I’ve read articles for years about riding while pregnant, which all pretty much boil down to doctors saying not to ride at all, and horse women saying to keep it up if you feel comfortable and are careful. I wasn’t sure which way I would lean until the day I found out that I was indeed expecting.

And I knew there was absolutely no way I could give up riding right then cold turkey. I felt fine, I didn’t look or feel pregnant, and the baby was smaller than an ant.

I did however scale back immediately. I quit jumping, and didn’t head out on the trails where we could meet unexpected deer and small critters to eat my big pansy thoroughbred. We stuck to light rides in the arena on the soft sand where Ace was comfortable.

Doctors Say No Horseback Riding During Pregnancy

I researched some more during those early weeks to decide how safe it was to ride and for how long. At my early prenatal appointments, I sat mute when the nurse practitioner asked if I had any questions, because I didn’t want her opinion on if it was OK to ride knowing I probably wouldn’t like what she had to say. On every list of high-risk sports to avoid while pregnant, horseback riding was near the top. They talked about the risk of falling off and the damage it could do. They talked about potential problems caused by the jostling. Across the board, non-horsey medical professionals said no riding under circumstances.

Horse Women (Some Also Doctors) Say To Ride, Carefully

Then there are the horseback riding women themselves, and doctors who are also riders who tend to be more understanding of the deep-seated NEED to ride. Many of them say that if your body is accustomed to riding at a certain level, the physical effects of riding aren’t going to cause problems (same goes for many other types of heavier exercise like running or weight lifting). Many agree that as long as you feel comfortable in the saddle and your balance isn’t compromised, keep riding!

They do all, of course, caution about the risk of falling off. Most say to avoid jumping, hot/spooky horses, and situations that could stress your horse. Stick to trust worthy horses you know well who are unlikely to have an issue.

Make Your Own Choice On Riding While Pregnant

I was feeling encouraged by the doctors who are also horse women and their advocacy of riding with some basic precautions. Then I came across an interesting tidbit in an article by one of these doctors. It explained that up until 12 weeks, the developing baby is very very small and is well protected by the pelvic bone. Even at that point, a fall is less likely to do any significant damage to the baby because of that protection.

However, at 12 weeks, the baby is bigger and moves forward and up to where it is no longer protected by the pelvic bone. At this point, falling off a horse is very likely to do considerable damage.

I set my stop riding date for the Saturday in October when I hit 12 weeks.

For me, the risk of falling off and hurting my baby is too great to ignore. As badly as I want to get on every single horse I see right now, there’s nothing that would make me get back up in that saddle.

After my second to last ride with Ace during my 11th week, I went home and cried because I was so upset about giving it up. I raged at my husband ant told him it was no fair that I had to give up my riding, and my figure, and my energy, and then push this baby out, and he didn’t have to give up anything (pregnancy hormones at their finest!).

Two days later I climbed aboard Ace for what was to be my last ride. I wanted it to be amazing, and a ride to remember.

It wasn’t. Ace was stiff, unenthusiastic, and neither of us felt our best. The whole time, all I could think about was the fact that if I fell off, my husband would never forgive me – and neither would I forgive myself. I got off after 20 minutes mentally at peace with my decision.

I know that come April when I have both a beautiful healthy baby in my arms and a horse to ride, it will all be worth it.

Your Turn!

Whether or not to keep riding while pregnant is a personal choice. I know that this was the exact right decision for me. However, for someone with a higher-risk pregnancy it may be prudent to stop immediately. Or for a trainer who makes her living riding horses, there’s also great risk to stopping too soon.

If you’ve been pregnant, did you keep riding and why or why not? If you might be pregnant someday, what do you think you will do? And if, like me, you did stop riding for most of your pregnancy, please share some tips on how you survived!

(PS – I DID ask my doctor if it was ok to lift hay bales and grain bags – no worries if I had to give that up! Of course, she said as long as I was used to doing it and my body felt fine, it was no problem.)

If you are a long-time reader and are confused by that statement because you know that my love Ace is a gelding and not a mare …

… by mare I mean ME!

My hubby and I are expecting a new member of our family – the first one with less than four legs – at the end of April. We hit the second trimester tomorrow, and will find out sometime mid-December if we’re having a little cowboy or cowgirl.

Ace is preparing to be a good big brother by getting lots of brushing, hand-grazing, ground work, and gaining a few extra pounds with me as I am no longer riding him. But that’s another story for another day.

In fact, the next six months is going to be full of stories of what it’s like to be expanding the human family while trying to maintain the equine one. I already have stories of tell of my decision on whether or not to keep riding, how I cried the last week that I rode Ace, and then how I finally felt peace with keeping my feet on the ground, of the 12-year-old girl who now hauls all the hay bales for me, the Western, pony-themed bedding I love but is discontinued, and most importantly my plans to half-lease Ace for the duration of my pregnancy and as I enter motherhood.

Hopefully the training Ace has me given in caring for a fragile creature and training a willful four-legged child will be useful somewhere in the not-too-distant future.

I’ve been waiting anxiously to be able to tell you where Regarding Horses is headed for the next year. I hope you will join me on this journey! Be sure to subscribe via RSS or email in the sidebar to join in the fun.

But really, it all started with picking up pizza on the way home from the barn last night …

Temperatures reached the upper 60s here in northeast Ohio yesterday, making it the perfect albeit it very muddy weather for a nice hack out to celebrate the warm breeze. With several inches of ice having melted on top of a thawing ground, I had to tromp through book-sucking mud to retrieve Ace from his paddock. By the end of my evening at the barn, I had somehow attracted bits of hay and dust to accompany the mud splashes up my boots.

It was pizza night with the hubby, which is conveniently on my way home from the barn. As I got out of my car, lingering barn scents wafting all around me, I realized that once again I was going out in public in what many could consider ridiculous attire.

And then I remembered this:

Boots and breeches are in!

And according to fashion icon Ralph Lauren, equestrian is always in.

Happy dance: I was totally in the clear!

Then I looked down and noticed that I was still wearing my three-quarter inch Prince of Wales spurs. And there were hay flecks stuck all over my fleece breeches. And my boots were solid mud up to my ankles. Those (and the eau d’Ace musk) were dead giveaways that I had just come from a barn and wasn’t just making a fashion-forward statement.

Thank goodness we have some horse-savvy AND fashion-savvy bloggers in Three Days Three Ways and Dappled Grey to help out the rest of us who can only recognize a good pair of jeans. I have been trying very hard to channel Courtney (3Days) in my recent shopping expeditions. I’ll be seeing her in a few weeks; I’ll dress my best and come back and let you know what she had to say on my style.

I hear from many viewers who tell me that I have a dream job. I travel the world riding horses with local people and filming it for the Emmy winning Equitrekking TV series, and when I’m at home, I write and produce TV shows about horses and travel, two of my passions. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but it is a dream job!

Here are a few of my job’s perks, and some of the behind the scenes scenarios that occasionally make me rethink my career choice.

Perk: The Royal Treatment

Traveling to Jordan to interview Princess Alia at the Royal Stables was a once in a lifetime experience. We filmed an awesome insider’s tour to see some of Jordan’s top Arabians and got insight into the stables’ founding family and the breed from Her Royal Highness Princess Alia. The horses were beautiful. I heard stories that I’d never read about anywhere else and spent the day with great horse people. It gave me a new appreciation for the Middle East and the Arabian breed.

Downside: Language Barriers

While also in Jordan, I was able to participate in the Roman chariot experience in Jerash, a well-preserved Roman city in Northern Jordan. I’d drive a horse drawn chariot around the original hippodrome, reenacting the NASCAR of over 2000 years ago—Roman Chariot Races.

Now these chariots are pretty close to what the Romans used. They are accurate in their design. They are not like the sturdy movie chariots you may have seen in “Ben-Hur,” which were made more robust for the big screen. The chariot that I drove was wobbly with thin rails holding the sides together, so when those wooden wheels got rolling, pulled by two strong horses, I shook and flew.

I tried to explain to the local who was driving with me that I wanted to take it slow, but he didn’t understood my English. As we took our first turns around the arena, we were going really fast and had a close call. We almost tipped! I shifted my weight and asked him to slow down on the straight away, but being giddy and smiling, because it was fun, just made him want to go faster. I really thought that we might crash or turn over, as we leaned into a treacherous, sandy turn and continued faster. It is definitely one of the more harrowing experiences in the new season of Equitrekking and one that had me asking “where’s my stunt double!”

Perk: Feel Good Eco-friendly Travel

Deep in the jungle of Belize, I enjoyed total nature immersion, riding horses to off the beaten path waterfalls, eating by romantic kerosene lantern, and listening to the cacophony of jungle sounds. In Jordan, I was able to camp in the beautiful Dana Nature Reserve. We arrived at night, so it was too dark to see anything around us.

In the morning, I climbed out of my tent, totally surprised by the stunning view before me- a beautiful, colorful canyon and rolling mountains. I felt at peace with the world in our exotic setting and couldn’t wait to explore on horseback.

In Alberta, riding by horseback into Banff National Park, we were surrounded by tall, jagged, snow-capped mountains, verdant forests and calming mountain streams. We passed no other people and were able to trek much farther and faster than we would have on foot, giving me a new appreciation for mountain bred horses and the national park. Sleeping in campsites, where s’mores, a childhood favorite, were on the menu and piping hot cowboy coffee, I feel in love with pack trip adventures.

Downside: Spiders, Snakes and Scorpions- Oh My!

Deep in the jungle of Belize, dinner at our remote, eco-friendly lodge was interrupted by an emergency. A car screeched to a halt outside of the lodge and a man rushed out calling for a bush healer. Someone who believed they’d been bitten by a poisonous snake was writhing inside of the car. Because the hospital was so far away, the driver wasn’t sure that his companion would make it in time and even if he did, there might not be anti-venom in stock. They needed a bush doctor to take them into the dark jungle to find a root, which if you suck it, can slow the spread of poison.

Well, that wasn’t the most enticing first night at this eco-lodge. I closed my mosquito net tight over my bed and hoped for a snake free riding day tomorrow. I was apprehensive about our jungle trek, even though it wasn’t my first brush with snakes on the road. They’d been visible at Petra in Jordan and invisible in the dark Jordanian Bedouin camp, where my flashlight showed tracks in the sand, warning me to close myself inside my tent for the night. I’d had scorpions inhabit my shower in New Mexico, spiders in Uruguay, but knock on wood, our crew hasn’t been bitten. Maybe it’s the sound of the horse’s hooves on the ground that scares them away. I’d like to believe so!

When I first came up with this idea of riding around the world and filming it as a TV show, people seriously thought that I was crazy. It’s the kind of thing that folks would say, “you can’t make a living out of that.” With determination and creativity, I’ve turned it into a business and yes, a career.

While all of the above experiences don’t sound totally enticing, I wouldn’t trade these adventures for the world. My advice to anyone who has a passion that they’d like to pursue is to go for it. You only live once and life surely does fly by.

Thank you mom! Thank you for putting me on horseback before I knew how much I loved them. Thank you for all the time you spent on the ground instead of in the saddle teaching me to be an effective and safe rider. Thank you for pushing me to stick with it and to win the battle even when I wanted to wimp out or got frustrated. Thank you for teaching me to be a gracious winner and loser in the show ring. Thank you for the boots you polished and the manes you braided and the money you spent so I could enjoy the fun of competition. Thank you for instilling a passion in me that we can share together and that has connected me with so many wonderful people all over the world.

All us horse-crazy adults have had someone invest a lot of time, effort, and probably money in our horse passion. You may be a second-generation horse woman like I am. Or you had non-horsey parents who put you in lessons, bought you your first pony, and showed up to cheer you on at your shows. Maybe you had to do it yourself with the help of a friendly horse person or trainer who was willing to take you under her wing.

Now that we are grown up and have a wealth of horse experience and knowledge and  – if we’re lucky – our own horses, how are we investing in the next generation of horse enthusiasts?

Recent discussions here on Regarding Horses have made it very obvious that we horse people feel that it’s very important to give back when it comes to our horse experience. We’ve all had people who helped us, and that’s something we want to pass on.

Here are some ways I’ve found to give back to a new generation of horse crazy kids (and even some adults)

• Volunteering. I volunteer weekly at a NARHA therapeutic riding farm where I assist disabled kids and adults as they ride. We groom and tack horses, lead and sidewalk with riders in lessons, clean stalls and turn horses out. It’s as much a ministry to the other volunteers (many of whom are getting their first horse experience there) as it is to the students. This is a fantastic way to volunteer your time and pay it forward. There are plenty of programs like this, as well as summer camps, horse rescues, and other non-profit equestrian organizations that could use your expertise and time.
• Mentoring. There’s a young girl at my barn who started riding a little over a year ago. She doesn’t have the money to be in lessons all the time, so has spent a lot of time on her own with her lease-to-own horse. Since she lives a few miles from me, I pick her up twice a week and take her to the barn with me. We ride together and then she helps me bring in horses, mix grain buckets and supplements, and toss hay. I’ve been able to help her learn how to handle the horses safely and taught her a lot about how to care for them. It makes me happy to know that she is learning to how to properly handle and care for the horses. If there’s a young rider at your barn who could use a little guidance and she and her parents are open to your suggestions, feel free to jump in and help teach her how to be safe and effective with horses.
• Sharing. I’ve got non-horsey friends with young daughters who love horses. When I’ve had access to a safe kid’s horse, the entire family has come out and we’ve groomed together and done pony rides. I can’t do this with my horse Ace because he has unpredictable stupid moments and I’d hate to see someone get hurt. But sometimes, it’s enough when a coworker’s daughter comes to the office, sees the picture of my horse, and wants me to tell her his name, age, color, and favorite treat. Sometimes kids think it’s almost as cool to meet a horse woman and have her tell stories about her horses.
• Teaching. Whether you run a lesson barn as a career or have a few good horses and some time, taking students under your wing and teaching them to be horsemen (not just riders) is one of the best ways to pay it forward. It takes special people to do this for a living. Are you one of them?

When it comes to paying it forward it can be as simple as letting a kid feed your horse a carrot (unless you are in the no-hand-feeding-treats camp), or as involved as making it your life’s work.

As for sharing our experience with those new to the horse world, I think the most important message we can pass on is to respect, love, and cherish these magnificent, kind animals. Think how wonderful the equestrian world would be if the first thing we taught people is how to relate to a horse rather than just kick for go and pull back for whoa?

What are some ways that you pay it forward to newbies to horses? What suggestions would you add to this list?

Kathleen has always wanted to ride her horse across the United States of America.

And at 45 years old, that’s what she and her two mares Mystic and Delightful are doing.

They left Oregon back in the middle of May and as of this week are in Ohio, pretty much riding through my backyard in a few days, actually. They’ve been on the road for just about five months with one left to go before they reach some final destination on the East Coast.

Kathleen has wanted to do this truly cross-country ride her whole life. After struggling with some health and financial issues in the last few years, she decided there was no point in putting off her dreams. She stored her belongings worth keeping, sold the ones that weren’t, recruited friends to take care of her clients and horses in her absence, and garnered the support of her father who has been mapping out her entire route.

She started the journey with one horse, a dog, a tent, and no funds. Along the way she lost the dog, but gained a second horse. Some nights have been spent in tents, some in homes, others in hotels. She’s had people trailer her horses to a farrier and then back to her route. She’s had police escorts. She’s taken time off to allow the girls some rest and recovery time. She’s been kidnapped by Lion’s (the men of the Lion’s Club, that is, who fed her and got her to speak and drove her around town).

And most importantly has found friends and support across the whole of America.

I am very excited that I’m going to get to meet Kathleen this weekend. Glenn and Helena have been interviewing her regularly on the Stable Scoop, and Glenn is going to make the trek up from Lexington to Ohio to hang with me and interview Kathleen face to face. Her horses are going to camp out overnight in my friend’s pasture while Glenn puts Kathleen up in a hotel with her very own warm bed and hot shower. It’s going to be a great time!

I should have some pictures, stories, and a more personal take next week after Kathleen comes through my town. If you’d like to support her on the final leg of her trip, stop by the Kathleen’s Wild Ride Facebook Page as well as Kathleen’s blog to follow the journey and learn more about sending care packages, supplies, and financial assistance – and most importantly – encouragement!

Do these top level competitors and trainers still have their love of horses?

No doubt they were horse crazy kids just like we were, begging for their first pony at Christmas, getting a big thrill out of just petting a horse, spending more hours in the saddle than out – all for the complete joy of it. But when you make it to the top, does it become all business? Is it all about the harmonious partnership and relationship with a horse? (Like it is for us everyday horse crazy owners?). Or is it all about the money, and success, and making it to the top?

It’s hard to believe that some of the most successful in our sport haven’t lost their love of horses when I see how they sometimes crank their horses around, and after a good ride hop down and hand them off to their grooms with little more than the obligatory pat on the neck for the crowd. I know they go above and beyond for these horses to ensure that they have the very best training and care. But is there still that special spark?

A part of me also believes they couldn’t really make it to the top without that spark – that love is often what it takes to get the very best out of a horse.

I’m still not sure. But on the other hand, there were plenty of people who without a doubt were still head over heels for horses.

Courtney of Three Day Three Ways

After spending several days at the Horse Park with horse husband Glenn the Geek, who laughed at me every single time I’d start unintentionally drifting every time I saw a horse, it was nice to spend some time with someone who was just as horse crazy as me. Case in point: as Courtney and I were out walking the cross country, we saw one of the combined driving teams out for a hack around the Park. I was only half way through pointing it out when Courtney took off sprinting to get closer for a photo op.

Guy McLean, Horseman and Entertainer

For the last few years I’ve seen a lot of the natural horsemanship gurus like Monty Roberts, Pat Parelli, and Clinton Anderson, as well other well-known horsemanship trainers like Julie Goodnight. I have a lot of respect for them because they are all about partnership with a horse – for its benefit. But it seems like they are often task oriented, and when they present it’s all about getting the job done.

Then there’s Aussie sensation, recently relocated to the US, Guy McLean. Real life Man From Snowy River – Australian Stock Horses and all. Phenomenal trainer. Charismatic and funny entertainer. Horse crazy 12-year-old girl trapped in a man’s body.

I loved watching him perform because besides having some of the most incredibly well trained horses I’ve ever seen, it was completely obvious how much he loved being with his horses – and how much they loved and wanted to be with him. I saw him practically tear up when he allowed our favorite cowgirl Templeton Thompson (who was severely missing her mare Jane) to do one of her performances from the back of one of his horses. And I saw his face light up and an excited, “wow, she’s beautiful!” escape his lips when he saw the photo of a woman’s Zorse (a zebra and belgian cross).

Pierre and Samantha St. Jacques

I had the wonderful opportunity of going to dinner with Pierre and Samantha St. Jacques, US dressage team alternate for WEG and US Olympic eventer, respectively. All we talked about all night was horses (and wearing helmets). We had a great conversation about how we all got into horses. (Samantha was horse crazy by the time she was 2 years old, Pierre developed a love later in life when he first saw an international dressage competition as a teenager and decided he wanted to do that). It was evident in the way they discussed their horses and experiences that they hadn’t lost their love.

Those are a few of the heart warming experiences I had with horse crazy people at WEG. But I’m still curious to know, what do you think about the most successful equestrians and their love for horses? Still got it? Or all business?

One of my friends who very clearly fits into the “everyone else” category, and who was aware of my 9-day exploits in Lexington, asked me a very funny question last night as we were discussing my trip …

“So, are you sick of horses after all that?”

Clearly, an everyone else who just doesn’t get it. Anybody who loves horses, or is married to or parents someone who loves horse, could have easily answered that question for me.

My response? “No way! If anything, it just makes me even horse crazier. I couldn’t wait to come home and ride my own horse, and when I did I even pretended that we were competing at the World Equestrian Games ourselves.”

Then he asked another question that further cemented his “everyone else” status:

“So, did it make you wish you had another horse?” (Implication: better, fancier, more expensive).

If you are reading this blog, I know that you too are a horse crazy person, and can answer that question for me as well.

“Of course not! I love my horse. He’s the best horse in the whole wide world!”

I didn’t come home from the World Equestrian Games wishing I had a Totilas or a Sapphire or an RC Fancy Step (although I did totally want to bring home Aaron Ralston’s adorable little cowhorse). I came home thrilled that I have an absolutely wonderful, smart, friendly, charming, gentlemanly gelding named Wynsome Ace who adores me, does almost everything for me, and enjoys our time together almost as much as I do. I don’t care that his back is a little long and weak, or that he’s got ridiculously high withers and a slightly disproportionate head and neck, or that he’s prone to thrush, or that he still moves kinda crooked, or that he tried to buck me off the other day simply because he was feeling good. What I love is being able to read his every thought in his eyes, that’s he absolutely wonderful 85% of the time and a complete stinker the rest, that he learns quickly and tries hard, and that he nickers at me every single I walk into sight.

I’d say that pretty firmly puts me into the “people who love horses” category.

And I have to give a shout-out to all of you who are the “people who love people who love horses.” My husband is one of those. He could have answered our friend’s questions, and probably could have written this whole diatribe for me – simply because he loves me and understands my inherent need for horses. He was a good sport about being ditched for the week and a half I spent (and the shopping I did) down at WEG. He’s a good sport about the time and money I spend on my horse. And he always reminds me to wear my helmet every time I head for the barn.

And for everyone else – I have a blast talking with you about horses and answering all your questions. There’s little I love more than sharing my love of horses. I wholeheartedly appreciate your genuine interest!

So, what about you? Are you a people who love horses, a people who love people who love horses, or an everyone else? Share your funny stories of your experiences with people in these groups.

I’ve been feeling a bit like a college student who takes a bunch of different classes for two years before finally picking a major. For a long time, I’ve been writing about whatever I felt like, without any goals or without any purpose. The nice thing is that I’ve gotten to test the waters and figure out what I like to write and what you like to read. The drawback is that there’s no obvious driving purpose behind the blog that says, “Hey, she’s me! This is the kind of stuff I want to read and discuss regularly.”

Some of the best blogs out there are ones that have a specific, driving purpose. Check out Eventing Nation for example. Less than a year old with a huge readership – and a very clear purpose. Or one of my other current favorites, Un-Retired Racehorse, which is all about life as an exercise rider at a New York City track.

The funny thing is, I know exactly who I am and who I am not in the horse world. And I think it’s high time I start writing that way!

I am not …

… a high-level competitor

… a big money investor in the industry

… any kind of horse professional

… interested in following international competition in-depth

I am …

… your average horse crazy girl.

And I know there’s a whole lot of us out there. It’s for those of us who have jobs outside of horses and spend our evening “free time” in the barn. It’s for those of us who do chores at our barns to help cover the cost of board. It’s for those of who work through all our training issues ourselves because we don’t have the funds or time to put our horse in an expensive training program. It’s for those of us who spends hours Googling every little scrape or swelling we find on our horses. It’s for those of us who want to know everything there is to know about horses – from horse care to showing to different disciplines.

But most of all, it’s for those of us who jump up and down, squeal, point, and yell “Look, horses!” at every scraggly pony we see even when we have our own sleek, fat, well-loved steed at home.

We’re your average horse crazies who’ve been bitten by the horse bug.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to completely tear down and rebuild the barn while you’re away for the weekend. I’m going to get rid of the cobwebs, re-organize the tack room, and clearly label all the “stuff” so it’s more obvious whose it is and what its about.