# How is your horse bareback?



## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Hurts like a whooie.

His spine hurts my VaJayJay. Horrible. He has high narrow withers to go along with his spine.

He's fine to ride in the winter with his heavy weight on - that at least gives the padding my special parts need - but aside from that. Forget it.


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## CloudsMystique (Mar 3, 2009)

MIEventer said:


> Hurts like a whooie.
> 
> His spine hurts my VaJayJay. Horrible. He has high narrow withers to go along with his spine.
> 
> He's fine to ride in the winter with his heavy weight on - that at least gives the padding my special parts need - but aside from that. Forget it.



Ah, that's too bad. Have you tried using a bareback pad?


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

I thought about it a few times, but I would rather spend my money on other things.

Like a $674 vet bill.


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## paintsrule (Aug 20, 2009)

Like a couch, hes fat.


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## CloudsMystique (Mar 3, 2009)

paintsrule said:


> Like a couch, hes fat.


Haha, lucky! I bet that's comfy.


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## paintsrule (Aug 20, 2009)

It is ^^ i could stay up there all day.


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## PumpkinzMyBaby22 (Jul 5, 2009)

well pumpkins fat so he has no spine (a tiny one ) and only a small wither. it is comfy except for when the hair starts to itch and poke you in the legs........


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

Chinga, when I first rode him bareback I announced not to do it again, then I found the right spot to sit and he got fatter now its great!


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

Toby is awesome bareback. He has a flat wide back that is very cushy. Love it.


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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

It varies. Most of the time she's pretty comfy but recently she's been hollowing her back during any sitting trot, I'm had her checked out for pain and she's not showing any so she's just being stubborn. So at the moment...not so comfy unless she's in a nice flowing canter or gallop. But most other times she's extremely comfy.


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## tempest (Jan 26, 2009)

Razz is comfy but only at a walk anything faster is asking for trouble. I've only ridden her bareback once. but this winter I want to do it more.


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## heyycutter (Sep 26, 2009)

cutters awesome bareback, his only fallback is his withers are a big high


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

Blue- GREAT! I almost don't put her saddle on anymore..... lol! She is slightly pudgy at the moment, has a flat back with no purtruding backbone! Ahhhh it's nice!
Geoffery- High withers, VERY prominant back bone. Ouch. Rode him at the walk bareback once, rubbed my bum raw! I'm asking for a bareback pad for Christmas!


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## Gillian (Aug 2, 2008)

Zeus is not comfortable to ride bareback in general since he's got a bony back and pretty good sized withers, i've only had him for three months and we're working on his topline. But it gets better if you get him to work properly. If he's hollow and bracing he's horrible. If he's got impulsion, using his back, and off his forehand it's fine. He hated bareback at first, refused to do anything but go around with his head way up in the air. So when I rode him bareback all I started asking for was for him to relax and stretch down and work on some long and low stuff. As he got better I started to ask for more contact, for him to rock back onto his haunches and more complex things. He is now way more confortable to ride bareback. Still a work in progress but definitely way more relaxed and happy.

:]


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## 1dog3cats17rodents (Dec 7, 2007)

Never rode Ben bareback, but Painter was nice. He was too short for me to wrap my legs around, but he was sensitive enough that's probably a good thing. I really had to use my thighs to get off his back to keep him happy. The only down fall is that he had such a smooth trot a posting trot was just NOT happening, but I prefer sitting on him so it was fine


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## PiggyPablo (Jan 17, 2009)

My two are awesome. Both feel like sofas. One is 17.1 hands, the other is 14.3. Couldn't ask for more comfortable horses.


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## Rowdyone (Sep 27, 2009)

Any more, it = agony. I prefer riding bareback, but Rowdy has gotten so bony I almost can't do it any more. Shoot, I do have a bareback pad somewhere, maybe I should find it.

My niece has a little mare that is a delight to ride bareback. She ain't big enough to be a couch though... Maybe a loveseat.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Vida is ouchie like so many others have said. She is narrow so its easy to hang on but that makes it more painful for me. Good I have a puffy butt to sit on her with :lol:


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## CloudsMystique (Mar 3, 2009)

Thanks for all the responses : ]


For those of you who said you wanted a bareback pad, I HIGHLY recommend this one:
Reinsman Microsuede TackyToo Bareback Pad - Statelinetack.com

I've had it for about three years and I have no complaints whatsoever. It still looks exactly like it did the day I got it. It's suede, so you don't slip around on it at all, and it's really soft. The underneath is neoprene, which is comfortable for your horse and doesn't let it slide back at ALL (as long as you make sure to put it far enough forward on their back). The girth has a fleece cover. And it comes in awesome colors, too. They're a little darker than they look on the website.


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

My TB used to be horrendously bony because his previous owner didn't do anything with him, so his withers and spine were painful to sit on. :? He's reasonably comfy now that he's got more padding, it's just that his trot is really bumpy and he has a huge sloppy canter at the moment. Gotta work on that...

On the other hand, my big guy is like a couch. I could fall asleep on his back he's so comfy. =D He's got a nice wide back and low withers (not to mention plenty of mane to grab if the occasion arises). He has a beautiful trot, but not that great of a canter. At least not yet, since he's really green and klutzy. But someday. Both my guys are a little spooky, and that's the biggest problem. We have a lot to work on. lol


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## xEquestrianx (Aug 30, 2009)

Cheyenne is a lot of fun. But she has a kinda bony back, it's not terrible though. She is narrow, has high withers and is slippery...lol. And she's hyper. But I love riding bareback! I ride bareback more than I do under saddle...lol.


Beauty is big, round, and carries her head up. She's really comfortable.


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## catz (Sep 23, 2009)

my old boy freaks if you try to get on him bare back yet if you put a kid on him hes just fine. very strange


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## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

My mare's comfy... but a bit dangerous to go any faster than a trot... Lol. She has high-ish withers that tend to start hurting after about an hour... but otherwise, it's fun... 


My gelding's comfy too... he's slimmer than my mare and I feel more balanced on him... and his withers aren't high, so there's more padding... Lol.


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

My mare is pretty wide, but isn't sure about bareback yet...Lol! It's not so much getting on and riding, but she is unsure of the dismount...Lol! But then i don't think she was ever ridden bareback, and I've had to totally retrain her. I can't wait until she becomes more sure of herself though, becuase she's going to be really comfy to ride bareback.


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## ridesapaintedpony (Apr 14, 2009)

Toby is pretty easy to ride bareback. It's me that's the problem. My balance isn't as good as it used to be and so I slide around a lot.


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## Starr010 (Sep 30, 2009)

Ben was not a good barebacker hes tail bone heart me.Nikita on the other hand is good when you get on her she bad when you are tring to get on her.You just can`t trot on her .Spice looks like she is going to be a fun barebacker when she is broke.


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## creativity (Oct 11, 2009)

I only tried it twice for 10 minutes. My inner thighs aren't strong enough to let me balance. My pony has a flat back and is quite fat so he's comfortable to ride, but not easy to stay onto.


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## FoxyRoxy1507 (Jul 15, 2008)

no matter how fat i get my two geldings they both have that awful high withers and it just kills me! i wish i could do bareback, but a walk is about as fast as we go lol. one is a TB and the other is supposedly a TB but everyone who has seen him thinks WB/TB X


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## xLaurenOscarx (Aug 11, 2009)

Oscar Has A High Narrow Wither, Thin As He Lost Weight From Anemia, And Hes 17.1hh So Hard To Get On Him As Im About 5 Foot 6? lol
I Use A Padded Numnah When I Go Bareback As Its Comfier And Cheaper THen A Bareback Pad. He Also Has The Bounciest Trot And Canter EVER! Also Hes Started To Get Fitter So Rather Then Walk He Wants To Jig Jog About The PLace! Lol


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## Quixotic (May 22, 2009)

Simon has a VERY uncomfortable spine to sit on - it HURTS! I tried trotting/cantering/jumping bareback on him exactly once, & I ended up sitting on one of my hands through most of it in a failed attempt to provide myself with a little more cushion. I decided it wasn't worth the bruises or the awkwardness, so whenever I get back home for a visit & have a chance to take a bareback ride, I just settle for long, lazy walks around the property. Before I moved away, we used to have a nice long bareback ride after every one of my lessons, & I'd just drop the reins & talk to him & pat him while we wandered up & down the paths. It was nice bonding time.


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## dreamrideredc (Apr 16, 2009)

Well before my boy bulked up he was pretty bony. For me, I got used to it and rode him like that anyway. Others, not so much. If me and my friends were messing around they would complain. Now, he is chubby and muscular (odd combination) not to mention he has always been smooth, so it is lovely to ride! I love riding him bareback! =]


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## Cougar (Jun 11, 2009)

Cougar and Greylite are comfy. Nice and chubby but not too wide.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Dobe, Denny, and John are all very super nice to ride bareback. Their backs are all super flat and wide and comfy. Koda (the one time I tried him bareback) is more narrow than the others but was not uncomfortable. I just had trouble balancing on him. I don't know if it was because he was narrow or if it was due to something else. None of the rest of mine have been ridden bareback.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

i LOVE riding any horse bareback !! if they are narrow with high withers i just sit a couple inches further back =]

i riding my pony bareback pretty much every ride =] i also love jumping bareback =]

hers a pic of me & a horse i used to ride doing a picinic table bareback


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## IheartPheobe (Feb 15, 2009)

Only ridden a couple of them bareback. 
Jorge is bouncy but you just bounce around, not bounce _off. _He's easy to wrap my legs around considering he's tinsy. 
Haven't gone past a walk with Galen (wasn't aloud to) but she is so wide and huge and I am so. . not that I had a some trouble hanging on. hehe. 
Killian is the same way, a little thinner though. 
Spud was wet when I rode him bareback, as we were swimming but I was sliding around a lot and found him comfortable just too dang wide. 
Diesel. . he was pretty easy to stay on, thin enough and not too big, but his backbone was a little annoying. Nothing too painful though. He's a little tall for me so there was nothing to hang on too but I managed pretty well. Only really lost my balance during trot/canter transitions. My main problem with him was that sometimes he pigroots and bareback was no exception.


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## nirvana (Sep 14, 2009)

I absolutly LOVE riding bareback, and so does my horse. I doubt anyone else would ride him bareback though! Hes kindof spiny and his withers are ginormus! When I first got him I learnt to suck it up cause I didn't have a saddle for the first month! His withers don't bother you if you have a good seat (probably how I got my good seat) I w/t/c and jump him bare back. He is really smooth at all gates, wich is helpfull, but not the most graceful jumper, but we are working on it! I also have a hard time getting on him because hes 16hh and Im 5ft tall! LOL!


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## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

2-Pak (16hh QH/Paint) is wide enough that I feel like I'm pretty securely seated, but isn't so wide that he's like riding a barrel. He has a nice, even walk, and is pretty patient about having people wiggle around on his back and whatever, though I've never taken him past a walk bareback.
Magic (15hh QH) looks like she'd be comfortable, but isn't at all. I often describe barebacking her as "bouncing up and down on a metal railing." Her gaits are fairly smooth, it's just that the combination of her high withers and a bony spine make it uncomfortable. On the bright side, she's the only horse that I've barebacked that I could honestly say it would be pretty hard to fall off -- that spine of hers holds you pretty well in place!
Tanner is amazing to ride bareback -- she's got smooth gaits (though she is a barrel horse -- she really likes her sharp turns, and I'm not very good at riding those bareback) and a soft, broad back. Her withers are high, like Magic's, but unless she stops fast and throws you forward, they're more like a built in saddle swell.
Ruby is fun to bareback, but I won't take her past a walk. Her trot -- even under saddle -- is really hard to ride, and her gallop is smooth, but her stop will have you over her head. She's also really round, and doesn't have much for withers, so I don't feel real secure on her without a saddle.


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## mandik92 (Oct 16, 2009)

My 2 horses are AMAZING bareback!!!!! i ride them all the time bareback . i jump, trail ride, full out gallop bareback on my horses


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## Mickey4793 (Sep 24, 2009)

I've been wanting to ride my horse bareback for a while but for now he's not quiet enough to do so I'd probably end up on the ground.
But he's VERY comfortable under saddle, even though looking at him from the ground he's not very plump and he has VERY high withers.


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