# Is riding bareback bad for the horse?



## FreeDestiny (Jul 3, 2011)

Using a western pad would cushion the 'blow' your weight puts on the one spot. But IME that thing is gonna slip and slide around like crazy and really test your balace. What I would do is ask a friend with a lighter synthetic saddle like and Abetta if you could use theirs for a while. I'm not against bareback riding, but constant pressure on the one concentrated area of the horses back might cause pain. I wouldn't worry too much, unless you weigh a lot, your horse should be fine. 

Just noticed my conflicting emotions haha, take it as two suggestions. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

Barrel racing saddles are pretty light also.


----------



## gothicangel69 (Aug 2, 2011)

Unfortunately I do not know anyone who would be able to lend me their saddle. I weight about 120lbs so am not too heavy. Is there another type of saddle blanket that won't feel like a slip n slide?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## FreeDestiny (Jul 3, 2011)

I'd invest in a bareback pad with an overgirth. No stirrups! You can usually find some with pretty good grip. Also considering you're riding western I'm guessing full seat breeches aren't going to make an appearance in your life any time soon. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

I ride western and I love my breeches! They're a lot cooler than jeans. Do you have any photos you can share?


----------



## Hukassa (Jun 10, 2010)

If you can get a surcingle and strap it on with a saddle pad- they slip a whole lot less than any bareback pad I've ridden and the girths are usually better quality and more comfortable for the horse.


----------



## FreeDestiny (Jul 3, 2011)

I love my breeches from Greenhawk, so comfy. 

Elation Ladies Full Seat Cotton Breech-On Sale until Aug 31 2011 [DRC1101]


----------



## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Just give it a try. That's the best way to find out. Even if you don't use the pad, bareback riders move about on the horse's back more than they realize. It will improve your balance and you will ride centered without the influence of the saddle. By riding centered he will be in better balance.


----------



## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

I love riding bareback.
However, if your horse is underwight and poorly muscled, you will probably BOTH be uncomfortable riding bareback. Who likes to sit on a backbone?
I would not worry about the saddle being too heavy. If you are just starting training him to ride, I would assume your sessions will be relatively short. Just use an extra saddle pad, and don't push him too hard (physically or mentally) until he has put on some weight and learned the basics.


----------



## Wheatermay (Aug 22, 2011)

Actually, my mom-in-law just got a 12yr odl gelding thats underweight, and I rode him bareback b/c we forgot the saddle....REMEMBERED THE SADDLE THE NEXT TIME! OMGoodness! It was like I was trying to balance on a 2 inch board !!! And it was quite uncomfortable! I onyl took him about 50ft and turned back! Skipsfirstspike is RIGHT there! lol


----------



## gothicangel69 (Aug 2, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I do not have a saddle at the moment and am not really interested on buying one as he's only 3 and growing like a weed- I'd end up buying one and in a few months it would be too small . 
Do bareback pads have to be fit like a saddle, or are they kind of like one size fits all? I'm thinking about looking into one of these until he's a good enough weight to ride without.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## candandy49 (Jan 16, 2011)

If you would go ahead and buy a saddle the only part you'd have to replace is the cinch/girth as he matures,fills out as he grows. I started my mare's first born colt/gelding as a two year old with the same saddle I used on my mare with no problems.

Bareback pads come in pony-size and horse-size. Other than that there is no other sizing factors. If you buy a bareback pad do not get one with stirrups. In fact, some bareback pads come with warnings of safety factors, because a bp has no tree for a foundation they can very easily slip to one side or the other of the horse's back. I once worked at a Tack Store and am familiar with the safety factors of a bp.


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Bareback on a bony spine really hurts. Bareback, on a filled in back, sans saddle, in the middle of the winter is LOTS warmer than a saddle.
BTW, every time we go to a tack auction they ALWAYS sell used bareback pads. Nobody keeps them. You've gotta be able to ride like the 19th century Prussian Cavalry and THEIR saddles had no girths. Seriously, you can't ever get them tight enough to stay put.
If you buy an inexpensive all purpose English saddle it will feel a lot like bareback if you've been riding Western It has padding built in so some folks ride English without a pad. (I don't, but I'm the one you cleans all of the tack!)


----------



## Tokoneki (Mar 28, 2011)

I love my bareback pad! Its purple and wooly and has a girth that is also covered in soft fleece. PLUS it has a "emergency" handle right at the withers just in case. I hate riding totally bareback, I feel like I'm making her uncomfortable.


----------



## QH Gunner (Aug 16, 2011)

candandy49 said:


> If you would go ahead and buy a saddle the only part you'd have to replace is the cinch/girth as he matures,fills out as he grows. I started my mare's first born colt/gelding as a two year old with the same saddle I used on my mare with no problems.
> 
> Bareback pads come in pony-size and horse-size. Other than that there is no other sizing factors. If you buy a bareback pad do not get one with stirrups. In fact, some bareback pads come with warnings of safety factors, because a bp has no tree for a foundation they can very easily slip to one side or the other of the horse's back. I once worked at a Tack Store and am familiar with the safety factors of a bp.


Just curious, why is it that you should get one without stirrups?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## gothicangel69 (Aug 2, 2011)

I've heard people say that if you try to correct you balance too much using the stirrups on a barepad that it can slide under the horse. Not sure it that is correct or not though.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## QH Gunner (Aug 16, 2011)

Well that make sense, kinda what I was figurin. I only asked bc my bbpad has stirrups haha. I don't really use em for more then a foot rest tho lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

candandy49 said:


> If you would go ahead and buy a saddle the *only part you'd have to replace* is the cinch/girth as he matures,fills out as he grows. I started my mare's first born colt/gelding as a two year old with the same saddle I used on my mare with no problems.


Not always true.


----------



## gothicangel69 (Aug 2, 2011)

Well I just picked up a bareback pad. Its nice and simple which is what I like. I don't like the cinch on it though as its just nylon and looks uncomfortable so I'm going to rig it up so I can put a more comfortable cinch on (which will be easy).
It also has loops on each side of the withers for stirrup attachments which I am going to attach a rope to as an emergency handle.
Can't wait to try it out this weekend! He hasn't been backed in months so this should be fun. lol


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

When I was a kid, I always rode bareback, rarely used a saddle or bareback pad & I owned both. Me & the gang rode our horses from sun up to sun down. When I was 13 I had a boil that start on my butt & grew down to my thigh. I rode the day before I had it lanced by the doctor, I was in pain! Under doctor's orders, I was no longer to ride bareback. That boil even caused me to be feverish & a week's recovery with drains. I rarely ride bareback now.


----------



## Shenandoah (Aug 9, 2010)

gothicangel69 said:


> Well I just picked up a bareback pad. Its nice and simple which is what I like. I don't like the cinch on it though as its just nylon and looks uncomfortable so I'm going to rig it up so I can put a more comfortable cinch on (which will be easy).


You could just put something like this over it








waresbear said:


> When I was a kid, I always rode bareback, rarely used a saddle or bareback pad & I owned both. Me & the gang rode our horses from sun up to sun down.


I was the same way. I rode 5-7 hours/day most days when I was a teen, almost exclusively bareback. I started doing that when my mare was 13. She was still going strong until 31, so I don't think it was too bad for her.
These days I have just a bit more weight on me :-( so I don't want to put the extra stress on my current boy's back. I don't ride bareback except to bring him in from the fields, and maybe once every 1-2 months for a short trail ride.


----------

