Health & Exercise
Horseback Riding during Pregnancy
Hi girls! Newbie here but I have a question.
I have been riding the last 8 years of my life and can't imagine not having my barn time. I mostly ride english and my mare is pretty smooth. I've had her for just over a year, so I know her well. I have ridden probably a dozen times during my pregnancy already because I only found out 3 days ago that I am expecting. Now, I am feeling that maybe I should be more cautious? We mostly do walk/trot flatwork. I probably won't jump her until after the baby since she gets super excited.
Any advice or personal experience with riding and pregnancy? Please and thank you!
Warning
No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Horseback Riding during Pregnancy
I wouldn't stop riding, I would just ride more lightly, maybe A LOT more walk than trot.
You know your horse and their personality so if they are trustworthy I'd keep riding for a while. I stopped when I found out I was pregnant as my horse tends to have 'moments'...in those moments I tend to end up on the ground. My Dr. knew about this and recommended that I either be VERY careful or don't ride. But if I had one of my previous horses I would probably continue to ride for at least the beginning of pregnancy as they were very calm. At this point (30 weeks) I can honestly say it would be uncomfortable to do more than walk even if I did trust the horse though! Just the bouncing or posting wouldn't feel so great! I allow my trainer to use him in lessons now which is great for him as he gets to keep up with regular work, plus it tires him out.
One thing I did notice was that all of the falls/injuries I incurred from 15+ years of riding do not bode well for a comfy pregnancy!! My back and hips are a mess from falls and backs/hips are already places that are uncomfortable during pregnancy so mine are killing me!
I rode til about 15 weeks and only then did I quit because my horse even at 23 is not the most reliable. He is my former upper level event horse, great at his job but will never be a babysitter. Just know your horse, even though I have had my guy 17 years I recognize his personality and didn't want my center of gravity shift to put me in a position where I couldn't move quickly enough to stop a spook or bolt.
Yea, she definitely has her "moments" too. Thankfully, I can predict her attitude for the day when I bring her inside. So those days that she's all antsy, I can just lunge her or something.
I don't want to be risky and dumb about it. I wish there was someone else who could ride her for me towards the end, but she's an off the track TB and i don't think many people I board with would even consider it.