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Horse riding

Hi,

Is there anyone out there who does a lot of horse riding or owns a horse? I am 11 weeks pregnant and would like to know how any of you coped with riding during pregnancy and when having a young baby.

I look after a 15.2 coloured cob (a chicken on the road, but currently too fat/unfit to cause any trouble) and currently go out on hacks in weekends. Schooling & evening hacking is a bit of a disaster in winter with all that rain and dark at 4 image(. I'd like to hear how long you have been able to cope with riding, how hubby/new daddy is reacting and how you managed once the baby is born. Baby is due early June, so i would really hope to start riding quite quickly again, so there is still something left of our first competition season.

The owner of the horse is fine with me riding as long as I promise to be careful and ask for help and my trainer also does not seem to have any problems with it at the moment. Doctor seems more worried and actually thinks it would have been better to stop riding and keep playing hockey (which i gave up as soon as i found out - as it tends to get a bit aggressive now and then)

Hope to hear your reactions soon!!

Replies

  • I used to showjump horses professionally before I got pregnant with my 1st daughter. I know this is probably not what you want to hear but I stopped riding altogether as soon as I found out I was pregnant. To be perfectly honest I'm on the side of your Dr on this as I'm only too aware of the risks involved when horseriding & many of the worst injuries I've had were out riding a quiet horse that normally wouldnt hurt a fly!! Animals, especially horses, can be unpredictable & theres no such thing as the "bombproof" horse!!

    I know you could fall over or get knocked down in the street going about your normal everyday business but you need to ask yourself this question "Could you live with yourself if you did fall off & something happened to your baby?" I personally couldnt & having ridden everyday of my life since a very young age stopped immediately coz the risk just wasnt worth it

    There is no reason why you cant start riding again when you have your baby & you feel physically able though if you ended up having a section it would be advisable to ask your Dr 1st. I naiivly thought that I'd be back in the saddle as normal shortly after the birth but just didnt have the time with a newborn to look after. I do not ride at the moment as I'm due to have our 2nd daughter anyday soon but have put riding on hold for the meantime as I struggled to do it properly with 1 baby to look after never mind 2 but my reason was more to do with having noone to look after her as my family dont live nearbyso if your family live nearby theres no reason why you cant get back to riding when your baby is born.

    9 months may seem like a longtime but its not really & youre nearly 3 months into it & youve been lucky so far so you would only have 6 months really to go. If you do decide to carry on riding please be careful. At the end of the day its your decision but talk things through with your partner & think carefully about whether or not it would be worth it if something happened

    Take care

    Hilary x
  • Hi

    I too like Hilary dont ride now i am pregant, i own a full thoroughbred ex-racehorse who is currently out on full loan for the next 2 years, i wouldnt risk riding as soon as i found out i was pregnant as he can be a bit hot headed, but is very sweet, i gave up riding when i had my first daughter with the intention of going straight back into it when she was born, but it didnt quite happen that way.

    I think working full time & the joys of motherhood took up most of my time so i had to get some help in the winter & the same lady currently has him on loan now. I couldnt however bear to part with him & my daughter now 2 loves him to bits & we still go visit, she will help brush him & sit on his back, The plan is after 2 years once the loan is finished that i will take him back part time with alittle help, and am hoping the children will grow up loving horses as i do - no doubt then it will cost me an arm & a leg in riding lessons & ponies - lol

    Good luck but as Hilary said 9 months is really not that long to wait & soon comes round, enjoy your pregnancy & enjoy the rest. All being well you can get straight back into it after the baby is born, willl be great help to get your pre-pregnancy figure back too !!

    [Modified by: coxley on November 21, 2007 03:05 PM]
  • Hi Thanks for the feedback. i am still doubting. i currently don't feel any worse than i used to before i fell pregnant, so it's a difficult call. I spoke to my midwife and she doesn't follow the dr.'s advice at all - she basically said 'your body will tell when to stop, try and keep fit, loads of people still ride while pregnant, there is no clear link between riding and miscarriage (as miscarriage mostly means something was wrong anyway)' but did agree with me on the hockey part (although she said i'm still allowed to train and run along with the others)- doesn't really make the decision any easier at all. Need to have a good think about the pros and cons you guys mentioned.
  • None of the advice regarding riding and pregnancy is to do with it causing miscarriage it IS however about the risk of falling off and causing and injury that way!!!! And however experienced a rider or steady the horse is this is ALWAYS a risk.

    I agree with the other girls that it is not long to wait to not ride and how would you feel were anything to happen?!

    There is no reason why you should feel any different riding as with any excercise but think really carefully about it all and possible consequences!

    [Modified by: Craftycharli on November 22, 2007 03:17 PM]
  • There is no link between pregnancy & miscarriage, like craftycharlie said its more to do with the risk of falling off & causing injury that way to yourself or your baby.

    During my 1st pregnancy I felt 100% physically able to carry on riding as normal, but my conscience wouldnt have let me. I couldnt possibly have carried on knowing that if I came off (no one is beyond falling off & having an accident even international riders come off & get injured) I could put my unborn baby at risk. Looking at her running about now that she is 2 there is nothing that I wouldnt do to protect her & that was no different when she was in the womb.

    After I found out I was pregnant & stopped riding I carried on training riders but was always very careful & didnt take anything to do with the physical handing of the horses. Speaking from a trainers point of view though I do find it very irresponsible of your trainer to not a have a problem with training someone who was pregnant knowing the risks involved.

    It surprises me what your mw said coz I've yet to come across a mw or dr who would condone horseriding as being safe when pregnant

    Take care

    Hilary x

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