Hi ladies! I am 13 weeks pregnant and would like to keep riding as long as I can. Please share your experience when riding while pregnant. Did you take any specific precautions? When did you decide it was time to take a break?
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You may also want to post in riders with heath issues board. There have been quite a few discussions over the years in there and in various subtopics.
I would say depends on your horse, your tolerance for risk, what’s your partner and doctor are comfortable with and your own comfort level with your pregnancy.
I know some people that quit riding as soon as they found out they were pregnant and others that rode up until a week or two before they delivered.
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Both times I rode until the day before I went into labor. At the end I was mostly walking.
HOWEVER, my first son, when in the womb 6 months +, would do calisthenics every night when I laid down to sleep, and he was vigorous about his in-utero exercise regime.
UNLESS I sat the trot for a minute or two when riding. If I sat the trot for a little while he would “go to sleep” with me and did not keep me awake for an hour or more while he did his exercises.
I did not have to do this with my second son while I carried him.
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I rode with my last child until it got too uncomfortable for me to mount. This was 20 years ago, so I am hazy on the details. I was probably 6 or 7 months pregnant when I stopped. I probably stopped jumping, and honestly don’t remember more specifics than that.
Also do a search of the “Off Course” forum. There have been a number of threads about riding during pregnancy and also how having a baby impacts your riding life.
I’m 10 weeks!
I talked to my doctor about it, because it was specifically lined out in her pregnancy book as something NOT to do. 
She told me that as long as I was on something “safe” and didn’t do a ton of bouncing, she was pretty comfortable with it (despite it being a no in the book). We live in a very horsey area so she has a lot of horsey clients.
My SO only lets me on my horse. He doesn’t let me on his anymore, even though thats who I was starting to ride before pregnancy. However, its what makes us both more comfortable because mine is pretty solid and his is sometimes not so solid.
I mostly walk and trot then SO works him on the other stuff if needed. I plan on riding until I can’t hoist myself up there any longer or it becomes uncomfortable.
I think it’s a deeply personal decision & we all know the risks that come with riding and horses (even the most solid citizens). It’s a risk you have to decide whether to take or not with your doctor and SO!
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This was not the OP’s question at all, but I want to throw this out there for anyone else who might be pregnant and wondering if they want to ride or not. It’s ok to take a break, too. Not everyone rides while they’re pregnant. I didn’t. The horses will still be there, and sometimes you can come back to them with renewed energy and motivation for having spent a temporary time away.
OP, congratulations on your new adventure! I have loved being a mom and hope you enjoy it just as much!
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My horse injured herself at the start of my second trimester and was laid up for several weeks. So while I rode through my first trimester, that ended it for me because by the time she was over her injury, I had gotten pretty wobbly.
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I stopped riding super early—right around 8 weeks. It was my first, and I was only leasing month-to-month, so it was “easy” to stop. I probably could have gone longer, but I wanted to be especially safe.
I still went to the barn often, and followed my barn to shows to cheer on my friends! It kept me sane/scratched my horse itch while I was pregnant. I started back up right at 12 weeks postpartum (almost a year since my last ride, in early January of this year) and it couldn’t have felt any better.
Everyone’s different, and I know many people who rode way later into pregnancy. This is just what worked for me!
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Not to mention the money I saved from not riding was extremely welcome!
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It’s my livelihood, so with my first I rode until the end. Some horses were more uncomfortable than others, i.e more “up and down” types bounced my innards. My second, I quit at 8 months. I had a toddler at the time so it made more sense. My third was at about 8 months as well. When you get uncomfortable, unstable, or nervous, it’s time. Congratulations!
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I stopped the day I was 13 weeks. I started to become nervous and knew it was time. I don’t regret taking time out of the saddle and giving my horse lots of cuddles on the ground!!
I rode during both of my pregnancies. I elected not to jump because I felt that wasn’t worth the risk. I didn’t own a horse at the time, I was just lessoning/part boarding. I may have ridden for longer if it was my own horse who I was familiar with, but I stopped around the beginning of the third trimester both times. It was just no longer enjoyable/worth the money. I was back in the saddle around the 5 week postpartum mark both times though 
My first pregnancy, I stopped riding soon after I was pregnant with our son. At the time I was riding mostly baby imports and didn’t have one of my own. I was super morning sick as well and didn’t feel up to riding nor did I want to risk riding spicy young horses while pregnant. Fast forward to being pregnant with our daughter a few years after, I had my own very sane and trustworthy mare that I rode up until the day I could no longer get on around my ever-expanding belly. I think that was 9-ish months pregnant and I didn’t jump past the 7 month mark, more for the sake of being uncomfortable than for any other reason. I was much more fit the second time around and didn’t gain as much weight as I had with our son. Both ways were fine, I just chose to ride only a very steady eddy type the second time around.
I did get back on and try to lesson a few weeks after giving birth to our daughter and that was laughable and way too quick to try to get back in the saddle. Only do what feels right to your body and your sanity
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First off congratulations!! 
I am currently 21 weeks pregnant and still riding. I’ve opted to stop showing but still schooling over fences at home.
Planning to continue riding for as long as I feel comfortable and confident, both my doctor and physio have given their thumbs up to this
I purchased a couple of pairs of maternity riding leggings as I started to find my normal breeches to be a bit uncomfortable.
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I rode up until the day before I delivered with my first baby. That changed with each pregnancy following as I got older and the baby carried low, it just wasn’t comfortable for me at all.
My only precaution was to not ride my young mare, just for safety sake. She was sane and going well but green. I stayed with my teenaged gelding who I raised , and trained myself and I knew him inside and out.
As I got bigger our pace got slower!
I stopped jumping at 10 weeks but rode until 6 months. I stopped because it started to become very uncomfortable to do anything more than a walk (would result in cramping in the hip/pelvic area) and also getting off the horse wasn’t the easiest anymore. It’s a personal choice but if you have a solid seat and a solid horse and you’ve been consistently riding before becoming pregnant I don’t see why you shouldn’t.
However, for me— around 7.5 months I did develop an extremely painful nerve pain in my hip/leg that made it impossible to walk without a walker and I was essentially crippled for like 3 months. I don’t know if it had anything to do with riding while pregnant but I have heard people say that because of the hormone Relaxin de-stabilizing your joints, it can cause issues.
My first pregnancy I rode in my Stubben Siegfried, and near the end of my pregnancy my pubic bone was hurting big time when I rode.
My next pregnancy I wised up and rode in my Crosby PDN Wide Front saddle with a much flatter seat. My pubic bone did not hurt even near the end.
A truly flat jumping saddle may work the best for you. Personally I would avoid all deep seated dressage saddles even though they may feel more secure at first.
I only rode once or twice after finding out I was pregnant during each of my pregnancies. I had awful morning sickness with my first pregnancy to the point I went through multiple medications for it to be somewhat manageable and I threw up almost daily until 18 1/2 weeks pregnant. By the time I felt well enough to ride, I didn’t feel like it was safe anymore due to being unbalanced and out of shape.
During my second pregnancy (which was in the middle of Covid) I rode until I was 3 or so months pregnant, though very sparingly. By that point I had a toddler and I was exhausted.
I have a fried who rode and jumped until she was about 5 months pregnant and another friend who rode throughout her pregnancy and mostly just walked towards the end. She said it helped keep her hips from hurting as much.
YMMV, ride if its comfortable and you feel safe doing so.
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This is a tangent, but an old friend of mine (since we were both about 12) qualified for Devon for the first time while she was pregnant with her second child. By the time Devon came aound she had stopped riding becsause she was not confident about her balance.
She named her son Devon.
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