# Riding while pregnant, safe?



## BlckAPHAColt (Nov 27, 2010)

I am eight weeks pregnant I own a mustang mare is it safe to ride while I am pregnant? If not how soon can I start back up?
Thanks,
Amber


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## alexischristina (Jun 30, 2009)

I don't think there's anyone who will tell you that it's 'safe' to ride while you're pregnant. Horses are animals with minds of their own, all horses are dangerous to a degree... and even the calmest horse can spook and dump their rider and yes, a fall can hurt your baby. It's a very personal decision that you need to make with the input of your doctor and decide if that is a risk you are willing to take. 
As for starting back up, my coach was riding less than a week after she had her baby.


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

I want to know about this too-- it does seem kind of selfish to put the baby at such a high risk, but i dont think i could go 9 months with out having at least a few rides. :-(

A friend of mine said you could do almost anything like riding horses, quads, dirtbikes, and some other things up untill 6 months.

I would definitely have a talk with the doctor.. and if my horse is calm enough-- maybe invest in an endurance saddle, and have the baby daddy pony you around? 

^im not suggesting you do this.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

It's dangerous to ride in a car, it's dangerous to live period! If you ride a quiet, well broke horse, it's a calculated risk. No, I didn't ride green horses when I was pregnant but I did ride an old mare from time to time, I also went downhill skiing. It's your decision.


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## LynnF (Jun 1, 2011)

My mom rode while she was pregnant with both me and my brother, she rode an older, well broke horse and was very careful.
Her doctor told her that since she was riding every day already and it was an exercise her body was used to it wouldn't put too much stress on her. If you have never ridden before and decide to hop up on a horse for the first time while you are pregnant it is a different story. It depends on what your body is used to and the risk you are willing to take.


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## countrylove (Oct 18, 2012)

LynnF said:


> My mom rode while she was pregnant with both me and my brother, she rode an older, well broke horse and was very careful.
> Her doctor told her that since she was riding every day already and it was an exercise her body was used to it wouldn't put too much stress on her. If you have never ridden before and decide to hop up on a horse for the first time while you are pregnant it is a different story. It depends on what your body is used to and the risk you are willing to take.


My doctor told me the same thing. I rode while pregnant with both my kids. I also rode a horse who is as bomb proof as they come (parade horse who always got stuck next to the fire truck who's lights and sirens were blaring). I also rode my quad. But these were done in moderation and I kept everything very slow paced. As soon as my belly started to throw off my balance I quit riding. I started back up the first week of my first and the second was a c-section so I couldn't start back up for well over a month. Use your best judgement and never ride alone, just in case.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## katec1991 (Jun 25, 2012)

That seems like a question to ask your doctor. Also, it depends on your horse's temperament. I would not be riding a high strung horse that likes to buck/rear in any stage of my pregnancy, but I would most definitely get on the 'been there done that' trail horse.


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## tbcrazy (Sep 27, 2012)

A friend of my mom's went to two doctors when she was pregnant- she was big into both skiing and horseback riding. One said she could ski and not horseback ride, the other said she could horseback ride and not ski. Needless to say, she did both! Be careful, and use good judgement.


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## Foxesdontwearbowties (Jul 9, 2012)

I couldn't go 9 months without riding, I would ride until the baby weight was throwing me off/if there were complications. 
But if you are really worried about it, but want to keep riding. The next best thing would be to look into driving. Take up lessons or find a friend who drives.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

As said before, it's a personal choice. For me, I decided it was too risky. Parenthood is all about sacrifice, and I decided that I could not possibly go into parenthood starting off in a way that I considered selfish - knowingly risking the life of my unborn child. But, as I said, that is just how I felt.


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Chiilaa said:


> As said before, it's a personal choice. For me, I decided it was too risky. Parenthood is all about sacrifice, and I decided that I could not possibly go into parenthood starting off in a way that I considered selfish - knowingly risking the life of my unborn child. But, as I said, that is just how I felt.


Me too, having had two miscarriages and an ectopic it really didn't seem worth the risk, I doubt anything would have happened if I did, but if something did happen and knowing what it is like to lose a baby it really didn't seem worth the risk (and I had n't fallen off for 13 years when I was pregnant with my first child).


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## wild old thing (Jun 15, 2012)

Life is filled with risks. Like others said, I can't say whether it's safe. Riding is a relatively safe sport if you know how to ride safely, but horses are living things with their own issues and needs and responses. No one can vouch for what another living thing will do at any given moment. 

I didn't ride horses when I was making babies, but I did ride bicycles, which was pretty outrageous in the 70s. 

One day when I was about four/five months in I was riding relatively slowly and fell over sideways. Like those silent films...just sort of went over. My doctor said it was probably because my son shifted and my weight and balance shifted with him. Fetuses are not very big at four/five months and the embryonic sac isn't either, but we're balanced beings, so balance might be an issue to consider. When I was falling, I can still remember not understanding why I was going over. Nothing had happened. I just went down. Boom. (I was fine, btw)

You could get a little cumbersome in your pregnancy - I carried large and out front. You may carry sleek and remain very hardy throughout and feel good right up to the end. 

But there is nothing I can tell you except this: your body is what you live in and it's going to become a factory - it's going to change for a few months. You'll know what's good and what's not. Just listen to your body, listen especially when it hurts or if something seems wrong or uncomfortable. 

If you're tired, don't ride yet - take a nap first. If you're hungry, eat first, then rest a bit, then ride. Stay fit. That's really important whether you ride or not, remaining fit. It will make delivery much easier. Take your vitamins and don't underestimate that you're going to have to go to the bathroom a million times a day at various points in your pregnancy. Don't dare yourself to be anything other than what you are any given day. Enjoy life, your horse, your body and best of all, your pregnancy. It's nice to be pregnant. Someday you'll tell your kids about what it was like to carry them and they'll love hearing those stories.


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## countrylove (Oct 18, 2012)

wild old thing said:


> Life is filled with risks. Like others said, I can't say whether it's safe. Riding is a relatively safe sport if you know how to ride safely, but horses are living things with their own issues and needs and responses. No one can vouch for what another living thing will do at any given moment.
> 
> I didn't ride horses when I was making babies, but I did ride bicycles, which was pretty outrageous in the 70s.
> 
> ...


Well said 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

I rode until the week before I had my first, with the second, I was much more uncomfortable so I stopped sooner. I was back in the saddle a couple weeks after both though. I loved the way my doctor put it. "It's not the riding thats the problem, its the falling off. Just don't fall off." So yes, I took precautions. Yes, I rode trustworthy mounts in only the best conditions, but no, I couldn't just stop altogether.


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