My horse is about a month from having a colt. How long will I be able to ride her and not hurt her and when will I be able to ride her after the birth? Thanks for you responds.
> From my experiance, and what I'v been told, you can ride your mare up to about 1 month before and can ride her after as soon 1 month with or with out the foal with you, but I recamend if you ride that early with out the foal that the foal be halter trained and someone be with the foal at all times, and you shouldn't ride the mare out of sight of the foal. Hope this helps. Breyanna
Agree with Breyanna. I've heard the same. To ride away a mare with an unweaned foal is asking for trouble and a wreck. Dam MUST be in sight of the foal and it should be close by. Might try some test riding in an arena or other safe place to see how the mare reacts. At the bare minimum, the mare will have a lot of her attention on the welfare of the foal and she might not be picking up your cues and listening to you which could also cause problems with control, etc.
control and safety for the rider is a whole different issue, but from the medical point of view, you should keep your mare in condition (ride her) until the moment that she gives birth. when she's one month before due, going on walks is the only real thing you can do with her, but it will help the foal turn into it's correct position and will keep the mare fit.
a big problem with mares that are being ridden trhoughout the year, is that they will loose out in condition very fast if you just stop training them one month before giving birth. so going on long walks until the day she foals is the best thing you can do for your mare.
after the foal is born, you can ride her as soon as three days after, but it depends on the mare, her condition and how she reacts to your presence. in the first month afetr foaling i never take a mare to competitions, and i train them with the foal present, running loose. but after one month they come out in competition again. BUT you have to know their reactions.
Agree. You clarified several issues. All critters need regular exercise to keep them in condition before and after giving birth. As we all know, we should know our individual animals, their needs and condition, and not overdo anything that might compromise their health, etc. status.
