# How do I train my horse to ride bareback?



## Attitude05 (Nov 11, 2009)

just get on, and hold on


----------



## Mercedes (Jun 29, 2009)

Well, I simply can't resist: Horses don't actually ride bareback...people ride horses bareback. :wink:

I don't think the issue here is riding her bareback. The focus should be more on properly conditioning her so that she can handle that type of a workload.

Get on her without a saddle and ride.


----------



## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

Some horses may not like bareback, but for the most part you just climb on and enjoy the ride.


----------



## ilovestitch (Dec 22, 2006)

I wouldn't recommend riding her bareback if she is still green. You want to be able to trust your horse bareback because if something happens its a lot harder for you to manage the situation. If you absolutely wanted to try I would say have someone lead her around while you sit on her bareback, then someone else will be there incase something happens to control her if she gets to weird about it.


----------



## Kashmere (Nov 30, 2009)

I am in full agreement with ilovestich
Make sure someone is there to help in case something happens!


----------



## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Agreed with ilovestitch. If the horse is green, scaring it is the last thing you want to do at this point. It can also be shocking how much a horse dislikes being ridden bareback the first few times.

My Arab mare had zero issues with me riding bareback - I just hopped on her shortly after I'd broken her to ride and she didn't bat an eyelash. My Paint filly was a COMPLETELY different story - she spent probably a good five minutes throwing little crowhops, cow kicks and shaking her head. If you're unprepared to deal with this, it's not beneficial to the horse if she ends up dumping you or getting jabbed in the mouth because you lose your balance and associates bareback with bad.

So get a friend to hold your mare the first time or two. You can usually tell pretty fast which horses don't mind and which horses are annoyed - in my experience, the annoyance usually comes from your legs. They're not used to being able to "feel you" so completely without leather and they are MUCH more sensitive then with a saddle.

Good luck! I haven't met a horse yet that couldn't be ridden bareback without a little time and patience. They come around pretty fast and learn how much more awesome it is NOT to have a tight itchy saddle on! :lol:


----------



## OdinsOwn (Dec 30, 2009)

> Well, I simply can't resist: Horses don't actually ride bareback...people ride horses bareback. :wink:


Haha... I certainly hope they don't! I don't think I'm in quite good enough shape to carry my 1300lb horse around on my back! 

Good luck to the OP and be careful when you start out since your horse is green. The others already posted some good advice. Hopefully the original owner did give bareback a try and then maybe the horse will have already experienced the different feeling.

I'm in the same boat. I can't wait to give bareback a shot on my guy as he's like a big comfy couch. However he's still nervous about major changes when undersaddle so we still have some more work to do before I feel comfortable ditching my saddle.

Sounds like if you get this accomplished you'll have a blast swimming with your horse though!


----------



## BlueJayWay (Feb 8, 2010)

Camp sounds like fun. =]
For riding bareback, work on trust with your horse, get a good bond with it because if you trust your horse, your horse will trust you. Take your time and be positive when you are ready to get on. If anything, it's easier to dismount then a saddle if need be. 
I know with my horse, we have that bond that if he feels me slipping he will support me and slow down.


----------



## IndianGirl (Jan 6, 2010)

I agree, have someone lead you then work your way to ride bareback on your own.


----------



## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

ilovestitch said:


> I wouldn't recommend riding her bareback if she is still green. You want to be able to trust your horse bareback because if something happens its a lot harder for you to manage the situation. If you absolutely wanted to try I would say have someone lead her around while you sit on her bareback, then someone else will be there incase something happens to control her if she gets to weird about it.


I agree, bareback isn't the type of thing you can "just get on and hang on" if you have never done it or don't do it much. You really need to trust your horse to ride them bareback or be a GREAT bareback rider that can ride out whatever your horse throws at you.


----------

