Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Title: Riding while pregnant

This is always been a contentious issue.  I read with interest the mothers who wrote about riding in their third trimester and not having any problems.  What was not mentioned was if any of these women fell off their horses, and what the consequences were.  I always weigh risks vs. benefits and throw in a little probability and consequences when I undertake something.  If someone has been riding all their lives and through a pregnancy, RIDING is probably OK.  But one has to ask themselves, what could happen in the event of a nasty fall?  When horses are involved anyone can have a nasty fall at any time, and it usually happens with the horse that you trust the most at a time when you least expect it.  Each rider has to ask themselves if the consequences are worth the risk.  I know, one could say that driving while pregnant is risky or that you could slip and fall while pregnant.  But most of us have to drive a car and walk around.  We HAVE to take those risks.  I know we all think that we NEED to ride, but there are a lot of other things one can do that provide the horsy or outdoor fix.  I personally would have never risked loosing my baby just because I wanted to ride my horse, and any one who knows me can vouch for how much I love to ride.   I would never ride during the last trimester no matter how competent of a horsewoman I was or how bombproof my horse was.