I am expecting my first in September and am looking for a jogging/all-terrain stroller for around the farm and our gravel driveway. My horses are at home, so it’s inevitable that baby will be going to the barn with me.
Suggestions of brands or models would be much appreciated! I’m hoping to find something used on a swap site since I know it won’t be staying clean. Doesn’t need to fold up or transport easily, but it needs to ride nicely around the pastures and on the driveways.
Bob Revolution. Hands down the best rough terrain stroller available. I have one here for my grandchildren. They are big and heavy, so not the easiest to transport in a car, but perfect for farm life.
This one seems to work at a horse trials. The wheels look like they could handle any terrain.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AedQvff0X…e%2Btrials.jpg
Full article here:
http://fromberkshiretobuckingham.blo…-houghton.html
These wheels and springs look pretty sturdy too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWdY-Tnn4uU
Google pram for rough terrain and click IMAGES.
Now, having, said that, I know nothing at all about babies! Just remembering the “jogging” type of tricycle-gear strollers I used to see in my old neighborhood gave me the idea. I like the idea of a pram because a baby can lie down in it 'til he’s old enough to sit up.
Good luck and best wishes to you and your expected little horse person!
Just get a BOB and be done with it. Also make sure you get the horse desensitized to said stroller before the time comes.
make sure you get a playpen to contain child once they get mobile.
Another vote for the BOB Revolution. The front wheel locks for running, unlocks for maneuvering at walking speed, and it has a great suspension and handling for gravel/trail use.
One note is that you can’t use it on its own for a while with a newborn (they need to be more stable and bigger for the harness), but the new models come with converter attachments that you can click an infant car seat into. If you do this for the first few months, be aware that the stroller WILL be more top heavy that way, so no running, and be careful on varied or uneven terrain.
If you shop used I’d advise getting a post 2012 model. 
I had a new one for my first, and sold it before surprise! #2, and so I bought a used one off craigslist, and found that it was not compatible with the infant seat converter and also the harness was different, and baby 2 still doesn’t fit comfortably in it. I will probably get a newer one because it drives me nuts.
Personally, if there is any way you can leave the child with a caretaker instead of going to the barn with an infant?
Better choice.
Babies are fragile, and horses may be clumsy or inattentive.
There is no way to handle a horse and a stroller; nor is it safe to have a horse and a stroller in proximity.
An adult carrying the baby is much more able to move away than a babe in a stroller.
Sounds odd, but locking the stroller or playpen in a spare, clean stall is better than some other options.
Please don’t allow a horse and ‘loose child’ of a tender age and not under hands on parental control to meet other than on opposite sides of secure fencing/ stalls.
Congratulations on your new child-in-waiting. The world needs another horseman!
Thanks for this! I kind of figured I couldn’t stick an infant in there, so this is really a question for a little further down the road. Our everyday stroller lets the infant car seat click into it, so I was hoping a BOB would, too. Babywearing is probably going to be more practical early on.
I’m obviously not going to be turning in/out while pushing a stroller along 
, but I need to go to the barn to feed and throw hay. Horses can be inside the fence or stalls while baby is on the outside.
I’m sure you will make it work
Since this is your first, I just wanted to give you a heads up on how amazingly mobile or in-the-wrong-place little ones can be despite your best efforts and constant checking up.
You’ll need a strong heart to stand the heart attacks!
Go, mom!!
Just some words of advice:
Don’t just desensitize the horses to the stroller, but also an unhappy baby. Nothing set my horse on edge worse than hearing a crying baby even if she was in the tack room or parked in the stroller on the other side of the fence. He wasn’t sure if she was a monster coming to eat him, or a monster already had her and was coming for him next.
I would not advise babywearing and throwing hay. Even feeding, I’d be very, very careful about bending down.
Be aware how hot it gets in the stroller. Keeping the bonnet up for shade is great, but it will hold in a lot of heat. I found a great battery powered clip-on fan with soft foam blades that keeps her cool and fairly entertained.
I try to time our barn visits for nap-time. She’s quite content to sleep in her stroller, as long as she’s comfortable and usually well-fed.
Watch out for insects. I took her to a show and had to cross a lot of grass. I ended up pulling a couple of ticks off the stroller. Thankfully they did not reach her!!! I do spray around the base and wheels with a picaridin spray if we’re going somewhere with unmowed or minimally mowed grass.
I have a Britax, forget which model, that handles everything but footing-deep sand quite well. It handled the cross country course at Great Meadow like a champ, and DD actually slept for all but the last two riders. She was quite content with her little baby-sized neck pillow and fan.
Thank you for the advice! I’m going to have all kinds of things to figure out. Thankfully I have family to help and a supportive husband, so although I’m sure riding will move to the backburner for awhile the horses still need to eat and be taken care of. We’ll have to figure out our new normal and routine.
We’ve got the Baby Jogger City Elite. Love it! We took it on a short “hike” this past weekend in Banff. Handled tree roots and jagged rocks sticking up out of the path with ease. It definitely handled being pushed around the barn when DD was young without any issues. Grass, arena footing, gravel, no problems. Definitely look for larger wheels that are foam filled instead of inflated by air. That way if you get a puncture it doesn’t go flat. We preferred the 3 wheel model as well but its a bit dicey if traversing slanted terrain. There’s one path at the dog park I had to avoid because the path cut crossways on a sloped hill and the path was similarily sloped. We were quite tippy with the click in bucket sitting so high up on the stroller. Friends with 4 wheel strollers did better in that scenario. But in every other way the 3 wheel is fine.
Also - of all the horses on the property - not one of them had an issue with the sight of the stroller or the sound of her crying. Not one.
Horses stay in separate areas from DD when she’s out to visit. If I was out just to groom or change blankets then she was in her stroller and tucked into the locker area where horses can’t go. I never could figure out logistics of riding while she was with me at the barn unless I had someone separate dedicated to pushing her around in her stroller while I rode or held her in the viewing area. When I was pregnant I always envisioned putting her in a playpen while I rode but the reality was it was just too darn dusty in the arena to have her in their while I rode with her teeny brand new lungs and what would I do if I fell off and got injured and no one was there to help? And I always just felt like I would be imposing on other barn people to watch her or hang around while I rode to make sure I stayed in one piece. I never wanted to put anyone in the position of having to say “No, I don’t want to watch your baby for you, I came to ride more own horse thanks”.
And if DH came to the barn with me to help watch her - well, he was more comfortable at home so that happened once and then he said “what’s the point? I’ll just keep her at home, you go ride”.
Anyways - I know your plan is just to have your wee one in a stroller while you do chores and I think that will work just fine. Did for me. You aren’t asking about riding at all. So that last bit just kinda spewed out stream of consciousness.
Another vote for the Bob Revolution. It handles everything we throw at t it like a champ. We routinely take it off road for hikes, barns, horse shows, snow, mud, etc…
You can buy an attachment for your infant carrier, but the stroller is less stable this way since it is more top heavy, just use caution off road.
If you don’t already have one for bikes, then get a patch kit and small pump to keep around just in case.
I have this one - http://www.babytrend.com/travel_systems_jogger/TJ93422.html
It’s going on 5 years old and on its second kid - Love it!
Another vote for BOB Revolution. The best stroller ever. We’ve now owned 2, both of which we bought secondhand for less than half the price of new (and in great condition). Recommend shopping around on craigslist or any local mom boards/listservs.
I don’t own a farm but my horse has “desensitized” very easily to my very rambunctious toddler. He loves it when she visits because he associates her with treats… but he’s very polite about it (because he KNOWS there are consequences for being rude about treats) and this past weekend he stood stock still for her (with me very close by) while she brushed him on his belly and legs. He is a 16.1 h OTTB and she is only about as tall as his leg.
Bad Mom here - when my daughter was 21 months old she saw me nursing our son, she also say my mare’s foal nursing from my mare, so - when I was not paying attention, there was my daughter reaching up to nurse from the mare.
I swear the maternal instinct crosses all species - my mare is gentle las a lamb.
Farm life is so healthy for kids.
I have the BOB revolution and spent many hours around the barn with my son. He would sit in the stroller while I did chores, groomed, etc. but always in a safe spot where he couldn’t be harmed. Whenever I am riding though I have someone to watch him. It is too long and not safe for him to sit still. In addition now he is all over the place but is very good about Wait, Stop, Back up, etc. to keep him out of trouble with horses if he gets close. He loves coming to the barn and is fascinated by the horses. Its a great upbringing for the little ones! You do have to have a very watchful eye though and it can be stressful worrying about two things, but as a new mom you will appreciate the time with the horses and to concentrate on something other than nursing/feeding/sleeping/diapers.
Good luck!
If you can locate a 4-wheel pram type baby buggy, I think it would be a better choice for trips to the barn. Baby can lay flat, stretch, kick and wave arms easily. Buggies have large wheels for easy travel over most surfaces, good springs for a nice rocking, cushion ride over ground that is not smooth, like a gravel driveway. Strollers that make baby stay sitting up are not always comfortable and can be quite hot, holding in body heat. Everyone gets on edge when baby cries, takes any fun away.
Husband found our baby buggy at a yard sale. First thing we got after finding out we were pregnant! It was a wonderful choice for use around the farm. I had a piece of netting to cover it for bug prevention when I parked it to go handle horses. We have a center aisle gate which prevents any horses or dogs access to one end of barn, so buggy was parked behind the gate in easy view, but truly safe from the horse I was handling. Gate is also great safety feature for children once they start toddling about, can’t reach any horses or escape outside. Baby buggy was older, actually an antique, from when Mom HAD to go places on foot with baby. Great design for what we now need on a farm. 4 wheels keep it from being at all tippy or hanging up in a hole. We sure put plenty of miles on it with the kids while doing lots of outside activities. Height kept stranger’s dog faces out of the kids faces while walking along too! Huge plus for me, since you can’t see kId/dog meeting under stroller canopy… Even leashed, people often had no control of dog movements when you met them. Dogs will stuff face in to sniff, lick child or take kid’s snacks! I sure didn’t want that happening with strange dogs!!
Baby buggy works well until kid starts rolling over, they you have to pay better attention so they don’t get up and out if not under constant supervision. Stroller with harness would be a safer choice as child gets older, more active and you need to step away to handle horse things during barn visits.
Give baby it’s own stall please.
Locked behind a stall door is the safest for all involved and you can equip it as needed.
But for us a real sized playpen was best for baby
Thanks for this! These Babytrends are all over my local swap pages for like $100 WITH a car seat. I was questioning how good they could be, but maybe it’s worth it for the infant phase. Then I can keep an eye out for a BOB Revolution since that seems to be the popular suggestion.
And thank you to everyone for all of the recommendations. We will of course keep baby as safe as possible around the barn. I love hearing from other horse people who “get it”!
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
