Nightmare!

[Thinkingpositively]

I am 25 weeks pregnant with a high risk pregnancy so have turned my mare out and am giving her a rest.

The livery is excellent, she is happy, well fed and cared for and i visit every day. When i bring her up from the field for feed, pampering, she is becoming increasingly bad mannered, pulling to go back to the field and baulking a little bit on the way up.

I am worried about getting jolted about. Don't want to pay or give anyone else this responsibility but am concerned that If i don't keep up this routine when i begin to get her back into work she will essentially be feral!! I can't afford to and don't want to bring her back in on full livery.

She is a sweetie on the whole and i know that bringing her back to work will be fine after time is spent but i actually feel overwhelmed!! How will i cope with a tiny baby AND a horse? I imagined i could carry baby in a sling and manage her but this is looking less possible as she is going to need groundwork to get her manners back again.

On top of this Husband is not very tolerant of horse so i cant expect support from him...

Is it spring? My mare is generally evil this time of year. I can't really suggest anything other than do not risk yourself. Could a friend help? Or could someone lunge her or even ride her?

Trust me you will not handle a horse with baby attached!!! Unless you trust it!!! I groom etc with him in his carrier but rarely carry him while leading them about!

I'd find a nice share. If she is generally good natured, it won't take long to get her back, but I agree with you. I wouldn't be happy either about handling a slightly boulshy horse with a baby attatched. But there are things you can do, a nice safe pram or playpen is good. Is she out in a herd? She could have changed character after finding her place in the herd. What is a sweet horse in a one to one relationship with a human could be completely different if near the top or at the bottom of a bigger herd dynamic.

I'd love to be more positive but TBH if your husband is not more supportive you are in for a tough time when you have baby and horse to deal with . Could you perhaps find a sharer for your horse who could stay on after you've had the baby it will make life much easier . I owned a very bolshy mare when I had my first child and even with a supportive husband we ended up putting all 3 horses onto full livery as I had a difficult pregnancy and we literally couldn't risk manage it . We did keep our Shetland on DIY !

Lead her in a bridle if she is becoming bad mannered. When the pointers come back into work we lead with a bridle as a matter of course until they have remembered their manners.

And I wouldn't even want to lead DD's 12hh beautifully behaved pony if I had a baby in a sling. It just isn't a good idea. But whether or not your husband approves of your horse is irrelevant. He should step up and take care of his child when you are unable to for whatever reason - including going to see your horse. I do think Saggys idea of getting a share is a good one though.

I think you need to think more about this. I think a great option is a sharer, which will take the pressure off you.

I am a sharer and dmare is a real dope on a rope, but there is no way I would be leading her in with a baby in a sling...... The other day she did this huge nap - DS was there and I assumed he had done something - he said he hadn't done anything. I sent him back to the yard ahead of us. At the gate she did the full on jump about, 4 feet off the ground - I would have hated to have had a newborn attached to me. I was pleased DS was nowhere nearby (and he's 8).
Having said all that - your baby can be tucked up in the buggy and wait on the yard while you lead in and out. At our yard there would be plenty of volunteers who would keep an ear and eye out.

I hear you. I stopped leading my stallion in once I got to about 25 weeks, even with a chifney. If he'd knocked me down or something...
LO is now almost 4 months but I don't like leading any horse with him in the sling. My horses are well behaved but after 25 yrs owning them I have seen virtually every accident in the book so I'm very careful. I leave him I'm his buggy safely out of the way when I'm leading in or out.

I second what everyone else is saying, a sharer would be your best option. What are the conditions of your livery? will she still be taken care of if you don't bring her in everyday - i.e. is someone bringing her in to groom/change rugs/check for problems/feed/shoes etc???? - if you have to do all this then you really need a sharer, if the livery yard already do all this then i'd not risk my health just to bring her in for pampering if she's pushing you around. Just leave her be for the summer and by winter you should have a pretty good routine up and running to start working her again.

You really need a sharer or someone else who can help you out. If she's on livery could anyone else help out?

For sharers, try your local uni or college - they often have riding clubs and the academic year is finishing - or try riding schools that might have students coming back from uni for the summer. They will be over 18 and glad to share until September/October when you will have your baby and more of an idea about what you want to do.