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I’ve ridden bareback since I was a kid and ha e always enjoyed the ride on some not all of my horses (Rip was a no way bareback!). Gallie, Rip and Gaila’s dam, I rode bareback a bunch. Up to 3 rd stuff she was so much fun! Gaila I ride but not at the canter yet. She is just too round to get any kind of a grip. I never ride in any kind of a pad just nekkid or occasionally will throw a pad over if I want to stay clean.

In Portugal they recommend riding bareback some to help your equitation but they use a pad. If I start riding Joplin I might invest in one. She’s a bigger mover than Gaila but still easy to sit on.

I find I can do pretty much everything I want without the saddle. Was just curious if any others like to take a spin on their steeds bareback

Yup! I haven't ridden Maia bareback yet. Knee rolls are frequently a necessity — she's still going through the headstrong "I know best" stage and trying to yank me out of the tack when she doesn't get her way.

The only pads I've seen that don't look like a safety hazard are essentially saddles. That defeats the purpose of just hopping on IMO.

Nope. Nope. None of my horses have backs that allow me to do anything but clench the butt and thighs to save the crotch. I will get on Quilla and walk her in a halter to the barn, but that's about it.

But, if you can go bareback, I think it's wonderful. One of the trainers around here has a nice bareback pad with a little roll in the front and back that she puts on the ponies and then puts people in them who need to work on balance. It's great. It teaches them quite quickly, ad the ponies are small enough so that even if they fall off, they're fine. It also allows them to fall off and be OK, which is a good thing.

MM is actually too wide for me to ride bareback. I know that sounds weird, but when I sit on her bareback, I can't actually get my lower leg against her side--I basically am just doing the splits. Every now and then I think I want to hop on her bareback and then I regret it almost immediately, ha.

RP has a pokey spine and if I'm being honest, I'm not sure I'd trust him enough to get on him bareback.

Yes Im not riding right now for lots of reasons but I love to ride bareback. I actually feel safer bareback. I was so lucky to get a horse at age nine and ride bareback my whole life. I started hj lessons at age 12 but still was able to do the bb backyard thing. All my friends had horses in their backyards and we thought saddles were for sissies

yes, I still ride bareback. Horses, cows ( used to ) , donkeys. actually cows are the hardest, horses backs kind of make room for a rider, cows do not.

none of mine are uncomfortable bare back, but Caliburn has a huge wither and a bit of a boney back, and moves big.

No way in heck I would get on Tesla bareback, but that should come as no surprise. I think her conformation would lend itself well, but her behavior will need to improve x10, and I'm not sure I could sit her big gaits too well.

I actually did think about hopping on Annabelle bareback today. Never have ridden her sans saddle, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind, and she has a bit of wither, but plenty of padding, so it would probably work well. One of these days I might buy one of those Filtzsattle (sp?) felt bb pads, but it seems like I always have higher priorities in the tack purchasing department.

When I was a teen I rode mostly bareback. My gelding and I could fly. Out on the trails, up and down hills, over jumps. What a feeling!

NO...NO. My tailbone area no longer tolerates a naked spine under it. Of course, before my surgery, I was sitting right on that bone spur...OWWWW.

I am afraid for me it is a saddle or I don't ride. I even have to trick out the saddle with a seat saver with a coccyx cutout to semi-comfortably do what I do.

I rode bareback a lot as a kid...I fell off a lot too .

Susan

If I tried riding BB these days it wouldn't be called riding it would be called falling off going BOOM.

Shirrine

I do ride bareback, mostly the mustang (Ace) and Junior. Ace is the most comfortable. I feel pretty confident that Brandon wouldn't bat an eye if I climbed up on him bareback because he didn't seem to care when I did it last year in the stall not long after getting him. I've just been waiting for him to fill out more and develop a top line.

I do most of my hacking bareback, over all sorts of terrain. I find it really helpful to maintain balance and side-to-side evenness. I have a thinline bareback pad that gives a little padding and grip. Both of my mares are plenty wide, so that helps.

I do but not routinely with the current horse. Emi is less comfortable than she looks bareback (and I use a pad). That said, I find it relaxing and a great way to open my hips and lengthen my legs.

Funny enough, this just came up in my FaceBook feed: https://horseandrider.com/blog/bareback ... TTwVeQzQuY

SF that is funny! The one thing it helps me with is my pelvis alignment. I cannot tilt forward riding bareback. It also really challenges my abs and my glutes are always sore if I do much work bareback. It’s that circle of aids that really fire up bareback for some reason.

https://www.brockamp-pads-usa.com/

These are the pads the Valenca’s recommended. Pretty sticky with some nice cushion

Ooo, those bareback pads look awesome khall! I might need an upgrade

I have not ridden bareback since I was a kid! Mostly because I was riding thoroughbreds the last few years. Lynx looks like he will be comfy bareback sometime though.

Do you guys find that being able to ride without stirrups translates to riding bareback?

Pal is super comfy bareback but I have a really difficult time climbing aboard with my hips being how they are and the last time I tried without someone to help she left without me So the answer is mostly no but I probably would sometimes if I could manage without help.

I would say as I age that mounting is the hardest thing to do bareback. We have a really tall block at our barn so that helps! (built for the 18h horses--not for ms. 15.2)

I used to be able to swing up when I was young and thin. Now I use the top of my round pen to just slide on. Though I can shimmy up from a block as well.

To me riding bareback is even more challenging than riding without stirrups. Requires even more balance. I think both are useful in working on one’s position

I ride bareback when I can, it's a huge help for my own alignment. I'm trying very hard to find a pad, but in South Africa the options are limited.

Though my daughter and I still laugh because I'm more flexible than she is, I no longer swing my leg up and over from the ground on any of mine. I fortunately can mount any of mine bareback from my mounting block or my fence.

Honestly? God, no... I'd die.

Good on the rest of you though!

Moutaineer wrote:Honestly? God, no... I'd die.

Good on the rest of you though!

me too!
My instructor has people riding on deerskin. They keep telling me to try it and I say no. I need intact limbs in my job to keep paying for the big critters

Too often probably. Mostly I do it out of lazyness or to save time. I use one of those success saddle pads to cushion the bum. They stay in place pretty well, too. I wouldn't recommend it on another horse but my boy is a saint. I also love to ride with no shoes on. Feels fantastic.

But if I do too much of it I have a hard time going back in the saddle. I never feel like I can really sit in the saddle like I can bareback.

Sol did have to get used to does of the aides feeling different without the saddle. Mainly flying changes were a bit confusing at first.

I rode Annabelle bareback last week. She is round and slippery, but has very sharp withers. I will need to get a pad if it's something I want to do for real. But I quickly lost muscles I'd forgotten about, and could really feel some details that gat covered up with a saddle.