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Entry 877Filed under Breeding

Exercising Pregnant Mares: Safe Work, Turnout and When to Scale Back

Healthy pregnant mares generally benefit from familiar moderate movement, with less demanding work as pregnancy advances. Learn how to adapt exercise and when to seek veterinary advice.
4-minute read By Animalso Team
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Most healthy pregnant mares can continue moderate movement, including familiar work early in pregnancy, and should have access to exercise or turnout. As pregnancy advances and the abdomen enlarges, gradually reduce intensity and favor calm turnout or controlled handwalking. There is no single workload or month that is safe for every mare, so base the plan on her conditioning, health, footing, pregnancy history and veterinarian’s advice.

Can you ride a pregnant mare?

For a healthy mare accustomed to work, moderate riding may be reasonable early in pregnancy if she remains comfortable and her veterinarian has no concerns. University of Wisconsin–Madison guidance describes moderate riding or work as safe up to eight months, while advising owners to start near the mare’s pre-pregnancy activity level and gradually decrease exercise as her abdomen enlarges and her center of gravity changes. Treat eight months as practical guidance, not a universal cutoff or a guarantee for an individual mare. University of Wisconsin–Madison

Evidence about specific workloads is limited. In a 2014 study, eight mares exercised for 45 minutes six days a week from day 16 through day 80 of pregnancy; investigators detected no significant adverse pregnancy effects, and all eight mares delivered healthy foals. The small study tested one early-pregnancy protocol, so it does not establish a safe workload for every mare or later gestation. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science study

Veterinary Partner’s Bob Judd, DVM, DABVP, notes that the answer is not fully known and presents light riding to eight months as his opinion, not a conclusion supported by definitive evidence. Veterinary Partner

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How exercise should change as pregnancy advances

Early pregnancy: keep work familiar and moderate

If the mare is clinically normal and comfortable, maintain a familiar moderate routine rather than increasing her speed, duration or difficulty. Avoid abrupt workload changes and activities that add unnecessary fall or collision risk. A mare that was idle before pregnancy should not be started on a demanding program simply because exercise can be appropriate for some pregnant mares.

As the abdomen enlarges: reduce demands gradually

Shorten sessions and choose calm, controlled movement as the mare’s shape and balance change. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension notes that most fetal growth occurs after the eighth month, a reason to shift toward lighter work and closer monitoring in late gestation; this is not itself a precise exercise cutoff. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension

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Near foaling: prioritize turnout or controlled walking

As foaling approaches, favor safe turnout or in-hand walking over demanding ridden work. The cited guidance does not establish a universal day or month when every mare must stop being ridden; the appropriate point depends on the mare and her veterinary assessment.

Turnout and handwalking

Turnout is an important way to provide movement during pregnancy. Merck Veterinary Manual says pregnant mares need adequate daily exercise in a paddock or pasture. The National Farm Animal Care Council’s Equine Code requires exercise or turnout unless medical stall rest or severe environmental conditions make it temporarily impossible. Merck Veterinary Manual · National Farm Animal Care Council Equine Code

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If turnout is unavailable or unsuitable, controlled handwalking can provide movement. Wisconsin guidance also identifies handwalking as beneficial when substantial abdominal or lower-limb swelling is present. Swelling that is marked or worsening warrants veterinary advice rather than an assumption that walking alone will resolve it. University of Wisconsin–Madison

Build a plan around the individual mare

  1. Confirm pregnancy and stage. Ask a licensed veterinarian to diagnose pregnancy and estimate gestational age. The American Association of Equine Practitioners says pregnancy diagnosis is determined by a veterinarian and reports should include the method and approximate gestational age. AAEP guidance
  2. Start from her established conditioning. Keep familiar, moderate activity while she is comfortable and clinically normal; do not use pregnancy as a reason to introduce a new or strenuous workload.
  3. Adjust the setting as well as the effort. Choose secure, predictable footing and avoid deep or slippery ground, jumping, sudden speed increases and situations where a fall or collision is more likely.
  4. Reassess as gestation advances. Shorten sessions and move toward calm turnout or handwalking as the abdomen enlarges and late pregnancy approaches.
  5. Consider the whole management situation. Account for body condition, turnout quality, companion compatibility, previous pregnancy or foaling problems, and access to veterinary monitoring.
  6. Follow veterinary restrictions. A mare placed on medical stall rest should not be exercised contrary to the veterinarian’s directions.

Oklahoma State University gives an average mare gestation of 338–343 days and notes that moderate exercise, such as vigorous walking or riding, helps control weight and maintain muscle tone. The National Farm Animal Care Council Equine Code lists an average of 341 days, plus or minus 15 days. These are averages, not a way to predict an individual mare’s foaling date or set her exercise schedule. Oklahoma State University · National Farm Animal Care Council Equine Code

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When to stop and contact the veterinarian

Stop exercise and contact a veterinarian if the mare shows pain, colic, lameness, marked or rapidly worsening swelling, vaginal discharge or bleeding, suspected abdominal-wall injury, or another sign of a pregnancy complication. The Equine Code calls for medical care during gestation and recommends a veterinary plan tailored to the mare. National Farm Animal Care Council Equine Code

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