Pregnancies

["Angela C. McGhee" <rides2far@juno.com>]

> 1.  how long through your pregnancies have you competed in endurance 
>races
> safely?

I quit riding the day I found out I was pregnant...I did hop on our 25
year old dead broke pony to show a child something...and she popped me
right over her head.  It's not worth it.  


> 2.  Also, did you keep riding/training all the way up to the birthing 
>date?

No, no, no.  I did get a lot of exercise running along on foot with the
kids I was giving riding lessons at the time.  As a matter of fact, I
hopped over a jump while leading a pony when I was only about 15 weeks
and my knee simply came apart inside.  I have a theory that when the body
is telling other parts of your anatomy to loosen up, it does it to the
joints too.  I've got some bad permanent damage from that little hop.


> Just want to get your opinions as most OB/GYNs do not know what its 
>like to
> ride/train/race horses.  I figure they will m=
> ost likely tell you to stop. >>

Granted, I did a 50 miler on the day the Dr. told me I could "try riding
again" after having my collar bone plated.  I rode a pony the day after I
had to have a D&C due to a miscarriage... but that was just me, there
wasn't a baby to worry about.  Many of my worst injuries have been on
really gentle horses. 

 At the beginning of my 2nd pregnancy I got on an OLD 14 hand broke to
death mare and piddled around for about 5 minutes.  It was no fun at all,
I was paranoid and didn't enjoy it.  I don't think the act of riding is
any big deal...but stuff can sure happen and the act of falling could be
very traumatic.  Before my miscarriage when I first started having
problems the Dr. suggested that I might need to go to bed for the next 5
months!  Are you capable of that?  As it turned out I'd already lost the
baby.  That's another thing...if you DO happen to miscarry (and believe
me it's a lot more common than you think) it's nice to know you did all
you could to avoid it, and when people ask were you riding you can say
"NO".

 I highly recommend timing all pregnancies around things like bowed
tendons that make you feel like you're accomplishing something during the
horse's lay-off.

Angie

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