How long to rest?

Hi I have just got my mare back from stud and the vet is out in 21 days to do a test to see if she is pregnant. But what I wanted to know was when should I stop riding her? And after she has had the foal how long will I have to wait to ride again? I asked my vet and he said she will let you know when she is ready which really doesnt help me 1 bit lol so I asked a friend whos mare has had a few foals, and she said she rode her mare up to the last days of pregnancy (very lightly) I wont do this. And she said she left her with the foal about 3 weeks than started ground work for about a week, then rode again after that week. I don't know but it sounds a bit soon to me as the foal would only be a month old has anyone had experience with this?
Emma.

I have ridden mares up till 9 or 10 months without any problems. I was only riding for an hour or so but I made no concessions for her condition. I have ridden mares with the foal a week after foaling. You have to be careful that you don't overwork the foal and remember that the mare may still be a little week from foaling. If you wanted to wait 2 weeks there would be no problem.

Ok thankyou so what do you recommend taking the foal with us??

It is actually very healthy for a mare to be ridden during pregnancy. The better shape she is at foaling time, the easier it will be for her to give birth(in most circumstances). As for riding afterwards, stay in an enclosed area and until the foal is old enough I would stick to a walk and trot.

Depends on where you take the foal and the mare. As a rule I do not like to encounter loose foals on trail or have foals running around at a show. It's not safe for anyone.

We wean between 3 and 4 months of age. I don't have any issues with light riding at home until we wean and then put the mare back into work when she can give us her full attention.

I showed a mare that had a foal and had no problem at shows I had someone hold the foal (halter broke) while I was in the class and when I was done then the mare and foal were together. While at home or if I had real work to do I left the foal in a pen and just rode the mare. I didn't do that untill the foal was older though.

I have shown my mares all the way through AQHA Congress and the NRHA world show and then they foal out the next spring. I do not start riding them again for about 30 days. This gives their muscle and rib cage the time needed to get back to where it should be. Then I start riding and legging them back up just like I would any other horse that has been off work for that amount of time. I just let the foal hang in the arena when I am working the mare. I just make sure they are not running to much or too hard for too long. You can really mess them up if you do.

I ride them normally the first 5 months of pregnancy. After that I ride them real easy. And the last 60 days I don't ride them at all.

After foaling, as nrhareiner said, give them at least 30 days to recover. I often wait 60. The baby can follow you as long as you are in a safe place and no other horses around. But be careful not to overdo the baby's exercise. They run and play just fine on their own, but can stop when they need to. If mom is running too much, they will run their feet off to keep with her and that is NOT good. So go easy and watch for signs of fatigue. Babies lay down often to rest. Not good to keep them up too long.

I wean at 5-6 months, but I have many friends who do it at 3-4. Kind of depends on the mare and the foal.

ah but Kevin, you have common sense where so many others are lacking.