Comments at Christmas cause I choose to carry on riding whilst pregnant

I like you did the same ( also have the same job as you btw). I only rode on soft ground on a horse I knew very well. I’m a very experienced rider and have ridden since I could walk, grew up in a horsey family and have done all sorts of competing. Well I did come off over the tiniest spook on an old been there done that gelding. I landed on my feet, but I was overwhelmed with guilt and the “what if’s” I thought about how selfish, ignorant and arrogant I had been. I think as you get bigger you lose the ability to use your core and just completely lose your centre of gravity. As soon as I found out I was pregnant this time I stopped riding. That’s just my story. Absolutely no judgement for me, it was just how I felt when I came off I would be consumed by guilt if something happened.

I rode throughout both my pregnancies. I also skied in the early stages and went to the gym until the last week.

I can’t remember anyone saying I shouldn’t, tbh.

'Yeah. They really can be utter twats. They have moods and personalities like any other animal'

Exactly that was kind of my point.

This. I was told off for exercising.

I'd have fallen to pieces physically and mentally if I hadn't.

Buckle up. Everyone will have an opinion on everything you do, don't do, want to do, etc., and have examples (random other mothers/pregnant folk they've heard of) to "prove" their claim. Enjoy your pregnancy.

‘Being’ on a horse isn’t riding 😂That’s like me saying “I’ve splashed about in a pool, swimming a mile doesn’t require any fitness”
To ride a horse properly you do actually have to be physically fit. Unfortunately many people don’t ride properly (or don’t know how to ride properly). Schooling a horse to a decent level requires a very good level of fitness.

And top level riders have to be insanely fit.
But I’ll get off my high horse now 😂

Tell me you don't have horses 😂

Yeah. They really can be utter twats. They have moods and personalities like any other animal. I ride one such knobhead. He hides round the corner of his stable until he hears someone approaching then lunges out at them. He's never actually hurt anyone though. Stops short of biting them. It's just for sport. He likes it when they scream. It's entertainment for him.

As for not being exercise, you go get on a horse, do 30 minutes of rising trot, then come back and tell me its not hard work. If you can walk.

Being on a horse is not riding. If you're not exerting yourself, you're just a passenger, not a rider.

Nasty, and obviously quite distressing! I had a massive lumbar disc prolapse 20 years ago resulting in complete right foot drop. I have to walk with the aid of a rollator. Fortunately, the disc healed itself, but if it had prolapsed further, it could easily have resulted in Cauda Equina Syndrome. You have my sympathy as I know so many people with your condition. Take care.

Totally your choice of course but, you have not mentioned how old you are which may have influenced their comments. If you Google (yes big eye roll) - when should you stop riding when newly pregnant - then it may give you some answers, though technically as a Doctor you should know this albeit, maybe it is not your particular expertise in medicine. I would be more concerned about why you feel more protective of your horse than the baby at this point in time. Perhaps you need to look at your current mental health and seek counselling as, maybe you feel out of control when, in fact you are not, having asked the Q in the first place but do need some help. The counselling may well provide you with an alternative way of decompressing to riding which clearly works for you. In the meantime, keep visiting your Boy and enjoy his company whether riding him or not. Look forward to afterwards and teaching your child the joys of riding. There is no greater joy in my mind than being on a horse, by yourself in the countryside.

You are an adult and can make your own decisions. I rode until I couldn't get close enough to my horse to mount.

The quietest of horses can take fright and he doesn't know you're expecting. If the worst sere to happen, could you live with yourself?

People who don't ride don't understand the perspective from which you are making the decision. Only you know your horse and the bond you have with it. It would be a completely different scenario if they were to try and do the same.
If you are happy with the choice then that's all that matters. If there was a problem you would be the one who has to live with it, not them, so their opinion is irrelevant. Nobody should be trying to police your body or decisions. It's not necessarily unreasonable for those who care about you to want to say something if they see you as putting yourself and/or your pregnancy at risk, but they should be willing to accept your decision once they have said their piece, and not keep on about it.

Difficult one. If you can completely control the environment, fine. If you're at shared stables, where something could spook your horse, maybe rest until after baby is safely here.

Given your profession and knowing your own body and risks etc together with the fact you are riding your own horse with whom you have good knowledge of I don't think it is right to question your decision. Many top eventers/show jumpers etc continue to ride whilst pregnant. As a horse owner myself and Mum, I guess I can relate more to your situation than perhaps your husband's family who may have no horse knowledge. It's natural for them to show concern however they should respect you are not going to do anything you feel may be negative to your pregnancy. Wishing you all the best x

Given your profession and knowing your own body and risks etc together with the fact you are riding your own horse with whom you have good knowledge of I don't think it is right to question your decision. Many top eventers/show jumpers etc continue to ride whilst pregnant. As a horse owner myself and Mum, I guess I can relate more to your situation than perhaps your husband's family who may have no horse knowledge. It's natural for them to show concern however they should respect you are not going to do anything you feel may be negative to your pregnancy. Wishing you all the best x

Honestly not worth the risk

I rode til I was 5 months with my first, just over 6 months with my second (and fell off flat on my back...), and four months with my third (I stopped due to getting injured in a car accident). I had three healthy babies. I got the same comments as you're getting, but my GP and midwife were supportive - they did suggest gentle hacks rather than eventing though! I understand peoples' concerns, but there are risks all around us. You know your body and your horse - you are the best person to assess the risk.

I have had 2 children and rode little amounts when pregnant. I actually bought my last horse when pregnant although didn’t ride him until I had my daughter as hadn’t that bond. I was always careful getting on and off, using the mounting block, and kind of stepping onto it, rather than dismounting the normal way.
if I was to get pregnant again I’d definitely do the odd hack on my big boy as he’s as quiet as houses. I’ve had him 7 years and never done anything silly.
we all know our horses and we know the ones which are quiet. Yes I know we cannot limit risk but if you trust your horse then it’s your decision.

I’d echo others and say get used to it op. Once you’re pregnant or have kids then someone’s always got an opinion on what you’re doing (or not). You need to cultivate smile and nod and the carry on with what you think is best anyway.

I had loads of people telling me not to work such long hours (I was on a Bill Team in a Government Department) but it was a brilliant experience and I saw no reason why I couldn’t do the long hours if I felt ok (and I did feel completely fine the whole way). The NHS is the worst though - completely patronising and treats pregnant women like small children who need to be told what to do in slow short sentences!

I think it's fairly low risk as long as you're not jumping. Obviously if you are jumping that's daft and dangerous for your baby,

@Gloriia it depends how you ride , however fatness is not a level of fitness .

I never said I was a rider. I have however been on a horse and it isn't by any stretch exercise. All the regular riders we see around our rural area have arses as big as their horses.

When i was pregnant I found swimming good exercise, nice and calming too. Maybe fitness classes? Less likely to be chucked from a height and stamped on.

The body policing of pregnant women can get really wild.

I did stop riding (the horses were feisty) but I managed to knock myself out walking down the street when I was 7 months along. No activity is completely safe.

You clearly aren’t a rider. Riding properly uses muscles that you wouldn’t even know you have, and you develop a core like steel.

You can sit on a horse and do very little, as many novices do, but that’s not riding.

'my mare was being an utter bitch and trying to throw me. Instructor was 9 months and wanted me to get off and she could ride it out if her.'

I mean this sums it up doesn't it. How can a horse be being 'an utter bitch' surely it's just being a horse and why did someone 9mths pregnant think they could 'ride it out of her'. So much delusion and bad decision making in the horse world it seems.

Assume you're aware of https://www.midwifery.org.uk/articles/horse-riding-and-the-pelvic-floor-in-birth/

But can't see how carrying on with an activity you already do is posing an unacceptable level of risk or how it's anybody else's concern