# Bareback-How Much Is Too Much?



## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

If you are riding with proper balance, sitting or posting the trot properly I don't think it would cause any problem at all. A poor bareback rider will do harm, as will a poor saddled rider or a good rider in a poor fitting saddle.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

I ride bareback more than I ride in a saddle, and I've never experienced a problem. I'm a balanced rider and ride gaited horses, so there is no bouncing around on their backs. I'm sure if you were to ride at a trot for a long period of time, bouncing all over their backs, it would cause soreness. As long as you stay balanced and don't bounce, I would say you could ride bareback as often as you please. Before and after your rides, check for signs of soreness. Run you fingers down your horse's back, pressing at on his spine and other areas that are likely to get sore. Watch the ears: if they go back, the horse is sore. Watch the tail and legs as well: if the trail is swishing (not as flies) and he is stomping a leg, he is uncomfortable and sore.


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## Electra (Oct 9, 2009)

If you ride correctly, I can't imagine why bareback riding would be any worse than a big ole heavy saddle on a horse's back. I love to ride bareback, especially in the winter.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Considering how often a saddle does NOT fit your horse properly, I would wager to guess that a properly balanced bareback rider is risking a LOT less damage then the average rider in an ill fitted saddle.

Our friend has been riding her pony exclusively bareback for over six months now because her saddle doesn't fit. This includes trail rides at all paces for hours at a time. Her pony is completely happy and they have zero problems.

We usually ride bareback all winter because of the cold and we've never had a problem.


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## mumiinek (Aug 4, 2010)

Just wanted to add that the problem with bareback riding is not that much bouncing (you can bounce in a saddle too) but mainly the fact that saddle is made to spread your weight over a bigger area on your horse's back. Without a saddle your weight is not distributed over the places it _should_ be for the horse to properly function without discomfort. Put a saddle on your back and have someone sit on it while you're on all fours, it feels much more comfortable than if they sit on you without it when you feel all their weight on much smaller area.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

mumiinek said:


> Just wanted to add that the problem with bareback riding is not that much bouncing (you can bounce in a saddle too) but mainly the fact that saddle is made to spread your weight over a bigger area on your horse's back. Without a saddle your weight is not distributed over the places it _should_ be for the horse to properly function without discomfort. Put a saddle on your back and have someone sit on it while you're on all fours, it feels much more comfortable than if they sit on you without it when you feel all their weight on much smaller area.


I'll let my horse be the judge of that. My Arab mare will not tolerate an ill fitting saddle and she has zero problems with me extensively riding her bareback.

I am inclined to believe that a lot of that is hooha brought around by saddle makers who fear for their trade.


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## mumiinek (Aug 4, 2010)

I was talking about properly fitting saddles of course.


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## AllThePrettyHorses (Dec 15, 2010)

Thanks everyone =D I'm so glad bareback riding doesn't cause any real problem.

I _think _I'm a good rider...I feel balanced, anyhow, and I don't bounce any more than I would in a saddle-not that I do in a saddle either (it's not like I'm trotting for extended periods of time anyways).

My dad always said that when they had horses as kids, they never even owned saddles. I was always confused why it's ok for people forty years ago to ride bareback and their horses were fine, yet suddenly, bareback hurts horses' backs nowadays.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

mumiinek said:


> I was talking about properly fitting saddles of course.


My point was that if I was causing her discomfort by riding bareback, she would let me know. If she won't tolerate even the slightest pinch from her saddle, I somehow doubt she's going to tolerate me on her bareback if I'm causing her any pain.


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## mumiinek (Aug 4, 2010)

I was never talking about pain, I was talking about your weight being distributed over a diffrent area than it is when you're riding in a saddle. In the saddle, the weight is put on the muscles surrounding the spine leaving the spine area preassure free, whereas without a saddle the weight lies on the spine too. That doesn't necessarily mean it MUST cause your horse pain, the horse is just more prone to be in discomfort, which again doesn't mean the horse MUST be in discomfort. I'm not a an anti-bareback pro-saddle freak ready to remind everyone who rides baceback how much their horsies are suffering, I wish my horse wasn't such a freak and I could ride him bareback from time to time too. I was just merely stating the difference between riding bareback and in the saddle as many people seem to think that saddle is just an unneeded toy invented by people who had nothing better to do with their time. It's always better to ride in a saddle (providing it FITS) but riding bareback is (most probably) not going to break your horse in two or cripple him for the rest of his life. When I was giving the example of putting the saddle on your own back I just wanted to give an image for people to better understand what I was trying to say. Another good example is when you're giving somebody a massage - you should always put pressure on the muscless on each side of the spine but never on the spine itself. I've never been hurt by somebody pressing on my spine so I'm not going to judge how dangerous (or not) it is but I think there is a reason for people generally wanting to avoid that area .

A saddle that doesn't fit the horse on the other hand will not put pressure on the "correct" areas and can put it exactly where the pressure shouldn't be and then riding bareback may be much more comfortable for the horse.


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

The example of trying it a saddle vs no saddle on your own back does not really apply. Yes, when someone sits on YOU, all your can feel is their seat bones. A horse however is much wider, and I firmly believe that a good portion of a balanced rider's weight rests along the backs of their thighs and the buttocks... not just their seat bones.

Plus, I would venture to say that it is not physically possible to sit in a proper 'riding' manner on another person's back. There's nothing scientific about the experiment you've proposed.


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## netty83 (Sep 21, 2010)

mumiinek said:


> I was never talking about pain, I was talking about your weight being distributed over a diffrent area than it is when you're riding in a saddle. In the saddle, the weight is put on the muscles surrounding the spine leaving the spine area preassure free, whereas without a saddle the weight lies on the spine too. That doesn't necessarily mean it MUST cause your horse pain, the horse is just more prone to be in discomfort, which again doesn't mean the horse MUST be in discomfort. I'm not a an anti-bareback pro-saddle freak ready to remind everyone who rides baceback how much their horsies are suffering, I wish my horse wasn't such a freak and I could ride him bareback from time to time too. I was just merely stating the difference between riding bareback and in the saddle as many people seem to think that saddle is just an unneeded toy invented by people who had nothing better to do with their time. It's always better to ride in a saddle (providing it FITS) but riding bareback is (most probably) not going to break your horse in two or cripple him for the rest of his life. When I was giving the example of putting the saddle on your own back I just wanted to give an image for people to better understand what I was trying to say. Another good example is when you're giving somebody a massage - you should always put pressure on the muscless on each side of the spine but never on the spine itself. I've never been hurt by somebody pressing on my spine so I'm not going to judge how dangerous (or not) it is but I think there is a reason for people generally wanting to avoid that area .
> 
> A saddle that doesn't fit the horse on the other hand will not put pressure on the "correct" areas and can put it exactly where the pressure shouldn't be and then riding bareback may be much more comfortable for the horse.


I support you! I know exactly what you are trying to say about the saddle distributing the rider's weight evenly over the horses back as oppose to bareback being the rider's weight all in one place. As a child we never had saddles and I was given a leg up and away i went. Now retruning to riding as an adult i always use a saddle as I'm more concious of my weight on my horses back. I think it's a personal choice!


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## mumiinek (Aug 4, 2010)

Eolith said:


> There's nothing scientific about the experiment you've proposed.


Uh? I've even mentioned any scientific experiment. Never mind, I've tried to explain what I wanted to say twice, I'm not going to do it again.


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## Clair (Jun 7, 2010)

Sit correctly and have your horse move correctly (collected and balanced, driving from the back) and there is no "too much"

My old instructor has ridden her 34 year old arabian mare primarily bareback for the majority of her life. She does the parelli style no-tack stuff with her. Sonora, the mare, has an excellent back still.

I would strongly recommend you sit the trot, if you don't already. It's even more important not to bounce when youre bareback. 

Give Sonora a look-see here Our Horses

At the bottom of the page under Level 4 (Expert)


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

If you're properly balanced, as much as your horse is fit for. If your horse can ride 3 hours on trail saddled, you can ride 3 hours on trail bareback. Properly balanced riders are a must, though.

After every ride I untack at the house (lacking a tack room, my bedroom has become the tack room in which I store 6 saddles, 7 bridles, all my show stuff, etc.) and then hop on bareback to cool the horse out, then we ride back to the barn. With Artie I'll sometimes take him out for a bareback gallop in the back 1000 acres, or to do some jumping.


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## equestrian (Oct 12, 2010)

I ride bareback more often than I ride with a saddle. The first 2.5 months I had Bourbon I rode exclusively bareback. He hasn't complained yet. If he had a problem with it I highly doubt he would follow me with no halter or bridle to the fence and let me climb on with him totally naked.


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## ButtInTheDirt (Jan 16, 2011)

I've been told by my trainer that you should ride bareback at least once a week, as for how much, I'm not sure. It should be fine as long as you aren't wreckless.


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

I hardly ever rode with a saddle when I was growing up, especially in the summer when it was warm enough to swim, and in the winter when having a warm horse under ya is so much nicer!!! Every horse I've had I rode bareback probably 75% of my 'free time' riding time (ie, not showing, training, etc). I even like to start horses bareback, or atleast get them used to my weight coming on and off them and sitting on them etc. 

My personal mare that I have now, is far too rough gaited, to ride bareback very often, so for HER sake I don't do it that often, and usually just do walking stuff.


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## Gizmo (Dec 19, 2010)

equestrian said:


> I ride bareback more often than I ride with a saddle. The first 2.5 months I had Bourbon I rode exclusively bareback. He hasn't complained yet. If he had a problem with it I highly doubt he would follow me with no halter or bridle to the fence and let me climb on with him totally naked.


 Wait, where you naked or your horse naked? lol
I don't see anything wrong with it, if you aren't balanced you will be. I rode Gizmo the second time today bareback and have already felt more improved. I only ride for about a half an hour though, because it is way too cold, why I was riding him bareback in the first place. If you think about it Native Americans never had saddles and they rode ALL the time! Over a long distances and galloping too.


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