lingering will melt away x
 
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I stopped when I simply couldn't get off any more without just rolling off.


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That is the only time the bump gets in the way- getting off!
 
Z stopped riding when she could no longer be comfortable and get off safely. She made it to about 7 months but the risk of hurting herself when getting off was too great - her 2 horses were 17hh+! She told us she was teaching the baby to ride
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and needless to say, baby - aged 2 - happily potters up the lane on her pony
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Our friend who is 7mths pregnant is still HUNTING - altho she's stopped jumping. But she is very petite with a tiny bump and has hunted all her life. She has turned her two younger horses away and is just riding the old mare that she's had for 12 years. But she did say she'll probably stop soon cos the bump is just starting to touch the pommel of the saddle.
She's very fit and healthy and has had a completely trouble free pregancy despite being near the big 4-0. Some people have it made!
 
During my first pregnancy I rode all the way through on my 17.1hh arab x hanoverian and the midwife commented that this led me to having a strong pelvic floor and was what led me to have a fairly short labour despite having to be induced! my 2nd I didnt have a horse
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and this time round I intended to ride all the way through on my 16.1hh irish draught mare who is an angel although fairly lively she even used to give me a little lift up when I was mounting towards the end...
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but unfortunately had to give up at 4 months due to severe SPD although it was fine when I was on I couldnt walk after getting off LOL bloody painful - I cant wait to start again.
 
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but unfortunately had to give up at 4 months due to severe SPD although it was fine when I was on I couldnt walk after getting off LOL bloody painful - I cant wait to start again.

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Poor you!
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When are you due? Or have you recently had a baby?
 
I continued to hack my 17.2 ex racehorse out up until the day before I had my baby (and only didnt ride on the day I had him because I was suddenly diagnosed with acute pre-eclampsia and it was all a bit of an emergency, even though Id been complaining about it for a couple of months
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).

I went through a phase of finding cantering uncomfortable, and didnt do much cantering after about 30 weeks or so, because my horse was quite strong and I'd get a stitch if I fought with him. I was lucky in that my bump wasnt at all obvious, some people didnt even realise I was pregnant. I think it kept me fit, happy and trim, and negated the need to lose any post baby weight at all.

Edited to say - the only difficulty I had was with getting off, I had to park him next to a fence/tall bank and even then it wasnt a pretty sight
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PS. Despite what the Doc may say, it doesn't hurt at all to ride with stitches, I did and lived to tell the tale
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Our YO kept riding (gentle schooling on her more trusted horses) until prob 2 weeks before her due date. She was very lucky and she hardly showed until probably 8 months!!! She had a really easy birth (4hrs no stitches) and we are all convinced its because she was so fit and healthy... good stomach muscles!

I think as long as you are happy riding then its up to you. Your body will tell you when it cant cope anymore!
 
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I think it kept me fit, happy and trim, and negated the need to lose any post baby weight at all.


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That is exactly how I see it!

I'm actually surprised to hear how many of you were able to carry on riding for so long
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- not what I expected to hear when I posted!
 
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Your body will tell you when it cant cope anymore!

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I'm sure it will! It's funny how I can ride without any trouble for a good half an hour but seem incapable of standing still in a shopping queue for more than about 5 minutes without almost passing out lol!
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I used to get alot of people telling me that it was wrong - even abuse off cars driving past!

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Blimey, people shouting at you from cars?!
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TBH I have learned not even to mention to non-horsey people that I'm still riding. I too would never ride any horse but my own who I know well enough to trust a great deal- and know well enough what situations NOT to put him in too.

Has really cheered me up to hear that you both enjoyed riding for so long!
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To quote an old phrase; pregnancy is a condition, NOT an illness.

As long as you have no complications, and your GP is happy, there is no need to stop doing something that brings you so much enjoyment. You could fall and land awkwardly while out shopping, so unless you have a victorian style confinement, or wrap yourself up in cotton wool, everything you do could be classed as a risk...

If you get any people shouting at you out of cars, just shout back that you're not pregnant, you're just fat.
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If you get any people shouting at you out of cars, just shout back that you're not pregnant, you're just fat.
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LMAO! I was reliably informed the other day by my darling husband that my bum is indeed looking bigger
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I rode as much as I liked with all three of mine and none seem to have suffered any ill effects. I was never comfier than when in the saddle. Good quick labours and easy births. My mum wasn't happy though.
 
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If you get any people shouting at you out of cars, just shout back that you're not pregnant, you're just fat.
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LMAO! I was reliably informed the other day by my darling husband that my bum is indeed looking bigger
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Cheeky devil!
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You do realise that you could have caused him grievous injury for that comment, and got away with it due to your hormone levels?
It might be worth bearing in mind for future reference...
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You do realise that you could have caused him grievous injury for that comment, and got away with it due to your hormone levels?
It might be worth bearing in mind for future reference...
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LOL! I think my actual words in response were quite simply- "tough [****]"

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Hi!

I rode up until a week before giving birth. I gave up then because my horse went lame with an infection in her leg NOT because I was so pregnant!

Ok, I gave up hacking a month before, did not jump from when I found out I was pregnant and generally didn't do anything "risky' but still did all other flatwork things - riding kept me fit and happy and I would have been VERY unhappy had I not had my horse then and now!!! I got back on after 2 weeks too once I started to be less sore...
 
This is me riding H at 8 months pregnant - I was told by my trainer to stop riding as she wasn't prepared to teach me any longer! LOL!
I rode and didn't worry about it - I did have the occassional "oops my bladder" moment which was rather hliarious! But like you I found it very theraputic! My mare also became an angel whilst I was preg as though she knew the score!
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Kate x
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I rode up to 8 months, hacking only, with both my pregnancies. With my 2nd one, my hips tended to ache, probably because of the ligaments lossening but I just gritted my teeth! Only stopped because he was 16 2HH and didn't like me throwing my leg over his neck to slide off.

Both labours were very long (funnily enough, both were 62 hours) which midwives put down to strong pelvic muscles from riding. Who knows of it'd been any different if I hadn't ridden though??
 
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