Pregnancy and Horse Riding

[Dudedudey]

Any riders on here? I have recently found out I’m pregnant I’m approx 7 weeks at the moment.
I work as a rider and groom and am currently still riding, I am an experienced rider but just wanted some advice/opinions from other riders.

Are you still riding?

I rode up to about 18 weeks just flat work and hacking. I found a sharer for my mare so completely took the pressure off me (she's only 5 and needs to be in work). I gave up riding then for safety and also was getting quite a bump which I kept forgetting about and hitting on the saddle getting off 🙈

If you choose to keep riding, your body will tell you when it's time - I also found spooks started to be quite jarring on my back where everything stsrts to loosen. Im not the fittest rider though 😂 x

I work on a hunting yard and the horses are crazy fit with nowhere to go at the moment (due to covid)
It’s certainly nice to hear that you carried on riding I know a fair few people that have too. I suppose I just wanted reassurance that I wasn’t being totally reckless!
I haven’t told my boss yet but I think I’m going to soon as I can then hopefully ride all the slightly quieter ones :)

One thing I never thought about was the lack in maternity jodhpurs on the market - the only ones I found were around £80 which I couldn't justify with the amount I was going to be riding!

Hopefully your boss will do a Risk Assessment, I would definitely be asking for the quieter ones especially after 12 weeks x

Mary King rode at the European Championships when she was 5 months pregnant..!

I rode until I was 30 weeks and then my hips felt a bit creaky, so packed in.
My horse was the type who needed to be got on every day (it was all in his stupid head) but didn't need a lot of work, so hacking and light schooling is what we did.

I’m 20 weeks and not riding but mainly because of low energy levels and not because of anything else. My horse is super chilled and I feel safe up there, and I probably will get on her at some point. She is 21 I’ve had her nearly 11 years and she’s happy in work or just chilling, so she’s enjoying her holiday at the moment!

I’m sure your boss will understand and make sure you aren’t made to ride anything that you’re not comfortable with. They should do a risk assessment too.
My sister has 2 horses as well that I usually ride but they’re nowhere near as chill as my mare so I’m definitely not getting on them until afterwards!

I’m definitely no Mary King 🤣

Thank you everyone! I feel much better about it all now, I feel safe on pretty much all of them just some are slightly more bonkers than others!

I carried on til 12 weeks and would have felt comfortable continuing longer but at that point I felt I had to tell the riding school and they wouldn’t allow it anymore, sadly but understandably. I’d just stick to the horses you’re confident on - not worth the risk otherwise

I found out I was pregnant around the same time my horse was going on his winter holiday. I team chase, hunt and event - which obviously currently is not happening and I figured won’t happen this season (Eventing will but not the rest). He’s having an extended holiday as he doesn’t “do” just hacking (Thoroughbred) and it’s so wet (I also ride before work, so it’s dark as no arena currently). I’m going to start riding my other horse in spring whose much easier (my old polo pony) and I’ll lead my competition horse off her to keep him ticking over and will long rein etc. He’ll go to my instructors for 8 weeks before I get back on so he’s nicely schooled and not a complete idiot. To be honest though, he doesn’t care and hasn’t had a proper holiday for a while and spends his whole time very very fit so will do him good.
If it was summer, I’d have kept going as he’s easier with full turnout but it’s so wet, limited turnout, no competitions/outings which even without pregnancy, is a recipe for disaster with my horse!

I’m have horses but my partner wouldn’t let me ride haha but my friend rode right up until she gave birth!

First I rode until getting off got awkward (not the time to learn the non BHS leg over the front of the saddle option...). 2nd I gave up slightly earlier as I couldn't lift my pelvis to ask for engagement properly although I'd stopped jumping before that because my core wasn't quite as strong as I wanted it to be. Would have continued hacking but as I was only getting weekly flat lessons I took the view that it was too frustrating to continue (riding school I worked at as admin).

I rode dpony until I was about 25 weeks and decided I was too heavy for him! Also the bump was getting in the way. Had he been bigger and less of a dickhead I would have ridden longer I think. I didn’t fancy having to sit to a bucking bronco if the mood took him. This was mostly hacking though and no jumping as he couldn’t anymore. My midwife said any fall bad enough to hurt the baby would have to be seriously bad! Up to you I guess, you know your horse the best. I wouldn’t have ridden one that wasn’t mine that long.

I rode until around 12 weeks when I started getting a bump as the risk was greater as baby got bigger. Although my TB is relatively sensible as they go, I just didn't feel comfortable taking that risk just in case something happenned. It's very much a personal choice, I know of plenty of people who rode throughout

Rode until 20 weeks but just flat work, didn't jump at all. I was back at it 5 weeks after birth. I've pelvic muscles of steel which I credit to the riding tbh, never did the kiegel /kegel sp?? exercises.

I rode up until 20 weeks - just hacking and light schooling and then stopped, mainly because every time is got off I felt I banged my stomach on the saddle. I am 32weeks now and my Mare has enjoyed her first ever holiday. I’m about to have her brought back into work so that she is fit ready for me to get back on after birth. In hindsight I think I would have been safe enough riding til about 24 weeks.

My partner isn’t too keen on me riding everyday but I feel comfortable so far so I think il just carry on until my body tells me to stop. 😀 I feel like I need to carry on for now because I think il lose my mind otherwise!

Sorry to hijack but can I also ask how riders found their birth experience? Have read wildly different things - some saying their strong pelvic floor made things easier and others saying a toughened perineum made it difficult! But don’t know how much to believe either of those scenarios and obviously every woman’s experience will be different anyway. Just curious!

Think it all depends on your situation - during my first pregnancy I was sharing a super-chilled horse and I was happy to carry on with flat work with him in the early days. I then had a couple of (medical) scares and so stopped around 12w. Pregnant with second now and no horses on the scene sadly. I’ve known plenty of women who have been comfortable carrying on until around 20w, some for longer if horse is calm and they can take it easy. Others stop as soon as they find out. If there’s no physical discomfort, I suppose it comes down to balancing sanity and how you/your partner would feel if something did go wrong. It’s different for everyone!

@jamie980 I don’t know if my first birth was impacted by riding history - labour was fairly quick and manageable and pushing didn’t take long, but there was tearing!

I rode my mare, but I’d had her over ten years and knew her very well. I would have been more reluctant to ride a variety of horses. It was easily avoidable for me though, probably less for you.

@jamie980

Sorry to hijack but can I also ask how riders found their birth experience? Have read wildly different things - some saying their strong pelvic floor made things easier and others saying a toughened perineum made it difficult! But don’t know how much to believe either of those scenarios and obviously every woman’s experience will be different anyway. Just curious!

I had a tear and an episiotomy, I’m told the strong pelvic floor isn’t helpful for riders giving birth

I'm 10 + 4 and I'm just going to keep on riding for as long as I can. My OH knows he can't tell me to stop or I'd be miserable 😂
I am trying to mix it up slightly by riding, lunging and long reining to give us all a bit of variety and for days I'm not feeling quite so chipper, I don't feel so bad for not riding.

I've had to pack away majority of my jods already as I can't fit in them. So I'm relying on 3 stretchy pairs now😭

I rode up until I no longer felt comfortable - maybe around 5-6 months? I was lunging on the day I went into labour - and I had a straightforward natural birth with no tears. Was taking the wee one to visit the yard when she was a day or 2 old.

I ride professionally - mostly dressage nowadays, usually spending around 4/5 hours per day in the saddle, then teaching all afternoon. Currently 5 weeks pregnant. I’m actually finding riding makes my nausea better, but that may change. I’m hoping to ride for as long as physically possible!
One of my friends did the GP Champs at Hartpury last month, and she’s due in Feb! I think it depends a lot on how fit you are to begin with.
And having spoken to a few of my friends who ride as much as me, unfortunately it looks like a super strong pelvic floor doesn’t make for an easy birth 😬 Currently looking into hypnobirthing to help!

I found it helped with nausea too - that fresh air and focus took my mind off it completely.

I actually hadn't heard that about the pelvic floor making birth hardest. I guess I had nothing to compare it to. My second was an absolute bruiser of a baby, 10.5, and I had a natural birth, a few stitches and bounced back pretty quickly. I put the fact that I was able to deliver naturally down to all the riding, but who knows! 😊