A week ago, Fanny Skalli, the wife of world’s number one Steve Guerdat, announced her pregnancy on social media. Skalli is a rider herself and rode her last international competition at the end of September in Saint-Tropez. But is it dangerous to ride a horse when you are pregnant and what are the risks? We asked a gynecologist…
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To a certain level, it’s certainly possible to combine a pregnancy with riding. It’s very personal what you can handle in a pregnancy. How far do you want to go and how well do you feel about it? That’s an essential question to ask yourself. That belly that gets in the way at some point is a given. Don’t ignore that. If you get annoyed, it’s better to stop. For sports in general and pregnancy, the more you exercise, the more complaints you may develop. Listen very carefully to your body. I don’t think skydiving when you’re pregnant is a good idea. But to say that you’re not allowed to ride a horse… That depends on how you feel’.
What kind of research has been done about this theme?
Very little is known about pregnancy and horseback riding. There hasn’t been any research on that subject yet, but there has been research on sports and pregnancy. Listening to your body applies to all efforts. It is not the case that women who ride a lot in general, for example, give birth relatively earlier. There is no such connection.
What are the risks?
Falling off a horse or getting a kicked by one. This can cause blunt abdominal trauma, with all its nasty consequences. So the danger is not in the effort itself, but in what can go wrong. Something like this can also be caused by a seatbelt in a car accident, for example. If you are pregnant early, the baby is well hidden and protected. When you go towards the twenty weeks of pregnancy, it becomes more vulnerable ed-danmark.com. Lady riders also tell that they become more insecure. You suddenly have an enormous responsibility. Apparently, nature takes that into account.
Which sports are good when you are pregnant?
Especially swimming is good. You turn off gravity and use more muscles than you think. Walking is good and cycling is good, if that works with your belly. I would avoid real contact sports. The effort is not the problem, but the chance of a collision and therefore a trauma’
Source: KWPN