# Navel Piercings - Do you have one? I would like thoughts and opinions from horse folk



## Maple

I got mine done years ago (back when I was skinny and fit), and it was the silliest thing I could have done. I was doing a lot of breaks at the time (see previous sentance!!) so it caused my a good bit of discomfort when I was lean on the saddle at the start of the process. It only bothered me for a while but was never sore - just awkward. 

Oddly, My piercing "disappeared".... the skin that was on the outside of the bar slowly "shrank" from lack of better word until it was a tiny piece of skin, that then broke (not painful) and just disappeared. I now have a scar but no holes. Wouldn't matter now anyway, the kids have well and truly put a stop to my mod-rif being exposed to anybody.


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## speedy da fish

That does sound odd! Sounds like your body was slowly rejecting the piercing and pushed the bar out (?) I have heard of that happening. I had never actually thought of breaks :/ Maybe that is something I should definitely consider. I certainly don't want to be tensing up when doing that xD Although, I know I'm not going to be doing it a lot in the future... 

Thanks! x


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## Maple

I'm sure it could be fine while breaking - I was just stupid and had it done while working at a pretraining/breaking yard and I had 6 in for breaking at the time  Not one of my finer moment!


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## shellybean

I had all sorts of problems with mine after a few months. I got it done at a highly rated tattoo shop and paid quite a bit for it. It kept getting snagged on random things and it slowly started to get infected because it kept getting snagged and never got to fully heal. It was also uncomfortable when dismounting slowly (it was winter and I didn't want to hit the ground hard and get shooting pain up ankles lol) as my stomach would slide against the saddle. I would even put a bandaid over it or taped some gauze to prevent it but it didn't help much. I cleaned it daily with a saline solution and it did nothing for it, went to the dr for antibiotics and those didn't help. I eventually ended up taking it out and I have an ugly scar. I loved the way it looked but I regret getting it now because of the scar.

I basically lived in yoga pants and sweat pants and was comfortable. My high rise breeches would irritate the heck out of it. I would think jeans would be okay, but I know when you sit in jeans they rise a little bit (at least for me) so you may find them irritating or you may not, I guess it depends...I never found jeans comfortable so I rarely wear them.


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## Hang on Fi

I went to get mine pierced after doing some reading. I hear they take an incredibly long time to heal on top of everything else. So taking that into account, shellybean posted exactly the things it'll inconvenience. 

The tattoo parlor I went to discouraged me getting it pierced because of my size. I'm a fluffy gal and while I could handle the navel piercing standing up... Sitting down would become an issue as well as snagging. For a fluffy rider I don't have 'too' much of a stomach, but still. Apparently it also depends on how your navel actually is structured rides on success or 'failure.'

His recommendation was to buy some stick on gems and put them on your navel. You'll have a pretty good idea how much you hit it by how often it falls off. I didn't even get that far. When he told me my size could push the bar out of the piercing I was like "Yep - no thanks!" 

Good luck with your choice!


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## beau159

I got mine pierced about 10 years ago. Never had a problem with it. 

I was still in college at the time, and it was the middle of winter so I wasn't doing much riding while it was healing. I made sure to follow the instructions to a tee, soaking it in epsom salt water several times a day. 

I ride both English and Western and have never had a problem with it.


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## Roman

I don't have one and probably won't. Though the thought of getting my ears pierced in the way future interests me.

I would like to ask, why do people want one? With riding you'll pretty much always have it covered.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Maple

Roman said:


> I would like to ask, why do people want one? With riding you'll pretty much always have it covered.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_



I suppose because we don't spend our entire life IN the saddle. A significant portion maybe, but there is still plenty of time for the beach, club, chillin with friends, ect.


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## speedy da fish

Thank you everyone  It's good to hear from likewise people.



Roman said:


> I don't have one and probably won't. Though the thought of getting my ears pierced in the way future interests me.
> 
> I would like to ask, why do people want one? With riding you'll pretty much always have it covered.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I got my ears done about 10/11 years ago and then again 4 years ago  They just feel so natural to me and I've never had a real problem. 

Yes, when riding and working with horses, it'll be covered but as said above there are other aspects to our lives! But mainly, I just want it for myself, I know its there


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## OutOfTheLoop

I got mine peirced and eventually after a few months had to take it out because it would not heal. I took care of it just like I had been told, but it still wouldn't heal. I also had both my eyebrows peirced and they never did fully heal either. It just depends on how your body reacts. I've had my ears peirced since I was a teen and still to this day they give me problems if I leave them in longer than a few hours.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## CrossCountry

I pierced mine myself a few years ago and it actually did well. (Stupid idea, but I survived. It actually didn't hurt that bad.) It did catch on everything, but once it was healed it was more annoying than painful. I did eventually let it close up but I'm hoping to have it re-pierced in a few years time.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## franknbeans

As a nurse, I never really gave body piercings much thought-live and let live, individual choice and all. However, I recently took care of a girl, now in her late 20's, who is very sorry she ever got anything pierced. She developed an infection, it abscessed, got into her lymph node and she is STILL, about 10 years later, battling this. The infection gets under control, then will flare up and she will develop another abscess in a random place on her body from another lymph node. She now has disfiguring scars from surgeries to try and correct the problem, as well as (I know this sounds gross, and it is) several fingernail size holes in different places that continue to drain. Because of the drainage her skin is sore, and she is a very uncomfortable, and sick, girl.

I realize that few develop this, but I am sure, after talking to this girl she never thought she would get it either.


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## clumsychelsea

I had mine pierced when I was 16 and regretted it when I had trouble with it healing. I took perfect care of it but it still got red and a little infected, and when it finally healed over well (months later) I just got annoyed with worrying about it. After watching an episode of a show where a girl accidentally ripped her belly ring out, I was done and took it out. :lol: I didn't find it too bad with mounting/dismounting but I constantly had the worry in the back of my mind that I would catch it on the saddle somehow. 

I've heard it's not uncommon for the piercing to be rejected, as well. About a year after I got mine I noticed the skin over the holes was getting thinner and thinner, so I think I was heading that way myself even though it seemed like it was healed. 

Wasn't a good decision for me because I was so horrified of the thought of catching it on something, but it could be fine for you.


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## speedy da fish

OutOfTheLoop said:


> I got mine peirced and eventually after a few months had to take it out because it would not heal. I took care of it just like I had been told, but it still wouldn't heal. I also had both my eyebrows peirced and they never did fully heal either. It just depends on how your body reacts. I've had my ears peirced since I was a teen and still to this day they give me problems if I leave them in longer than a few hours.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I have heard that there are sometimes healing issues with navels. Odd that you have problems with your ears though. Mine had healed within 5-6 weeks both times I had them done. I know that navels have one of the longest healing times for piercings, about 9 months.



franknbeans said:


> As a nurse, I never really gave body piercings much thought-live and let live, individual choice and all. However, I recently took care of a girl, now in her late 20's, who is very sorry she ever got anything pierced. She developed an infection, it abscessed, got into her lymph node and she is STILL, about 10 years later, battling this. The infection gets under control, then will flare up and she will develop another abscess in a random place on her body from another lymph node. She now has disfiguring scars from surgeries to try and correct the problem, as well as (I know this sounds gross, and it is) several fingernail size holes in different places that continue to drain. Because of the drainage her skin is sore, and she is a very uncomfortable, and sick, girl.
> 
> I realize that few develop this, but I am sure, after talking to this girl she never thought she would get it either.


I hope this is a very rare case! As I have never heard of that happening. I mean, I know its possible but most people I know have piercings and have had nothing on that scale. Poor girl. May I ask was it a belly bar that got infected in the first place?

I did once have an abscess in one of my ear piercings. It was probably lingering for about 1-2 months but then I bit the bullet and drew it out with salt water whilst wearing earrings so it didn't heal up! It looked pretty funky for a week but then settled down. I think I must have got dirt right inside the piecing. It was a weird thing to happen nearly 10 years after I had them pierced...

Thanks again everyone.


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## DuckDodgers

OutOfTheLoop said:


> I got mine peirced and eventually after a few months had to take it out because it would not heal. I took care of it just like I had been told, but it still wouldn't heal. I also had both my eyebrows peirced and they never did fully heal either. It just depends on how your body reacts. I've had my ears peirced since I was a teen and still to this day they give me problems if I leave them in longer than a few hours.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


It may very well have taken more than a few months to fully heal. My cartilage piercings took the better part of a year, but they did heal all the way after awhile. Of course, some bodies just reject piercings. My guess is that if your ears hurt if you leave earrings in for longer than a few hours that you're either sensitive to the metals being used (make sure you buy high quality jewelry if you're sensitive) or that your ears are starting to close in between wearing them and that the earrings are stretching out the holes. I've heard of that happening, and it's happened to me if I haven't worn earrings in awhile. 



speedy da fish said:


> I have heard that there are sometimes healing issues with navels. Odd that you have problems with your ears though. Mine had healed within 5-6 weeks both times I had them done. I know that navels have one of the longest healing times for piercings, about 9 months.
> 
> 
> 
> I hope this is a very rare case! As I have never heard of that happening. I mean, I know its possible but most people I know have piercings and have had nothing on that scale. Poor girl. May I ask was it a belly bar that got infected in the first place?
> 
> I did once have an abscess in one of my ear piercings. It was probably lingering for about 1-2 months but then I bit the bullet and drew it out with salt water whilst wearing earrings so it didn't heal up! It looked pretty funky for a week but then settled down. I think I must have got dirt right inside the piecing. It was a weird thing to happen nearly 10 years after I had them pierced...
> 
> Thanks again everyone.


It can depend on where the ear piercing is as to how long it takes to heal. I've had my ears pierced on 5 occasions... three in my lobes (though I allowed one of the sets to close up because it was uneven), my tragus in one ear, and my antitragus in my other ear. None of the lobe piercings took a particularly long time to heal, but I had a little trouble with both of the cartilage piercings. I don't know exactly how long the anti tragus took to heal, but I got it done two Januaries ago and it was still being problematic August of that year. I think that one took longer to heal than the tragus because I had trouble not sleeping on the right side of my head :lol: It did end up healing just fine within the year, but there was a little bit of scar tissue both times that had to go away. There were a few times when I considered taking that one out, but I really like it and am glad that I didn't!

As far as navel piercings go, I can't give too much comment on them. I know plenty of people that have them and they've healed successfully, but I'm not a fan of them and haven't looked much into their healing.


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## Prisstine

I had one. It never really healed and always bothered me. I took it out when I got pregnant with baby number one and 13 years later I still sometimes get a small infection where the tiny hole exists still. The initial pain wasn't as bad as my dang tongue piercing but because of all my issues with the naval piercing I don't recommend doing it when people ask. My 35 year old self can't believe I ever did piercings and tattoos. Lol


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## CaseyCat27

Huh, I read most of the replies and I want to say I never had a problem with mine. Mine healed quickly and it never got infected(I didn't clean it as much as recommend either). Not being able to sleep on your stomach for awhile sucks and you might be sore for awhile but all in all the healing process isn't that bad. I still have mine in and the only time I ever get it caught on something is when I have a dangle belly button ring in which I don't wear very often since I work with race horses and I could see it ripping out. It doesn't get in the way or bother me when I ride at all so I wouldn't be concerned about that.


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## speedy da fish

DuckDodgers said:


> (though I allowed one of the sets to close up because it was uneven)


Ha! This happened to me. I got my seconds done at Claire's stupidly and they are really off... I took them out and left them for a year to heal but they never did so I just put studs in them now haha or i wear large earrings in my firsts. I just mix it up a little and it works out 



CaseyCat27 said:


> Huh, I read most of the replies and I want to say I never had a problem with mine. Mine healed quickly and it never got infected(I didn't clean it as much as recommend either). Not being able to sleep on your stomach for awhile sucks and you might be sore for awhile but all in all the healing process isn't that bad. I still have mine in and the only time I ever get it caught on something is when I have a dangle belly button ring in which I don't wear very often since I work with race horses and I could see it ripping out. It doesn't get in the way or bother me when I ride at all so I wouldn't be concerned about that.


I think I may really have an issue not being able to sleep on my stomach.... I tried last night and couldn't get to sleep for ages. I then woke up this morning on my tummy! yeah I don't think it'll work... 

I may have just found the solution though....
I have seen clip on belly jewelry so I am going to get one to see how annoying it is, how often I catch it when riding etc.


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## Corporal

Maple said:


> I now have a scar...


ANY body piercing + horses are a mistake when you wear jewelry handling/riding horses. When I taught lessons, I always checked my students for dangling and loop earrings. If they HAD to wear earrings, I suggested only studs. I asked for the other earrings and would hold them through a lesson. Sometimes they never asked for them back, and I had a small collection.

If your skin is exposed with the jewelry and a horse's mane or tail catches on it, it WILL pull.

I don't care to get any scars from things that I can prevent. I have enough scars from accidents.


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## DuckDodgers

Corporal said:


> ANY body piercing + horses are a mistake when you wear jewelry handling/riding horses. When I taught lessons, I always checked my students for dangling and loop earrings. If they HAD to wear earrings, I suggested only studs. I asked for the other earrings and would hold them through a lesson. Sometimes they never asked for them back, and I had a small collection.
> 
> If your skin is exposed with the jewelry and a horse's mane or tail catches on it, it WILL pull.
> 
> I don't care to get any scars from things that I can prevent. I have enough scars from accidents.


One of my ears has a ring in it permanently and I've never had any problem with it. Doesn't even catch on my own hair. There's always the possibility that it could get caught in something horse related, but I'm not going to take it out before I ride
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Maple

I stopped wearing all jewelry after a while. I had two piercings in each year and I say it's a good 10 years since I've worn earrings. 

I don't even wear a wedding band. Neither does my husband - he's a tradesman who works with power tools all the time. I didn't wear it for years as I was full time in racing yards and I find it a risk I don't need to take. For the longest time we would put them on for special occasions.. but TBH I don't think either of us even know where the wedding bands are at this stage. 

I did wear it a few times last year, normally in the pub while working at my second job. Rather that deter men it seemed to attract the super creepy.


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## BowmanFarms

I got mine pierced when i was 16, i think? 
Healed up just fine ( i didnt clean it like i was told to)

It was pretty sore the day of but that might have been more from me playing with it all day.

I still have mine to this day 8 or so years later, never bothers me ridding.

I did get it hung on a counter when i worked for a gas station, hurt like crap .

But no other problems, and i love it.


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## SueC

A navel ring would make it so easy to lead a human around. Just clip in the lead rope. Actually, a nose ring would do that quite well too, if we can translate from bulls to humans. Ear rings might be useful for steering purposes, if you like to carry young children on your shoulders. ;-)

... I think navel rings can look very nice on belly dancers etc, by the way - the above comment was purely because I have an impish streak!


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## SueC

CrossCountry said:


> I pierced mine myself a few years ago and it actually did well. (Stupid idea, but I survived. It actually didn't hurt that bad.)


You think that's a stupid idea? Then how's this for DIY? A colleague of mine in the late 1990s cut his leg very badly on some sheet metal late at night and decided to stitch it himself. He got a bottle of whisky, a sewing needle and some fishing line, soaked the needle and fishing line in some whisky, drank most of the whisky, and started stitching.

Alas, within days he had to see a doctor because the wound got badly infected...

(For anyone attempting DIY stitching, at least put some raw (non-heat processed!) honey on the wound afterwards. _Proper_ raw honey is great to use under bandages and is one of the few things that is making inroads against multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria...  )


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## sarahfromsc

I found mine would catch on everything. The waist band of jeans, breeches, long john, panty hose. Jeans with a belt would get caught up and hang on the **** piercing. I just let it grow in.


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## Corporal

You really should read the posts before responding. I don't care how many times you wish to pierce your body and put a piece of metal through it. I RECOMMEND that you don't wear that piece of metal when you are around the stable and around your horse.
It won't close up in a day.
We humans can benefit from the hardships that have happened to other humans and NOT do something bc we might get hurt. 
Just bc YOU haven't experienced it, does not mean it will not happen to YOU in the future.
How many of us have said that we would never be thrown by a horse or break something riding or handling, as if we are _smarter_ than the people who have been thrown or hurt?
Do as you wish. I have given *good* advice.


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## ChitChatChet

I don't know anything about navel piercings 

I do have my nose done.

Body Matter Gold in England is IMO that place to buy jewelry. Hypoallergenic and quality in both workmanship and materials. They have rose gold. Oh how I love rose gold!


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## DuckDodgers

Corporal said:


> You really should read the posts before responding. I don't care how many times you wish to pierce your body and put a piece of metal through it. I RECOMMEND that you don't wear that piece of metal when you are around the stable and around your horse.
> It won't close up in a day.
> We humans can benefit from the hardships that have happened to other humans and NOT do something bc we might get hurt.
> Just bc YOU haven't experienced it, does not mean it will not happen to YOU in the future.
> How many of us have said that we would never be thrown by a horse or break something riding or handling, as if we are _smarter_ than the people who have been thrown or hurt?
> Do as you wish. I have given *good* advice.


I assume that you were referring to me since I quoted your previous post, though I don't see what leads you to believe that I (or anyone else that's posted) haven't read the entire thread. Differing opinions are one thing entirely, but I find that a little irritating. I didn't imply that you had a problem with piercings or that your concerns are invalid. I was mainly attempting to point out that I don't find exposed hair to be a great risk since I've never once gotten my own hair snagged on an earring. The hair that's constantly moving around the earrings on a daily basis, not horse hair that I'm exposed to for perhaps a few hours a day, and I'm not rubbing my head along my horse's mane and tail even then. Yes, it would be a ton worse if it got caught on horse hair than my own hair as there's a 1000 pound creature on the other end, but the likelihood of either still seems slim. Very possible and I recognize that, but it seems to be a relatively small risk compared to horse riding in general. I'm not saying that your advice isn't good, just something I choose not to follow and why. 

Also, in all reality, many new piercings WILL close up in a day. You also don't want to take them in and out in the beginning and risk sticking more bacteria into the piercing or irritating it further. An established one would probably be fine, but you'd be surprised how quickly some close up. My grandmother, who wore earrings her entire life, didn't wear them for a few days one time and they closed in. My mother got a second ear lobe piercing when she was in high school and didn't do anything with them for about 30 years. Randomly stuck some earrings in them one day when she was in her 50s and they were still open. You never know!

Back when I played soccer in middle school they didn't allow earrings while playing. A friend of mine had recently gotten her ears pierced and as per the healing instructions was not to take them out for 8 weeks or something. The coaches let her play with them in as long as she put band aids over her ears to keep them from getting caught in anything. Perhaps something riders could consider as a safety precaution if they don't want to take their earrings out.


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## speedy da fish

DuckDodgers said:


> Also, in all reality, many new piercings WILL close up in a day. You also don't want to take them in and out in the beginning and risk sticking more bacteria into the piercing or irritating it further. An established one would probably be fine, but you'd be surprised how quickly some close up. My grandmother, who wore earrings her entire life, didn't wear them for a few days one time and they closed in. My mother got a second ear lobe piercing when she was in high school and didn't do anything with them for about 30 years. Randomly stuck some earrings in them one day when she was in her 50s and they were still open. You never know!


Very true! The only piercings you can take out for long periods of time are earlobes. I've had mine out got weeks, months at a time. My seconds I even left for a year at one point in an attempt to heal them... Still there!

Nose, navel, septum and cartilage will heal overnight as far as I'm aware. I have know nose piercings to come out whilst the person was sleeping and it was healed when they woke up. D:


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## Corporal

Again, you didn't read the post. It isn't human hair that is a problem. It is mane or tail hair that could get caught and pull.

Obviously it is very important to you to have piercings and to wear your jewelry around your horse, so keep doing it. =D


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## DuckDodgers

speedy da fish said:


> Very true! The only piercings you can take out for long periods of time are earlobes. I've had mine out got weeks, months at a time. My seconds I even left for a year at one point in an attempt to heal them... Still there!
> 
> Nose, navel, septum and cartilage will heal overnight as far as I'm aware. I have know nose piercings to come out whilst the person was sleeping and it was healed when they woke up. D:


I did come fairly close to losing one of my cartilage piercings overnight... I think it's technically a nose ring that the piercer used. Been meaning to get something different but I just haven't yet. It slides out fairly easily and came out once when I was asleep. I noticed first thing in the morning and put it back in, but it definitely felt tighter. No idea how long it had been out... could have been right when I went to sleep or not long before I woke up! 

I do think that one of the ears on the lobe piercings I let close up is still open. I accidentally put an earring in that one instead of the correct hole and couldn't figure out why it was so difficult to get in that day  The other ear closed in completely not too long after I stopped using them. You can still see a tiny spot where the hole was, but that's it. Strange!


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## TessaMay

I almost didn't get my navel done because of riding horses (I was worried it might catch and rip out while dismounting, but I ended up doing it and have had no problems. It did take around 6 months for mine to fully heal, but everyone is different. 

I wear my navel and nose ring around horses all the time and haven't had a problem to date. I often get my nose ring stuck on towels when drying my face though. Not too pleasant, but since it's fully healed it doesn't usually hurt much.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DuckDodgers

Corporal said:


> Again, you didn't read the post. It isn't human hair that is a problem. It is mane or tail hair that could get caught and pull.
> 
> Obviously it is very important to you to have piercings and to wear your jewelry around your horse, so keep doing it. =D


I did indeed read all of them and addressed my views on that, but alright. There seems to be some sort of communication barrier somewhere in there, but I suppose that happens :?


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## natisha

I've always wondered so this may be my chance to find out.
Are there any other "activities", you know, "activities" where a belly piercing can cause problems?


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## TessaMay

natisha said:


> I've always wondered so this may be my chance to find out.
> Are there any other "activities", you know, "activities" where a belly piercing can cause problems?


Not that I've found :wink:


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## speedy da fish

natisha said:


> I've always wondered so this may be my chance to find out.
> Are there any other "activities", you know, "activities" where a belly piercing can cause problems?


I'm guessing, if the other person also has one, there may be an interlocking risk :lol:

(I've actually heard of this happening!)


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## Tigo

I got mine done about 4 years ago, I believe. It took a long time to heal (I would guess about a year) but it stopped hurting within a month but the pain was never really bad anyways. I found my piercing had gunk, for lack of a better word, but never really got badly infected. I also played with it a lot and worked in a dirty environment (greenhouse), so surely that didn't help. One day I noticed what looked more like an infection, packed it with epsom salt and a bandaid and voila, nothing ever since. 

If you do get it done, make sure the piercer uses a long enough bar. Long story short, I didn't realize the bar in mine was too short to allow swelling and it ended up swelling over the top ball of the bar. I had to keep popping it out until I went to another parlour to get an appropriate length put it. I think the trauma within that first week probably didn't help the healing process. 

Overall, I adore my piercing and doubt I'll ever take it out. I've only snagged it badly once that I can remember and never in a horse situation. I wear dangly ones lots too without problems (even riding...stupid, maybe...). Some things were more difficult for a while like wrapping and dismounting but nothing overly problematic . I know a few other horse girls who have theirs done and don't have problems.

...


natisha said:


> I've always wondered so this may be my chance to find out.
> Are there any other "activities", you know, "activities" where a belly piercing can cause problems?


When mine was first done it was uncomfortable in certain...activities...but some shuffling about usually fixed that lol. I've never had a "hang up" though, thank god!


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## waresbear

I had mine pierced many years ago. I am a fast healer so I think in about a month after it was done, I was changing the jewelry. I got it done because it is an extra place to put jewelry, which I love! Never had an infection but I don't think I have any waist bands that have rubbed that area, all low rise.


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## Saskia

I had mine pierced years ago. The first time it didn't heal quite right, so I took it out and let it heal for a month then re pierced it and it was fine. 

It did get in the way riding. Dismounting, if you slid a bit on saddle it would bend it up. It sat at a weird place for riding in general, and stuff like climbing yard panels, slipping through things was just awkward. 

I kept it for a year or so and then took it out. However since I got it pierced the second time through scar tissue it hasn't closed, years later.


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## DuckDodgers

I've noticed a few people mention dismounting as an issue with such piercings... I could only see this really being an issue if your belly is actually coming in contact with the saddle/horse when you dismount. If you sort of push off from the saddle when you're hopping off then it doesn't sound like it would be too problematic. I always sort of hop off the horse, but I've happened to notice that some people tend to lower themselves off of the horse more easily (perhaps to reduce the concussion), but it seems as though such dismounting could cause more irritation to the area.

Of course, that thought doesn't help you in the event of an involuntary dismount


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## nikelodeon79

I got mine done in college and it NEVER healed. It was painful and oozing pus for over a year before I finally gave up and took it out. It was done at a repacker place, too. I'm convinced my mom performed some type of voodoo magic to get me to take it out. :lol:
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JackLover

I got mine done when I was 16, almost 21 now, and the only problem I had was the fact I am allergic to nickel. I cant wear metal jewelry there or around my neck or in my ears. I didnt think of this at the time of course haha. But I had no problems with it while it healed. 6 months later I put in an acrylic one, never heard of anything bad with them. I have ZERO problems with it when I ride. I do all sorts of things Ive done barrel racing and even jumping with it. 99% of the time I forget its in there. Now there was one time where a horse rubbed his head on me and it caught on his halter and it hurt a bit but nothing happened. I know tons of girls in 4H that have it done and have no problems with it either. I think it would be fine


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## ChitChatChet

nikelodeon79 said:


> I got mine done in college and it NEVER healed. It was painful and oozing pus for over a year before I finally gave up and took it out. It was done at a repacker place, too. I'm convinced my mom performed some type of voodoo magic to get me to take it out. :lol:
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I would be inclined to think metal allergy.

I buy my jewelry from Body Matters Gold in England. Lovely stuff!!


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## budley95

I had mine pierced when I was 17, so 6 years ago now. It got infected when I first had it done and I've ripped it twice, once falling out a canoe, and once on my body protector when I was wearing a dangly belly bar (stupid I know).

Doesn't make a difference to me, I like it so I keep it. It is wonky now though and scarred at the top so if I haven't got a bar in it looks nasty... I can see why they tell you not to ride with piercings - I still do though!


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## Mulefeather

I don't have any piercings save for my ears, and those I have let close up. I'm not terribly keen on anything that could get caught on something else and take flesh with it when it goes!

I guess that's why I have a tattoo! Ink can't get caught on anything! ;-)


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