Mary Allen
Female riders are always faced with the question of how to reconcile their hobby with pregnancy. Pregnant women want to know whether and how long they can still ride.
Wind and weather cannot stop die-hard riders from riding. But what happens when the rider becomes pregnant and is no longer only responsible for her body, but also for the life of her unborn child? Are you then allowed to continue riding at all or does it harm the unborn child during pregnancy?
In principle, moderate exercise is recommended for pregnant women these days: expectant mothers and their bodies benefit from a good physical condition and a good level of training in late pregnancy and during childbirth. This recommendation generally refers to moderate endurance activities. Studies in competitive female athletes show that it is possible to maintain a significant level of exercise well into pregnancy.
Risk of Accidents is Problematic
With regard to equestrian sport, there are no reliable studies worldwide. The only major survey on the subject of “riding during pregnancy” is a dissertation published in 2011 by Susanna Kramarz at the Medical Faculty of the University of Munich. The doctoral student surveyed 1,851 riders and, after evaluating the data, came to the conclusion: “There is no evidence that riding during pregnancy leads to an increased rate of abortions or miscarriages. An increased tendency to give birth prematurely could not be determined either.”
Nicole Bolla, Senior Physician for Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen, herself the mother of a small daughter and an enthusiastic rider and horse owner, confirms: “Horseback riding in and of itself does not harm the pregnancy and the unborn child. In the first few months of pregnancy, even the somewhat more vigorous shaking and jolting movements at the trot and canter are unproblematic.” The amniotic sac filled with amniotic fluid protects the fetus well from these shocks.
The fact that many doctors are still critical of riding during pregnancy is due to the risk of accidents, says Nicole Bolla. Riding and dealing with sensitive flight animal horses are not without risk. In Switzerland, 8,000 people have accidents every year, their injuries are often serious and in many cases the result of a fall. “Such an accident can have dramatic consequences during pregnancy,” warns the gynecologist. “It can lead to internal bleeding, injury to the uterus or detachment of the placenta and thus to a life-threatening situation for mother and child.”
However, this accident risk also exists when driving a car: A frontal collision can have devastating consequences for the unborn child – and yet most pregnant women get behind the wheel without thinking twice. Just like there are riders who sit in the saddle until a few days before the birth. And many professional riders only interrupt their careers briefly to fulfill their desire to have children.
Positive & Negative Effects
Experienced riders who have known their horse for many years are able to assess their ability and the probability of a fall. But even the most dependable horse can get spooked or misstep. There are no measures in an equestrian sport that can definitely rule out the risk of an accident. However, it can be significantly reduced if the pregnant rider refrains from risky activities such as jumping and cross-country training and does not ride young, strange, and unpredictable horses during this time. Female riders with little routine should no longer get in the saddle.
However, experienced riders should also listen to their bodies, advises Nicole Bolla. “Pregnancy changes the body. The tissue stretches, tendons and ligaments become softer and more flexible, which means that the pelvis expands a bit during pregnancy, which can become a problem when riding.” For this reason, she herself only ridden until the beginning of the fourth month of pregnancy.
Other riders, on the other hand, report positive effects of riding on pregnancy problems: The gentle swinging movements of the horse’s back at a walk can be beneficial for back pain, especially sciatica. Sooner or later, however, it is the growing baby bump that causes problems for many women. This already starts with the breeches, which can no longer be closed. Unlike a few years ago, however, maternity breeches are now available in specialist shops.
Walks Instead of Horseback Riding
In the last trimester of pregnancy, the body has already changed a lot. The woman has gained weight, water retention and hormones are bothering her, and her stomach is affecting her sense of balance on the horse. Most riders decide now at the latest to put the boots aside for a while, which no longer fit anyway.
The decision does not have to have any negative effects on the horse, after all, there are many ways of keeping it occupied and fit from the ground. For example with long walks in hand, groundwork, or additional grazing. Heavily pregnant women can also do most of the work in the stable themselves, but they should ask for help when lifting heavy feed sacks and hay bales or emptying full dung carts.
And it is best to clarify in the early stages of pregnancy whether someone can take over care work for the horse. This is how everything is organized when the birth begins. Incidentally, this is no more difficult for female riders with their strong pelvic floor muscles and does not take longer than for non-riders. On the contrary, as Susanna Karmaz found out in her study: Trained women showed far fewer symptoms after birth than untrained ones.
When the rider is allowed to get back in the saddle after giving birth depends on how the birth went. After a normal delivery or after a cesarean section, you can ride again after about five to six weeks. If there were any complications or an episiotomy or tear, the rider should wait for the postnatal examination six weeks after the birth and discuss the next steps with her gynecologist.