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 "Spaz-tacular"!!
Posts: 20309
 
Location: Bennett, CO | OK Girls... Getting lots of mixed info from creditable sources. I know it all is up to me in the big picture... but am a bit curious..
Im 40, and having my first.. Im 4 months (16 wks) pregnant. Obviously due to age, Im considered a high risk pregnancy. I havent gained much weight at this point.. which is good as I started out heavier....
My balance Isnt 100% ... I made a few 3/4 speed runs on Saturday, and that seemed fine... Except when I tried to 2-Hand him around a barrel to correct an issue....
My doctor is aware I have been riding, but believes it is getting close to time for "The last Hurrah"
Im good with this, as winter is settling in, and I can do some ground work with my colt ( Im sending him off to a reputable guy to start this spring)
I would just like to hear how things worked for you all |
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BHW's Simon Cowell
  
Location: The Saudia Arabia of Wind Energy, Western Oklahoma | Don't do it. I had a very bad experience and I am still sick to this day that I took that risk. |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | i have a couple of friends that rode and competed up to 7-8 month mark .....but its completly your decision.....
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 Ima Fickle Fan
Posts: 3547
Location: Texas | Not worth the risk. And since colts are even more unpredictable, I don't see the need for doing the ground work. Let someone else do it for now.
Riding is fine when pregnant if it's a solid horse. Your body will tell you when to stop. But competing when pregnant is another story. And working with young horses when pregnant is a huge risk that I don't feel is worth taking.
I have two little boys and quit riding at about 5 months with both. It wasn't comfortable and I could never forgive myself if something had happened. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
| I am now 8 month pregnant and will still trail ride or pony horses at a walk but that's about it. (Anything more makes me feel like I have to pee. LOL) I competed until I was 7 months on my solid 3/4D mare, but I stopped riding my 2 year old at about 5 months. Not only was I physically too heavy for him, even though he is REALLY mellow...you never can be too sure what's going to happen with a colt.
My doctor says that it's fine to ride until YOU feel uncomfortable or unsafe riding. Others say no...I say follow your gut but riding colts is risky as it is. |
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Location: NE Wyoming | With my first one (I was 26) I barrel raced untill I was 7 months along and it didn't feel right anymore. This one (I'm about 20 weeks) I am now 37, heavier than I was before and have an office job. This summer I tried a few runs and couldn't even get through at half speed (wondering the whole time WTF was wrong with me! LOL). After finding out I was pregnant, there was no question as to keep barrel racing or not. It did not feel right, my balance was off so my horse was off and he's on the squirrley side anyway! So for me, better safe than sorry, I am now only riding my old ranch horse, who is lame in the front but I trust him 100% to just get on and cruise around with my daughter at a barrel race. Even though she told me the other weekend that I needed to find a 10D race, that I could walk through LOL! I think each person is different, and whatever feels right to you is the way to go. My doctor gave me the same "high risk" speech, and I'm thinking to myself, you @ss, I'm only 37! But I understand where they are coming from. Good luck and best wishes on your new journey as a mother!!! It's quite a ride :) |
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 Veteran
Posts: 214
| Like you said its totally up to you and what you think. I made my last run around 12 weeks, wasn't showing or anything but I found myself getting more nervous about little things (and when that started to happen I knew it really wasn't worth it). I wasn't so much worried about getting bucked off or my horse being a knot head as something unexpected like my horse slipping and going down which had never been a thought that crossed my mind before.
Yes, they say the baby is very well protected that early as its still fairly low but it still started to freak me out. I would go on the occasional trail ride up until around 20ish weeks. At that time my husband started to slowly encourage me to do other things, I didn't need to ride so we kind of stopped at that point.
In the end it truly is what you are comfortable with, but with me personally I didn't NEED to ride and found it very easy to see the importance of that little baby was way more important to me than trying to get one more ride in or one more run in. Not everyone can get pregnant so we felt we were very blessed with that precious little gift! My filly has now sat as a pasture ornament since March (not what I had planned for the year) and it now looks like I have a pasture full of hippos rather than horses, but I'm sure they enjoyed having the summer off too :) We are just under 3 weeks left to go before our little girl's due date and cannot be more excited!! Congrats to you, Hoping it all goes very smooth for you!! :) |
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 Hugs to You
Posts: 7551
Location: In The Land of Cotton | I know someone who did, she was in her 30's. She regrets it to this day. |
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 "Hottie"
Posts: 1373
Location: Okemah,OK | I turned 41 today (yeah old age lol) and am almost 26 weeks with my first baby. I rode my 2 tried and true geldings until about a month ago. I had friends run them at races though. I myself haven't made a run since mid May. I just kept them in shape trotting and loping circles at home. After the finals we had last month, I turned them out. It was nasty and muddy for several days and I just said "I'm done". My husband will ride them every week or 2 til I'm back at it. I won't ride colts or make a run til after the baby arrives. I had a friend make a run on her younger horse (she was about 22 weeks along) & the colt ran into the closed gate. She took a jarring and started leaking amniotic fluid. Was on bed rest and strict restriction but got okay thank goodness. My horses have NO PROBLEM not having a job for a few months :) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 806
Location: Arkansas | As a fellow pregnant barrel racer of baby #3, I will tell you from experience that when you hold that bundle of joy who is completely dependent upon you for their health and happiness you will question everything that you did when you were expecting from drinking too much caffiene to taking heart burn medicine to riding.. The mentality that you have while pregnant vs. the mentality that you have once you hold your baby and experience that love are in two different spectrums. |
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Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305
Location: Tulsa, Ok | When you CHOOSE to become pregnant you accept responsibility for the life of one who cannot advocate in their own behalf. Could you live with the consequences if another of your choices compromised the health or life of that precious gift? |
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  Ms. Marine
Posts: 4641
Location: Texas | I didn't and I don't think it's worth the risk. Doesn't matter to me if I were to ride a 30 year old horse with three and a half legs in the ground. Not worth risking an unborn child's life. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 225
Location: Now Bateman - West of Ft. Worth | I rode Labor Day weekend. I found out that Monday night. Right now I only do playdays. That was our finals weekend. Most of the time, after that weekend, the horses get the rest of the year off until late Jan or early Feb. So, it's not going to hurt them to have more time off this next year. I am due in May. |
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 Magnet for Stupid People
Posts: 2775
Location: If I ever get back to Oklahoma..... | With both of my boys I rode and ran barrels until I was around 20-24 weeks. By that time it was getting cold and I didn't have much desire to be out in the cold and dark anyway. I never had any trouble. I was 32 with the first and 35 with the second.
It is entirely your choice as to what you do. My husband wasn't real keen on me riding, but he knew he wasn't going to change my mind either. My doctor was totally clueless as to what barrel racing was and said once the belly is past the hips protection to the fetus is smaller. She did say to keep doing what I had been doing and do whatever I felt comfortable with.
Congrats to you guys!!
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 Special Somebody
Posts: 3951
Location: Finally horseback again.... | No way would I risk it.
Not only could it be risky for the baby but for you as well.
There is a massive blood supply going to your belly right now and I have see trauma victims bleed to death from injuries while pregnant. |
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"Spaz-tacular"!!
Posts: 20309
Location: Bennett, CO | While much of your advice is very consitant with my thoughts.. I decided that last week really was the last run I would make... I may putz around on the 20 something trail horse or the like on a nice day.. but becasue winter is coming, its an easy transition time for turning off barrel racing.
My 2yo colt isnt something I would be doing anything scary with.. just lunging, and pressure type handling, as well as letting him learn to stand tied to a rail.. he was a race horse this summer, and was broke to a stock saddle... so while I wont be riding him, I do plan on geting him soft on the ground.
I guess I am a little surprised by the thoughts here.. I really thought I would be overwhelmed by folks who rode much later into their pregnancies.. as a few years ago.. that was definitley the case on these type threads on BHW....
I will say on one or two comments, I found them to be a bit condesending... not those of you that had mentioned wishing they had not rode, or were afraid.. But honestly preaching to a person does not change their mind.....
With that said, I DO APPRECIATE the words of advice as I was feeling like a bit of a wimp for deciding not to make any runs anymore... |
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 How freakish is that?
Posts: 3927
Location: Oregon | I didn't see one comment that was condescending, just people sharing their opinions like you asked. And giving you good advice. Kind of a no brainer, high risk pregnancy and riding barrel horses. Nothing wimpy about it, it's just common sense. Congrats on the baby!
Edited by crapshooter 2014-10-31 4:39 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 1617
Location: Oklahoma | Honestly, you'll get 100 different answers and no one is right or wrong. My little girl is 13 months old now and I rode my one and only SOLID, seasoned rodeo veteran until about a month before I had her. I don't go to the gym, I ride horses. I always felt safe with my old horse and knew I could tell every move he was going to make- we've been together for 10 years and worn out three pickup trucks! LOL That being said, I had a really nice daughter of DTF at the time that was ready to enter and after about 18-20 weeks, I never rode her again. She was agile, quick footed and young. I personally didn't trust myself on her- my husband tracked cattle and just rode her while I watched. I think it depends on if you have always been a serious competitor or a "once-in-awhile" as well as the kind of horses you have to ride. Don't feel bad either way, you'll know what is the right thing to do in your heart. My doctor did tell me some words I remember very well...he said since this was my "life" from a young age, it was like riding a bike with my eyes closed. But if I took up snow skiing now, that might be as bad as a professional skier taking up barrel racing at 20 weeks pregnant! Made sense to me! :)
Edited by dinero7783 2014-10-31 4:47 PM
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Ima Fickle Fan
Posts: 3547
Location: Texas | aggiejudger - 2014-10-30 11:28 AM Not worth the risk. And since colts are even more unpredictable, I don't see the need for doing the ground work. Let someone else do it for now.
Riding is fine when pregnant if it's a solid horse. Your body will tell you when to stop. But competing when pregnant is another story. And working with young horses when pregnant is a huge risk that I don't feel is worth taking.
I have two little boys and quit riding at about 5 months with both. It wasn't comfortable and I could never forgive myself if something had happened.
I reread mine and hope you didn't take it condescendingly. My advice against young horses and competing were unpredictability and the speed, both of which can make an accident that much worse. (And I have a bad habit of being to the point and not softer with what I say.)
The main thing -- listen to your body. It will tell you when you need to slow down, get off, etc. If you're used to riding, there is no reason to stop. But there are plenty of reasons to slow down or just get off.
Each pregnancy is different. Listen to your body and your doctor. Winter is coming and it's a great time to be lazy. Congrats and good luck. |
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"Spaz-tacular"!!
Posts: 20309
Location: Bennett, CO | I was not upset by your post at all.. to be honest.. I felt like SCWranglers post was pretty danged "Judgy" - Again, as someone who was looking at giving up riding... that post raised the hair on my neck... |
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