I rode until one or two days before delivery. It was the only thing that felt good. I did stop jumping at 6 or 7 months though.
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IF you get a bombproof older citizen is that then you will have a horse that will be safe for your kid. It is inevitable, your kid WILL want to get up on horsie.
Also, after baby you will be TIRED, at least until that magical night when you kid sleeps through, no crying, no screaming, no stumbling around half-asleep getting a bottle warmed up or a super messy diaper changed. You will be SO GLAD that when you get to the stable you are not expecting equine explosions or vigorous expressions of the joy of MOVING!
I was lucky. I had the most wonderful horse in the world. He took care of me and he took care of my sons.
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Excellent advice!
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Wanted to revive the thread with a question. Iām quickly approaching the end of my first trimester which has been very unkind and for a variety of reasons cut into my riding. Iām feeling pretty safe riding my horse and weāve worked through a lot of issues. Sheās 90% a solid citizen and I trust her to not do anything stupid, certainly not in the arena/familiar situations and under saddle. The pregnancy so far has definitely calmed down my daily ambitions as a rider and fwiw I think itās helped our partnership 
With that said Iāve noticed a general weakness in my muscles and feel a bit sluggish in my core while riding. Not to the point where I feel unsafe, but kinda like Iād feel after having 2 weeks of flu if that makes sense (jelly legs/core). Anybody else experienced this ? Is this a muscle loss issue (I also had terrible nausea/fatigue/food aversions that Iām pretty sure lead to muscle mass loss - my boots now feel a bit loose) or should I expect this to get worse, not better over time as I start looking more pregnant? Asking because Iām trying to gauge when it makes sense to find a substitute rider for her. I obviously donāt want to risk anything but riding is huge for my mental health and itās not like we are jumping the big sticks either, so I never feel unsafe so far. I donāt really plan on any strict cutoffs, but will be going by my own comfort level. There are days when riding is the last thing I want to do already. But if the jelly legs / core feeling will be getting worse then I need to find her a new rider ASAP.
Also, what did yāall do with your horses when you became too pregnant to ride? Sheās still a bit rough around the edges (OTTB that i got about 6 mos ago), so not exactly a candidate for a typical lease/half lease situation. If anything Iād prefer her to get some quality miles at home and even at schooling shows, but also donāt want to send her away too farā¦ What did yāall do ? If I decide to send her away, how long after post-partum should I be realistically shipping her back ?
Iām currently 25 weeks and still riding. I bought the horse after weād started trying, but before I got pregnant. Right now Iām mostly focusing on making smart decisions. If he comes out fresh, I lunge or have my trainer warm him up for me. I let the working students take him out on hack day. I think stepping back from riding is going to be a gradual process. Heās boarded in full training, so as I slow down, heāll just transition from mostly lessons to mostly training rides. Iām hoping I can still get on a few times a week to cool him out or walk him up through the end - but Iām playing it all by ear. Right now I feel good. And I get excited to watch when he has training rides, so I think Iām going to enjoy being the owner at the shows for at least a few months this year. And heāll be that much farther along when Iām ready to get back in the saddle 
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Iām now 18 weeks. Iām still riding but it definitely feels different. I donāt have the core strength that I used to have nor do I have the stamina. I also recognize that I get pain pretty easily in my hips or pelvis during and after rides. Iām hoping to ride until around 22 weeks but will stop sooner if I feel the need. I actually did end up buying a horse because it was a unique opportunity and I would have no trouble reselling him if needed. Iām actually waiting for him to arrive to our barn in the next couple weeks. My plan is to get to know him and hopefully ride for a couple of weeks before he goes to full training with my coach and hopefully with a lessee. I will continue to go out and visit and work him on the ground.
I also had a horrible first trimester filled with nausea, food aversions and vomiting. I lost about 8 pounds (only started at 110) and I have just about gained it back. I do think a lot of that weight loss was due to muscle loss so now that Iām feeling better Iām trying to get back in the gym. So I think what youāve been experiencing is pretty normal.
2nd trimester is generally considered the āgoldenā period of pregnancy when the lovely symptoms of first trimester have passed and before youāre the size of a house. However, I would not really expect the overall weak feeling to improve. You might be feeling less nauseous and more energetic but your core strength is going to start changing pretty quickly. I definitely noticed a shift in my balance around the 20 week mark.
I went into pregnancy pretty fit with good muscle mass and I was the model pregnant lady. Never got sick, gained the right amount of weight, and exercised until the end. I still lost a lot of muscle mass simply because thereās so many things you canāt do when your belly gets bigger. Iām getting it back but it takes time.
We have a farm so I just left my horse hang out in pasture. I still did groundwork with him but didnāt ride after first trimester due to a variety of reasons. Itās so hard to say when you should get horse sent back because it depends so much on how your delivery goes. I got back on after 3 weeks but I had 2 stitches and a very straightforward delivery. If you end up needing a C section, youāre looking at 6 weeks to really recover from that. I snuck in super quick rides now and then but I didnāt really have anything consistent until baby was 3-4 months old and started to nap better. Baby temperament and childcare also greatly affects how much riding youāll be able to do right away.
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Your body is undergoing a lot of changes. For me, some days felt great and some felt awful. I just tried to not push myself foo hard on those bad days.
For my horses, onceI stopped riding my horses got a break, then I had help starting them back before shipping them off for a month. I got lucky that I was able to ride both last time and this time until early winter and once the weather got bad i got too big too ride and I could give them their annual 4-6 week break. But my son and this baby were due right around the same time (11 days apart) so I had a plan this time based on his last time went. Only difference is I stopped jumping sooner this pregnancy but I rode longer.
With my son, I sent both my horses at the time off just to make it easier at home not for training. This time, I have a few girls riding my older guy at home and he will stay here.
My younger horse I started back via lunging this week which isnāt the easiest bc I feel like a whale but heās safe and easy to lunge so itās been okay. The girls who ride my older guy will ride him this week for me and then he will be going to my trainers for a month or so next weekend. Heās also an OTTB that I started myself with minimal pro rides and I think this is a great opportunity to polish up a few rough edges. Heāll come home once Iām cleared to ride, so I anticipate heāll be there 5-6 weeks.
I have not read all the posts; but, know that most realize that this is a personal decision that only you and your family can make. I was lucky because my OB/GYN was fully supportive of me riding during both of my pregnancies and within 2 weeks of giving birth. I did not have a terribly complicated pregnancy with either. The horses I had at the time were steady eddie types. I even showed in recognized dressage shows while pregnant and without issue unless you count the morning sickness 
I have always been in very good shape and did what I could realistically to stay in shape during my pregnancies. Towards my due date(s) I did scale back to just trail riding/hacking. I also continued to do all the barn work. Iāve never known life without a horse; so, my choices were not a surprise to anyone. I did, however, send my horse(s) out to a trainer for the last two weeks of my pregnancies and the first two weeks after birth so that they were ātuned upā when I got back on.
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You lose muscle tone during pregnancy and everything gets more āloose.ā Thatās all part of your body changing so you can stretch to accommodate a growing baby, then push that baby out!
So yes, you can expect it to get worse, or at least not improve. Itās not nutritional muscle loss, itās just part of pregnancy.
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Not to add more worries, but childbirth can be more damaging than previously recognized. There is an area of speciality for pelvic floor dysfunction - a urogynecologist - and do not hesitate to find one NOW to potentially consult later.
You canāt Kegel your way out of every problem in that area.
IF you have ongoing problems after delivery (in particular), donāt put off a consult. They can make a huge difference in the quality of a womanās life. You donāt have to be pregnant or postpartum to have need of one.
Fingers crossed it will never be a problem for you or any other reader!
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With my first one, I rode up until about 3 weeks before I was due. After that I was just miserable. My hips opened up so much early in the pregnancy I lengthened my stirrups by three holes!!
With my second, I was three months pregnant when I did a beginner novice cross country event, then I quit soon after that, it was more about the way I felt than about being pregnant.
I agree with the others though that I would not be taking on a mew horse during this time.
I will echo this. PFD is not only in women who have had children. Men get it as well.
When I went through treatment my doctor said Wow you have tight hips. I snickered and said yes, my riding instructor told me that many times.
That said if you do have pain or weakness that normal recovery does not correct, consider following through with a urogynecologist.
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Thanks allā¦ Pushing close to third trimester now, my mare has not seen me much for the past 3 months. I had a rough first trimester and thought I was gonna ride well into the second and maybe stop sometime around now, but at some point soon after my initial post here my balance just totally shifted and I just developed this mental block. Couldnāt convince myself to get on a horse anymore! That being said I miss it terribly especially now that the weather is so nice!
Mare is finally going to a training facility this week for likely the rest of the year. We are getting a full-time nanny from the get-go so I sincerely hope I manage to get back into the saddle of my (hopefully) tuned-up mare during my mat leave and then hopefully we can hit the spring shows next year.
Took up your advice and saw a PF physio and of course my pilates/riding muscles needed some work to get relaxed. Thankfully baby is not measuring terribly big so far (33rd %-ile) and so hopefully I can minimise the damage and skip the c-section with all of its potential complications. Pregnancy and postpartum are such minefields, itās a miracle we as a species have survived!
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Congrats! Iām about to hit 38 weeks. I stopped riding at 31 weeks, but I still go daily to watch my trainer ride and discuss. She showed him this weekend and I had fun being at the show as an owner, even though I was seriously itching to ride. Hopefully it wonāt be long now!!!
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I had a high risk pregnancy due to twins. I rode normally until about 14 weeks at which point trotting became uncomfortable. I could still ride at the walk just fine. I had emergency fetal surgery at 16 weeks. One of the major risks of the surgery was premature rupture. I was on bed rest for 2 weeks and not allowed to exercise/do any lifting for 3 months. By the time 3 months had elapsed I was huge (7 months) and had a lot of lower back pain. I groomed my horse a couple times but anything more was out of the question. I couldnāt stay on my feet for more than 10 minutes.
I only made it to 32 weeks. Everything turned out fine. I have healthy kids and no lingering issues from pregnancy except a collapsed foot arch. I was back to riding as soon as I was cleared (6 weeks after a c section).
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Checking in here. The weeks are so long! Officially entered 32nd week yesterday of what apart from a horrendous first trimester so far has been a rather uneventful pregnancy. I really look forward to getting back on the pony who has been acting up [with others] lately. Just want to get on and try what I know works, but know that itās the most stupid thing to do at this point! So the withdrawal and frustration is getting real.
Curious from otherās experiences- when did you get back in the saddle? Iāve heard anywhere between 10 days (that sounds very hardcore!) to a year later, but curious what are the variables at play here. We plan to have a full time nanny/helper from Day 1, which should hopefully open up time for riding during my rather generous maternity leave.
Anybody dealt with the separation of abs (DR)? I had some coning already at 25 weeks or so, and Iāve been trying hard not to aggravate it further, though I know that so much of it outside of our control. Either way, riding is so much about core, so I was wondering how that affected peopleās timelines and recovery.
I was able to ride up to the day before delivery with both and riding (at a walk) within a month after birth. That is down to luck but you may be able to do so too. Listen to your body and your medical team!
Best wishes for a safe labor & delivery.
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Checking back in I had my baby in June. I was lucky to have a straightforward delivery despite being induced, and I was back on 3 weeks after delivery. For the first two weeks, I just cooled out after my trainer rode (walk and a little stretchy trot). This week (6 weeks pp), Iāve added in canter. Sitting trot still feels a bit far away, but not due to pain - just due to weakness in my core.
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