# problem riding bareback - help!?



## LuckyLady (May 21, 2009)

Hi,

don't know if it really fits in here, so admins if this topic's in the wrong forum please move 

Ok, now my problem:

yesterday, I tried to ride bareback again (first time for a long time now). Well, it turned out to be a minor catastrophe. Despite riding bareback very often until some years ago, I have completely lost my confidence in doing it. I felt out of balance and just weird.
Walking was ok, but as soon as we started to trot I tensed up after 2-3 steps. Well, you can guess my mare also noticed that I was kinda feeling insecure... and started testing me lol (but that's not the problem).

As she'll always start to test her rider again as soon as the rider shows any signs of insecurity, I can't go on practicing bareback riding with her until I feel more confident again as it would mess up her training. Sadly there are no other horses at the barn that I could use for my bareback training. 

So, I would like to know if you've got any tips or exercises that I can perform with a saddle to get more confident in bareback riding.

The only thing that comes to my mind would be riding without stirrups, but I'm already doing that and haven't got a problem with it at all.

We took some pictures yesterday as well, so I'll post some on here tomorrow when I get them. Maybe seeing the pics will help you, telling me what I could do to improve 

Thank you for reading all this and thanks for your help!!

LuckyLady


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## 1dog3cats17rodents (Dec 7, 2007)

Try a bareback pads with stirrups maybe. That seems like it would be a good way to trasition to bareback


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## tempest (Jan 26, 2009)

this may sound silly and please don't be too mad at me but this might help you out. It helped someone I know. The size of your back end might have something to do with your lack of balance. Someone I know can't ride a normal sized pleasure horse. She needs a bigger boned or stocky horse because of the size of it. The smaller or skinnier the horse, the less balance she has.


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## LuckyLady (May 21, 2009)

first of all, thank you for your tips so far 

@1dog3cats17rodents: I don't really like those pads with stirrups as the stirrups may apply pressure only to small points and not like a saddle where the pressure would be equally distributed.

@tempest: I don't think that your idea is silly  Could quite well be the reason for my problems at the moment although I've ridden many different horses bareback before (big ones, small ones, horses with a broad back, shorter or longer back, slim ones or not so slim ones), I never had a problem with any of them... until now.
Lucky is a Quater-Arab-Cross with a broad but rather long back compared to her size. Honestly, her trot can be quite uncomfortable when she's not ridden correctly and this may also be part of my problems. But it's just understandable that she tenses up, when I tense up in the first place. I'm sure this is not comfortable for her as well.


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## LuckyLady (May 21, 2009)

ok, now, here is a picture of us troting bareback. Please do not critique on Lucky as it's my fault that she's running like that  ... I know it's not the best picture but maybe it will help you give me tips what I could do to improve?


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Try riding in a very controlled area like a small round pen. Let go of the reins and just put your hands on her shoulders. Feel the movement of the legs and try to go with it. Don't worry about where she is going just work on balance. Do it with your hands forward and when you get comfortable with that, lean back and put you hands on her hips.


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## newhorsemom (Jun 20, 2008)

I agree with Vida. Start in a small controlled area and work on balance. When your confidence begins to build you can begin to do some smaller circles, or cut across the round pen, or walk over some ground poles, things like that. I think as your balance improves your confidence will improve with it. Be patient, have fun and take your time. You'll know when you're ready to trot, just enjoy and don't give up!!


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## LuckyLady (May 21, 2009)

thanks thats a great advice. sadly we don't have a round pen, but I'll go ask my friend or the barn owner to lunge her while I'm riding bareback. I think that should work as well.

I was already thinking about taking bareback lunge lessons at another barn, because I think school-horses (is that the right word) won't be so sensitive and are used to carry insecure riders. But that'll take some time until I can go there, so I'll definitely try your tip first


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

If you don't have a round pen, anyplace that is fenced so she can't run off and that doesn't have grass growing so she isn't tempted to stop and eat. When you aren't using the reins its best if they keep the head up


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## LuckyLady (May 21, 2009)

Well, our outside arena is fenced but there's grass on all four sides which she can easily reach. Also it is too big, I think, to let her just run about because she'll soon think she can do what she wants and that will either be stop and feed on the grass or just run off at full speed - and that will ruin her training, as I've worked hard on training this out of her.

Nah, I think I'll just try the lunging and see if it works. If it doesn't I have to think about something else anyway.

Btw, any other ideas are still welcome, so feel free to post them 

Thanks to all of you for your help so far!


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## fontana1 (Jun 7, 2009)

Have a friend or family member help. 
Be on the lung line untill you feel comfortable to ride alone with Lucky.
Have your friend or family member be on 1 end and hold the line and you ride lucky bareback.


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Have someone work with you on a lunge line. First, have the person just lead the horse around. You'll control the horse with the reins but the person will be there to bring the horse in if you start feeling too tense.

Then have the walker start to jog trot. You'll find yourself more confident with a person right there. As soon as you find yourself relaxing with the person alongside you, then have them give you some line. As soon as you feel yourself tensing up, have them come back to your side.

Don't expect to do this all in one lesson. Stretch it out for several days or a couple of weeks until you feel yourself relaxing. Work only on walking initially, then when you feel you really have that down, work on trotting. Then work on everything else. Backing, side passing, forehand turns, haunch turns etc. 

Your lower legs need to be more under you than in the picture you showed. The way you are using them, they will push you forward. Here's a picture of me and Solon at one of our medieval events. You don't want to wrap your legs completely around your horse. That is what your thighs are for. Your calves rest gently on the side and sometimes not really touching unless you are giving cues.


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## LuckyLady (May 21, 2009)

Thanks for your ideas. Yes, I know that my seat was wrong, I just didn't know what exactly to correct. I will try to correct my leg position as you said next time. I really felt sometimes like falling forward.


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

It takes time and practice, just like anything. Before you know it, you'll be doing all sorts of things!


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## LuckyLady (May 21, 2009)

Yes, I know that it will take time. I think, I was just kind of surprised, that it did not work right away because I used to be quite good at riding bareback until some years ago. Back then I never had a problem, not even when I first tried it. ... But then again, back then I was a careless kid that wouldn't think much about things that might happen. Maybe that's the reason, why I could not start again that easily?


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

If it's been awhile, it can be easy to loose confidence. You are more worried about falling off and getting hurt and what that means as far as work/life. 

The confidence might have to do with the horse as well. Are you secure about the horse when you ride in general? Trust in the horse plays a big part.

I spent two years of groundwork/bonding with Solon while I was waiting for him to be old enough to ride. By the time I got on we had built an incredibly solid relationship with each other. I trained him to ride in a halter and bareback because I wasn't able to find a saddle big enough for him or a bit big enough.

It was a few months after I started riding that I did find the right tack and by then we were well on our way.


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## LuckyLady (May 21, 2009)

Yes, I pretty much trust her in every situation concerning walking and trotting. She never spooks, never bucks... never does anything. the only thing she would ever do if I let her walk/trot loose is to go to the next spot of gras and feed (which is the problem with letting her run loose as there is grass all around our arena).


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

That makes it even better then! Have fun with working on it!


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## KTSpeedhorse (Mar 10, 2009)

Lose the saddle pad while riding bareback. No use for it besides keeping your pants clean lol. I never ride bareback with a pad. The lougeline lessons may help you. Just relax...when you feel like your getting tense start singing it's amazing but it will make you relax. Thats all i have : ) Good luck


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## LuckyLady (May 21, 2009)

@KTSpeedhorse: I did not put the pad on for me, but for her because I thought it might help reduce the pressure from my bodyweight which is not so well distributed when riding bareback than with a saddle. It was rather meant to make her feel more comfortable than it was meant to help me (it did not make any difference for me anyway).

@solon: thanks, I'll sure have fun working on it


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Solon said:


> Have someone work with you on a lunge line. First, have the person just lead the horse around. You'll control the horse with the reins but the person will be there to bring the horse in if you start feeling too tense.
> 
> Then have the walker start to jog trot. You'll find yourself more confident with a person right there. As soon as you find yourself relaxing with the person alongside you, then have them give you some line. As soon as you feel yourself tensing up, have them come back to your side.
> 
> ...


You are so lucky to have a wide body horse to ride! I jumped on Vida bareback tonight, its been awhile. (I was waiting for her to dry after a bath so I got a wet butt to boot) She is so narrow its really a work out to keep balanced. 
Solon is just beautiful


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