# Bareback advice please?



## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

Hi all! 

So, this is my very first post and I was hoping I could get some advice on something.

I often ride my Appaloosa gelding bareback but to prevent getting so sweaty and sticky, plus to have a more comfortable seat, I've been looking for a bareback pad to purchase. I went searching and really like this Best Friend brand one.
Western Bareback Pad, Horse Pad

Would anyone recommend this particular brand? Also, at first I wanted something with stirrups, because I have trouble trotting/loping correctly without bouncing all over the place & keeping my balance without them, but went looking and found several people warning against it, saying it's dangerous because they'd cause you to slip sideways without a breast collar or that they just take away the whole purpose of bareback riding. Would you all agree with that? Should I just stick to stirrup-less like in the link?
And if you don't like the Best Friend one, feel free to suggest other quality pads. I really like the pockets, color variation, and front handle of this one though.

Thanks for reading & I'd appreciate any helpful information!


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

I don't know the Best Friend one. The one I have came from some catalog or other; it's neoprene on the bottom and has a corduroy-like top. Pretty simple and cheap, but it's nice because it doesn't slip. 

I've only ridden in one bareback pad that was safe with stirrups. It was custom made, with actual English girth attachments, real stirrup leathers and irons, a leather top, regular pad bottom. Super comfortable, safe, and just plain awesome.


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## Cowgirl07 (Sep 6, 2011)

i havent rode my horse bareback but other people has rode my horse bareback and he does great he is smooth and gentle when rode on bareback


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

bubba13 said:


> I don't know the Best Friend one. The one I have came from some catalog or other; it's neoprene on the bottom and has a corduroy-like top. Pretty simple and cheap, but it's nice because it doesn't slip.
> 
> I've only ridden in one bareback pad that was safe with stirrups. It was custom made, with actual English girth attachments, real stirrup leathers and irons, a leather top, regular pad bottom. Super comfortable, safe, and just plain awesome.


Thanks so much for the recommendations. I'll be sure try checking them out.


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

Cowgirl07 said:


> i havent rode my horse bareback but other people has rode my horse bareback and he does great he is smooth and gentle when rode on bareback


Oh, well, you should try it, it's lots of fun.  Mine is very gentle while I ride him bareback too.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I don't know about that particular pad, but I bought a saddle pad because the gelding I like to ride bareback has extremely high, killer-boney whithers and he's super lean, just doesn't have a lot of width to him naturally. But he's super catty, and he'll get right out from under you.

I've never had a problem with my bareback pad slipping. It's a nice tool to have. There are certain horses i will ride without one, but it saves you from getting dirty a sweaty, ruining your jeans, getting it all on your legs, and it gives the horse some cushion too.


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## MangoRoX87 (Oct 19, 2009)

I put a breast collar on mine, I attach it to dome D rings I had my saddle repair guy sew on their. Stirrups = BIG NO NO.
Super dangerous, and you ride bareback to improve your seat, and to keep you from using your stirrups the whole time you are riding


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

SorrelHorse said:


> I don't know about that particular pad, but I bought a saddle pad because the gelding I like to ride bareback has extremely high, killer-boney whithers and he's super lean, just doesn't have a lot of width to him naturally. But he's super catty, and he'll get right out from under you.
> 
> I've never had a problem with my bareback pad slipping. It's a nice tool to have. There are certain horses i will ride without one, but it saves you from getting dirty a sweaty, ruining your jeans, getting it all on your legs, and it gives the horse some cushion too.


Thank you! Yes, I figured I'd like using one a bit better for the reasons you listed, so I'll definitely be buying one soon.


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

MangoRoX87 said:


> I put a breast collar on mine, I attach it to dome D rings I had my saddle repair guy sew on their. Stirrups = BIG NO NO.
> Super dangerous, and you ride bareback to improve your seat, and to keep you from using your stirrups the whole time you are riding


Okay, I see. I'll make sure to avoid the stirrups then. Thanks for the help.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Not ALL bareback pads with stirrups are dangerous. Just depends on the make.


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## ligoleth (Sep 9, 2011)

Personally, I find that riding with how the horse naturally moves aids you in keeping your balance a lot better than if you had anything else. 

I might be tempted in the future to use a bareback pad myself, however, I'm pretty confident in my ability to ride bareback without anything to 'cheat' so to speak. It's not really riding bareback if you have to tack up and such, I think.


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

bubba13 said:


> Not ALL bareback pads with stirrups are dangerous. Just depends on the make.
> 
> SOLD: BBF Seawind - YouTube



Okay, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.


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## horseloverd2 (Jan 23, 2009)

I personally would not use a bareback pad with stirrups - it defeats the purpose. Get something that will cause your bottom to stick to it like velcro and practice with that. I don't know much about safety, I've heard they're awful but like bubba said, probably depends on the make.


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

horseloverd2 said:


> I personally would not use a bareback pad with stirrups - it defeats the purpose. Get something that will cause your bottom to stick to it like velcro and practice with that. I don't know much about safety, I've heard they're awful but like bubba said, probably depends on the make.


Okay, thanks so much for your opinion.


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## Idlepastures (Sep 5, 2011)

I've never been a fan of bareback pads, simply because, for me, bareback is about not tacking up, and improving balance. Usually if I'm riding bareback, its because I'm lazy, so I guess sweaty/dirty comes with the territory. My lease gelding is built like a mac truck, so he is super wide in the loin, and great to ride bareback. But if I were to buy a pad, it would be stirrup-less, and as thin as I could find.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I've never used a bareback pad, so no advice there. 

As far as the balance part goes, practice, practice, practice. The only way to get better at something is to do it


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

Bath Mats are the best bareback pad. Buy two large ones ($10 each at walmart). The sticky side down on the horse and then the sticky side you sit on. You can stick a gel pad in between the mats for extra comfort. I took a leather cinching strap and drilled more holes in it ($12) and bought a 36" rope cinch ($8). It's the best bareback pad you can get.
Heres mine with the english stirrup leathers but the cinch is way easier and more comfortable for the horse.

Starline Stables's Photos - Wall Photos | Facebook


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## thesilverspear (Aug 20, 2009)

Why use a pad? Like Idlepastures said, the beauty of bareback is that you don't have to tack up and it does wonders for your seat and balance. If you do are doing right, it should not be uncomfortable. And the only way to learn how to do it right is to do it. 

If you ride without a pad, your trousers get dirty, sweaty, and even fuzzy during the time of year your horse is shedding out, but washing machines were invented for a reason.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I read a complaint yesterday about the placement of the rings on the Parelli bareback pads - right by the knee. It was quite uncomfortable. This is something you might want to watch for.


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## Pat Miran (Aug 21, 2011)

I like riding bareback because I can feel the horse's movements better than with a saddle. The bareback pad interferes with this, however, you're right - you do get pretty sweaty without a pad. I would definitely not use the stirrups - they are dangerous.


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

starlinestables said:


> Bath Mats are the best bareback pad. Buy two large ones ($10 each at walmart). The sticky side down on the horse and then the sticky side you sit on. You can stick a gel pad in between the mats for extra comfort. I took a leather cinching strap and drilled more holes in it ($12) and bought a 36" rope cinch ($8). It's the best bareback pad you can get.
> Heres mine with the english stirrup leathers but the cinch is way easier and more comfortable for the horse.
> 
> Starline Stables's Photos - Wall Photos | Facebook


That's a very interesting idea. Perhaps I'll try it one day. Thank you!


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

thesilverspear said:


> Why use a pad? Like Idlepastures said, the beauty of bareback is that you don't have to tack up and it does wonders for your seat and balance. If you do are doing right, it should not be uncomfortable. And the only way to learn how to do it right is to do it.
> 
> If you ride without a pad, your trousers get dirty, sweaty, and even fuzzy during the time of year your horse is shedding out, but washing machines were invented for a reason.


It's not in the least bit uncomfortable for me and I enjoy riding completely bareback, but another thing is that I begin thinking about how a pad may be more comfortable for my horse, especially when I'm trying to learn to trot bareback, where I tend to bounce and have some trouble keeping my balance so far (his trot is extremely bouncy/not smooth.) I suppose I just need more practice though. So perhaps I don't need one after all. And that's true about the clothes. Getting dirty isn't a big deal.

Thanks for your opinion!


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

Saddlebag said:


> I read a complaint yesterday about the placement of the rings on the Parelli bareback pads - right by the knee. It was quite uncomfortable. This is something you might want to watch for.


Thank you for the warning. I'll be sure to avoid something like that if I buy one.


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

Pat Miran said:


> I like riding bareback because I can feel the horse's movements better than with a saddle. The bareback pad interferes with this, however, you're right - you do get pretty sweaty without a pad. I would definitely not use the stirrups - they are dangerous.


That's true. Sometimes I just think I would feel more secure in a pad while trying to learn trot/lope bareback since my Appy's trot is quite rough and am kind of afraid of bouncing all over his back while learning how to; it kind of seems to me like a pad would be more comfortable for him. But I don't know; I just need more practice. If a did end up getting a pad, I probably wouldn't use it every time anyway.
And I'll be sure to avoid the stirrups.
Thank you!


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## Pat Miran (Aug 21, 2011)

Try it both ways with the pad and without. If you feel off balance a bit hold on to the horses mane. It will help you steady yourself during the trot which I find worse than the canter. I know this may sound gross - but I find the sweaty horse helps "glue" me on to the horse's back. Take it slow and just have fun!


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

Pat Miran said:


> Try it both ways with the pad and without. If you feel off balance a bit hold on to the horses mane. It will help you steady yourself during the trot which I find worse than the canter. I know this may sound gross - but I find the sweaty horse helps "glue" me on to the horse's back. Take it slow and just have fun!


Haha, okay. I'll just just keep working on it.
Thanks!


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

Another vote for the 'it's not really bareback if you're using a pad and stirrups' camp.
No shame in grabbing a handful of mane if you find yourself slipping or bouncing. If you are new to it, you only want to try it if your horse has excellent brakes.
Actually, my fave way to ride bareback is wearing shorts and sneakers. (Not short shorts, ones that end just above the knee). You feel the horse very well with your thighs and calves. 
You will probably need to scrub your calves before leaving the barn, however.


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

Skipsfirstspike said:


> Another vote for the 'it's not really bareback if you're using a pad and stirrups' camp.
> No shame in grabbing a handful of mane if you find yourself slipping or bouncing. If you are new to it, you only want to try it if your horse has excellent brakes.
> Actually, my fave way to ride bareback is wearing shorts and sneakers. (Not short shorts, ones that end just above the knee). You feel the horse very well with your thighs and calves.
> You will probably need to scrub your calves before leaving the barn, however.


Haha, I always ride in shorts when I'm riding bareback but never tried it in sneakers. And I'll probably try holding on to the mane more as well.
Thank you!


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## EthanQ (Sep 5, 2011)

I never use a bareaback pad, just a plain old saddle blanket, easier and cheaper


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## SpottedAppaloosa (Sep 6, 2011)

EthanQ said:


> I never use a bareaback pad, just a plain old saddle blanket, easier and cheaper


Hmm, that actually sounds like a good idea. I may try that sometime.
Thanks!


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## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

The only time I've ever considered a bareback pad is when I attempted to ride a horse who was a hard keeper and he didn't have as much padding over his spine as the other horses. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Let's just say my tailbone was rubbed raw after a 15 minute walk/trot from the pasture to the yard.


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