# Tips on riding bareback?



## Meadow (Dec 15, 2013)

I am starting to learn bareback, and I was wondering if you guys had any tips/comments for me? Thanks in advance !


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Yep, stay away from the withers :wink::lol:.

In all seriousness, the best thing to do is just relax and, if you feel off balance, grab a handful of mane.


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## EponaLynn (Jul 16, 2013)

Yes, relax and don't think about it too hard...I used to ride bareback all over the place...it's your balance that keeps you on above all else.


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## pbeebs (Sep 7, 2013)

Just practice. And beware the chaffing.


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## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

Don't be afraid to hold on for dear life in the beginning. Once you get the 'feel' for the horse, it can be good to go no-hands (if someone else is leading/lunging you) or, if you have a lot of trust in your horse you can be like me and ride no hands anyway (it helps when the horse is old and lazy).

Also, try and learn on a horse with plenty of padding on their back. My boy is chubby, but you can still feel every inch of his spine, and it doesn't tickle.


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## thetempest89 (Aug 18, 2013)

Tracer said:


> Don't be afraid to hold on for dear life in the beginning. Once you get the 'feel' for the horse, it can be good to go no-hands (if someone else is leading/lunging you) or, if you have a lot of trust in your horse you can be like me and ride no hands anyway (it helps when the horse is old and lazy).
> 
> Also, try and learn on a horse with plenty of padding on their back. My boy is chubby, but you can still feel every inch of his spine, and it doesn't tickle.


Dear god. This brings back memories of a high withered STB I use to ride. WORST horse ever to ride bareback. You could feel everything. Never tried in a bare back pad. But my old perchy mare was a dream to ride bare back, obviously. We called her the big comfy couch.


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## Houston (Apr 15, 2012)

Start small! Work your way up slowly from walk, to trot, etc while you get a better feel for the horse and get your balance. I'm still in the trot stage, too chicken to canter still! :lol:
Circles or turning is probably where you'll be off balance the most at first.

I started in the round pen and typically do bareback after our normal rides when I know my horse isn't so fresh and is attentive to me.

And yes, beware the withers and spine! People have different opinions on bareback pads. I use them for a little cushion for both me and my horse's sake! But I, personally, would never use a bareback pad with stirrups. Since there is no tree or other form of stability with pads, riding on a pad with stirrups seems like a good way to slip!


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

It works better if your horse is stocky, fat and mutton withered XD. My friends QH was all of that, and we NEVER used saddles. Lol grumpy old horse used to crow hop thinking he was being bad. Turns out his crow hop was smoother than his lope XD!


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

The more you ride bareback, the better you will get at it. And you'll be amazed at what it does for your balance! Starting last month, I made a "vow" to not ride with a saddle until about March. I felt pretty wobbly the first ride, and even the second ride was a huge improvement. 

Also --> make sure you don't ride in slippery pants. That makes it harder to stay on if you are sliding all over the place. I rode in my snowpants the first day and that was a bad choice. 

As everyone has already pointed out, the worst thing you can do when riding bareback is tense up. Force your body to stay relaxed. Take deep breaths. Sing a soothing song to yourself (singing makes you relax). You'll be more likely to fall off if you allow your body to tense. 

Go ahead and hang onto the horse's mane whenever you need to. 

Myself personally, I like to ride bareback with long split reins, so if I should ever fall off, my horse won't go running loose, as I should be able to hang onto one of the reins. Can't do that with a single loop rein.


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## Meadow (Dec 15, 2013)

What pants do you guys recommend? And the horse I have was recovering from being severely underweight, so right now she is at a healthy weight so she doesn't have any "padding" :lol:


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## Foxtail Ranch (Mar 10, 2012)

Meadow said:


> What pants do you guys recommend? And the horse I have was recovering from being severely underweight, so right now she is at a healthy weight so she doesn't have any "padding" :lol:


I like jeans or breeches when I ride bareback, but I also use a Parelli Bareback Pad. Its a good thing I do, because April (14 yo Chestnut Paint Mare) has almost no mane to grab, and the pad has a nice handle if you need it. You can use a saddle pad and just cinch it on too, and add a strap if your horse has a scanty mane like mine.

Luckily, April is just like the QH describe earlier because her back is wide and cushy, and her gaits are smooth and gentle, even when she crow hops! 

All the advice so far is excellent! Relax and be aware of your knees: you should not allow yourself to pinch your knees to stay on. I like to visualize my feet stuck in mud below me, like I am standing. I got that from reading "Centered Riding," a really good book. 

I would stay in an enclosed arena at first if you can, just to feel more in control of the situation.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

I loved riding bareback, I used to gallop everywhere. I sadly can't go faster than a walk on my mare because she has the WORST gits EVER (NO ONE wants to ride her more than once I ask and the have a look of fear on their faces XD) lol. I want to go see my friend just to ride Barskie/Blacks Bear (QH I was talking about) XD.


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## PunksTank (Jul 8, 2012)

Haha riding bareback is definitely the most fun  but wider is not always better! My mare is impossible to stay on around a sharp turns! Shes so flat and wide you're forced into a chair seat, and when she turns and drops her shoulder her whole back tips in leaving nothing to hold onto! Like sitting on a dining room table that got tipped over xD but for the straight lines shes very comfy  

Just practice, practice, practice and soon you and your horse will just melt together. Definitely want to work on keeping your body relaxed, the more tense the more bounce. I ride mostly in jeans and havent had trouble with that. My belgian is a bareback rock star - we go on trails for hours bareback


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I also ride in just regular old jeans.

I use a bareback pad to give a bit of padding for myself and also for my horse. My horses have plenty of padding for me, but sometimes I worry about my bony butt making them uncomfortable.

Added plus is that the bareback pad has a lot of stick-um (it's an old felt western pad that I made into a bareback pad myself).


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## Foxtail Ranch (Mar 10, 2012)

This is me riding bareback in the snow today. 

I was riding my KMSH mare Ella and ponying my breeding stock Paint April. They are both comfy rides!

This was as especially challenging ride because ponying requires more balance from me and better behavior from the horses. Plus, it was a two hour ride, so I may feel a bit sore tomorrow!


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## pineapplepastures (Nov 12, 2013)

I love Kerrits to ride bareback in. It's kinda weird because I ride western and they're English breeches but they are sooo comfortable! Some of them have leather patches that give you a little grip. Have fun!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Alexandra V (Jul 6, 2013)

Agreed with PunksTank, I'm glad I'm not the only one with that problem! When my mare drops her shoulder in a corner it's darn near impossible to not almost slip off. She's wide and has a short, slippery coat and a short clipped mane haha. That coupled with the fact that she has a very bouncy trot make her a little less than the ideal bareback horse, but she is nice and warm on the tush in the winter


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

I've hopped on bareback for as long as I've had my horse, but I just recently decided to get more into it. I'm really stable at the walk, but at the trot it seems as though I'm sliding all over the place. Not like about to fall off, but almost like I'm creeping up on his withers. I just bought a bareback pad this past week in the hopes to give me a little more stick while I get everything else sorted out. I've only used it twice, but it definitely helped! I rode in the pad with jeans, and I think I might try my full seat breeches with it next time for added grip. Will definitely try to wean myself off of the stick reliance, but that's where I stand right now. The biggest things are definitely to relax, and grab mane if you need to!

This is the pad that I bought, if you're interested. It's made of a really nice microsuede, and has was on sale when I bought it. Looks like it still is. Two pieces of advice with pads, though. Don't buy one with stirrups. If you use the stirrups then all of your weight will be concentrated in one narrow strip across your horse's back and it will hurt him. It'll also provide a false sense of security. The pad really has no support, so if your horse scoots out from under you while using the stirrups for support, then the pad could slide. On that note, don't grab the pad for support if your horse spooks or something. Again, it could slide if the horse scoots left and you stay right! Grab mane instead. 

Mustang Microsuede Bareback Pad - Statelinetack.com


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## amberly (Dec 16, 2012)

My horse and I are riding bareback more often than saddle and it is working wonders for us, he is listening and performing better bareback and bitless than with a saddle and bit in.

One thing I might wanna mention so it doesn't happen - but not all horses do this.
When you get comfortable to lope 1. it is actually easy to sit it bareback than you tihnk and 2. keep your heels down, toes up but DONT let your heels "grab" on as well with his sides. I did that and that is how I foudn out my horse is actually no that lazy and can actually buck!

Always wear a helmet.

Do extra groudnwork before mounting.

you can post bareback if you need to, but it is hard IMO haha!

I agree with beau, the first few times are a little wobbly and tough, but for me - after a week I was better.
It is the best thing to get your balance - it is the true test of balance.

If you like to jump (I ride western and I only have one jump and it is small, maybe about a foot high) then jumping bareback is pretty fun and easy! I enjoy doing it and after a few weeks of riding bareback and got my balance I cna jump without holding on if I wanted to, but I'm just not wuite that ready. But I can hold on with one hand and its fun!

I am going to challenge you. Take your time to get here!
But I eventually would love to see some videos of you doing what I do to test my balance. Lope with your arms out like an airplane.
One you ride bareback more often the better you will get, and I have been riding bareback since about maybe september or october and loping with no hands is an amazing feeling!

I am going to try and ride bareback as often as I can and try and do everything I can bareback.
I've rarely been in the saddle for a few months and hopefully I can do a little bit of slow barrel racing bareback - we will see 

But riding bareback is so worth it and it is so much fun!! 
Just promise me to always wear a helmet and don't be afraid to hang on to the mane! And don't be afraid to try new things!
I start my small jumps in the saddle, and I was terrified to jump bareback, but once I did - well, everything you do bareback is just so addicting. But then of course anything you do with horses is addicting.

Good luck and keep us updated! I would love to see some videos!!


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## Meadow (Dec 15, 2013)

If you guys would like to see some of her pictures, you can go to my thread, "My Arabian, Cinder ". I finally figured out how to upload pictures .


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