Riding bareback to get a closer bond with your horse
A practice once born out of necessity, today we look at riding bareback as the closest way to feel connected to the horse you are riding. Bareback riding reduces all the barriers imposed by the saddle & the stirrups. Those main elements of a horse tack, added in the name of commodity and control, help over the movements of the horse that sometimes can be physically painful for the rider.
Riding bareback not only requires a certain level of training for both the horse and the rider. It requires a distinct level of kindness and firmness when giving cues with legs, voice or reins. A horse ridden bareback is much more sensitive to our commands. By using our own position on the horse, such as shifting our weight to one side if we want to turn or shifting it to the back if we are looking to slow down or completely stop, that can immediately translate into a gait adjustment and a quick response from the horse.
This being said, remember that a horse that is broken to saddle riding, doesn’t necessarily be prepared to be ridden without a saddle. Especially because as riders we are much closer to the horse body and flanks, a simple involuntary pressure applied on his chest or belly would result in a clue to speed up. Be always conscious of the position and the pressure that you apply with your knees, calves and feet.
In this article I will guide you on how to ride bareback, from choosing the right horse to getting comfortable at all the gaits.
Is bareback riding bad for the horse?
Let’s dispel a Myth. I’ve grown knowing that bareback riding it’s bad for horses. My conclusion is that anything that is done improperly, without the required basic training and with absolute nonexistence of interest for the horse’s welfare can quickly translate into damaging their back, mind and soul. A good fitting saddle it’s undeniably the best way to distribute the rider’s weight on the horse’s back. Riding without a saddle with proper prior training for both the rider and the horse and for sustainable distances it would not cause issues to your horse.
Horse riding with a bareback pad
For many experienced riders, bareback riding can be a lot of fun. But when you are just starting in bareback riding, you probably look for every little advantage you can get. The first way to easily ride a horse bareback is to buy the right bareback pad to help you get started. The great thing about a bareback pad is that it helps protect you from prominent withers in some horses and also improve the grip in your tights.
If you are just getting started with bareback riding, then it is definitely worth investing in a good bareback pad. You can find my product suggestions on where to get the perfect bareback pad in the UAE at this link.
Riding bareback for the first time
1. Pick the right horse
If you are riding without a saddle for the first time, my first suggestion would be to pick the right horse. If you own a horse, but he hasn’t been trained for bareback riding, I suggest you do choose a stable horse at least for the first ride. Ask your trainer for a calm, easy horse, with smooth gaits. Learning how to ride bareback and training a horse to do so, it’s a combination that should be absolutely avoided. Either the horse or the rider should rely on a partner that it’s already comfortable with bareback riding. This rule applies in general to any other equestrian discipline, in fact the binomial “green rider-green horse” never works well.
If you don’t feel safe riding bareback for the first time by yourself, get a second handler in the arena with you. He can tie a rope to the horse reins or halter to help you control the horse and eventually help you dismount in case of emergency.
2. Mount & adjust your seat
Since there are no stirrups there to help you mount your horse, you can either use a mounting block or sit on the arena fence rail (this second option to be followed only if the structure is solid enough to sustain your weight and with the presence of someone holding the horse for you).
Make your horse line up along the mounting block or fence rail. Do not attempt to mount if the horse doesn’t hold still. When he does, lift your leg to hug the horse’s body and try a small jump to shift your weight to the center of his back. While doing so, please remember that the saddle isn’t there to distribute your weight. Be gentle with your movements.
Start by just sitting on the horse and allow him to get used to you being on his back. If you have already put enough hours on the saddle, your tight muscles should already be strong enough to have a good hold on the horse but you still may struggle to find the right position.
Before giving your horse any clue for movement, make sure to sit straight with your shoulders back and your legs positioned under your hips. Keep your legs long and your heels down.
Hold on for a few minutes, gently pet your horse on the neck whenever you notice some signs of relaxation such as the hears lightly hanging to the side.
3. Practicing the walk
When you feel comfortable enough, try to take a short walk around the paddock or arena. Hold your seat on the horse, try to avoid holding on the reins.
When you have made good practice with this, you can start exercising in the basic movements such as stopping your horse, turning him to both sides and asking for a faster walk. Ideally you would like to keep a light seat all the time, there is no protection layer between you and your horse. Move your seat with the rhythm of the horse. One of the main reasons why people ride bareback is to acquire a better balance and seat. If you start experiencing soreness in your lower back or your tights, that is the right moment to end the training.
4. Practicing the trot & canter
Once you are riding comfortably around the arena, you can start doing some trot. This is where you will really need your balance, since the horse’s back moves much more at this two beat gait. Most probably you will be more comfortable sitting on the trot since there are no stirrups to help with posting or to help you shift your weight if the horse makes unexpected movements.
Make sure that you keep your knees tight to the horse body so that you do not lose balance once the horse starts moving. Avoid bouncing on the horse’s back and try instead to follow his movement.
At the beginning, you will most probably get tired very soon. A good trot distance could be half of the arena perimeter. You can walk the other half to adjust your seat and take back your breath. In this case, a good, well tied bareback pad will help you soften the bouncing and make your seat a bit more comfortable.
When you feel good at trotting bareback, canter should look easier compared to that. Make sure your horse is responsive to your command clues for canter, even better if he responds to the sound of a kiss or simply to the word “canter”. This way you wouldn’t risk losing balance in your seat when kicking. Try your best to aim for a canter and not a faster trot (this way will just get more difficult to keep balance). Remember to lean back at the canter. If you lean too much forward with your shoulders, you will have no stirrups to help you move back and could risk slipping over the horse’s neck.
Keep up exercising to perfect your bareback riding skills
You may want to start riding bareback just for a few minutes a day, at the end of your arena session and coming back from a desert hack. Your horse will be still warm from the workout and a bit more relaxed.
Keep it up. If you decide to start working on your seat, bareback riding is the best way to help you with that. By doing that at least for 10 minutes, two times per week, you will start seeing results sooner than expected. It will seem too easy to ride with a saddle after all.
Do you want to share your experience with bareback riding? Did you find this article useful? Please share your thoughts in the section below.
