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

[Pladii]

In my early 20s I found horse riding. The routine, being out in nature, forming a bond with animals does my mental health absolute wonders.

I am newly pregnant. Just beginning to show and have decided I will continue riding my boy who is an absolute gentleman. We adore one another and I trust him.

We went to stay with my husband’s side for Christmas. And it got brought up over the actual main meal! I was mortified! Granny begged me not to. And my sister in law said “it’s just not worth the risk”. She doesn’t understand why I’m chancing it. MIL kept quiet (not like her).

I am only accepting a level of risk that I am comfortable with. I wouldn’t dare a ride a horse I didn’t know.

It’s my body. I think it’s a bit rubbish for my decision to be questioned so publicly. Made me feel like I am doing something wrong.

Dh and I are doctors. I’ve made a decision as an adult woman. That should be it.

Oh op come on, your horse may be lovely but they still are unpredictable and you could be thrown off. I bet all the horse riders who have fallen off thought it wouldn't happen to them too.

Doesn't matter if you're a doctor or a cleaner so no idea why you've included your job title. Tbh you should know better what with risk assessments etc.

Ros Canter literally won Burghley at 5months pregnant...honestly it's a totally personal decision and I'm sure you are more than capable of weighing up the risks yourself. I rode until about 20 weeks (part loan) and then felt it was time to step back. No jumping/hacking for us because horse wasn't that experienced in either. There were also times when I got on and just wasn't feeling it and lunged instead.
It's really not fair of them to pressure you that way. As long as you are comfortable with it, crack on. Freak accidents can happen at any time (equestrian related or not).

Like with all these things I say to myself if something happened or the worst happened would I still be okay with my choice?

Im not an anxious or overly cautious person but while pregnant I made choices that I could live with if the worst happened (miscarriage for example and when it did I was easy that I hadn’t done anything to contribute).

For me it’s no as if the worse happened I would regret my choice to continue to ride but you do you.

As soon as you’re pregnant the world and his dog will be judging you for pretty much everything. My ex-MIL was forever on at me for continuing to go to the gym, for driving around in my tiny classic car and thought we should get rid of our pets in case they ‘suffocated the baby’. Needless to say, I completely ignored her and carried on my life as usual.

If you feel safe continuing to ride then why would you stop because of what other people think. I’m sure some lovely hacks out in the countryside will do you the world of good. Just don’t do what I did once and get caught by a low hanging branch and fall off backwards breaking a bone or two. You’d never hear the end of it.

I hope you didn't drive or get in a car while pregnant then, as the average driver has a 1% chance of being in a collision every year.

There's a 'tiny risk of danger' such as jogging or cycling and there's a bigger risk of danger such as climbing on a massive animal that you could fall off and get trod on. Watch those emergency 999 programmes there are always horseriders seemingly surprised to be on their backs in a field unable to get up with a 'placid' horse nearby.

It’s like exercise- if it’s already something you do then crack on - it’s good for you.

time for you to practice your smile and ignore.

you will be do this for the next couple of decades as every parenting decision you make will attract unsolicited advice and opinions

Ros Canter won Burghley this year when she was 4-5 months pregnant.

It’s possible.

If you know your horse and your capabilities, then keep on doing it.

Welcome to a lifetime of people telling you what to do and not do as a parent!!

I hope you're feeling better now - my BIL has just had emergency surgery for Cauda Equina. He was admitted to hospital on Christmas night.
It's a terrifying and painful thing to go through.
I'm at risk of it because I have Spinal Stenosis and I'm in awe at how well my BIL is coping - already up and walking on crutches but still in hospital.

Your horse isn't a gentleman.

Your horse is a horse.

And choosing to ride it while pregnant is a silly unnecessary risk imo.

She’s not show jumping! Or doing eventing.

I rode in my pregnancies. I also walked and crossed the road. I rode my horse a well known horse and I wasn’t lifting and climbing up either later. It made me fitter.

But it’s her risk to take. If you don’t want to ride a horse whilst pregnant then you don’t have to but the OP has made a different decision 🤷🏻‍♀️

I couldn't decide how to vote. YANBU to make your own risk assessment but YABU if you expect your husband's granny not to be concerned about it if mentioned to her over dinner.

I ride a bike to and from work. I was advised that riding a bike was fine as long as I did it very regularly as I would need to adapt to my changing shape.

With dd there was snow on the ground for a month when I was 6 months. So I didn’t ride then as felt risky. And once the snow had melted my body had changed massively so I didn’t re-start.

With ds I stopped at about 7.5 months as it suddenly felt really uncomfortable.

I rode a bit during my second pregnancy , I was too sick to do so during the first one . I do think it’s totally different if it is your own horse and you are in control of what you are doing . Your body , your choice .

I wouldn't regardless of how lovely your boy is ,he could be spooked or stumble or anything

What’s the point of the thread? You feel you’re making the appropriate decision about risk; they think you’re not.

Are you being unreasonable? Difficult to say. Since you say you are a doctor, you must know that there is a risk of something happening, no matter how good-natured your horse is (I saw a case where a girl was kicked by another horse while on her own horse, which caused a very nasty open fracture, and as a result, she fell off her horse, which obviously wasn’t at fault at all.) What’s the NHS guidance on horseback riding whilst pregnant?

It’s your choice to do what you want. And it’s other people’s choice to express their opinions.

She's not just risking herself tho is she .
She risking what i presume is wanted baby .

Well yeah, obviously 😳

But she's posted about it, thus encouraging chat and opinions.

Yep I’m 8 years on, some loss of feeling in my right leg
was back on a horse 8 weeks post op! Discharged the day after surgery with no aids

Still doesn’t give people the right to try and tell her what to do. I honestly can’t get away with the audacity of people who think they can tell pregnant women what to do (generally, not just on this thread).

Crack on - tootling around on a horse you know will be fine. Ross Canter won Burghley this year when pregnant - I doubt you are doing 5 star Xc fences.

It was one of the biggest shocks for me in pregnancy realizing how your body suddenly becomes regarded as public property for unwelcome comments from all directions. In my first pregnancy I was at my birth prep course and one woman told us a man had come up to her while she was buying strawberries and practically took the carton out of her hands because … they were somehow dangerous. We all looked at her in horror at the notion that this might be our lives from then on.
Practice lots of deep breathing, intoning ‘none of your business’ as you exhale. Keep riding as long as you feel safe and balanced.

No pregnancy is risk free though. How about getting on a plane? How about dyeing your hair? How about drinking a coffee? How about drinking fresh orange juice that hasn’t been pasteurised? Or eating a soft boiled egg? How about going into the office when you might catch flu? How about avoiding exercise to the detriment of your mental health?

All of these are “risks” and it’s down to individuals to choose how much they are comfortable with.