# Riding a horse with no or very little mane bareback?



## Talon (Oct 22, 2014)

Well My mare is a Appaloosa and her mane was cut off when I bought her, it's growing but I'm not sure if she'll even have much of a mane as her tail leaves a lot to be desired. :lol:
I was wondering if anyone has ridden a horse like this bareback and how did you balance without the aid of the horses mane?
Just sitting on my mare bareback today I felt like I was going to fall when she walked because I had nothing to hold onto.


I'm guessing this was just all me and I dont actually need to hold onto some mane to stay on but any advice about this would be wonderful.


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## amberly (Dec 16, 2012)

Are you sitting correctly?
Put your hands on your horse whithers, thumbs crossed. push yourelf back until you are sitting on your pockets. Keep your toes up and sit tall.
Hang on with your legs - but not your knees or your feet. 
It just takes practice but you will get better. I used to not be able to hardly sit on a horses back without even going anywhere - with practice and time I can go all speeds without needing to grab some mane.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Sounds to me like a great way to practice and improve your seat. With no emergency handle, you will _have_ to depend on your core, seat, and legs to stay on the horse. Spend some time riding like that, I guarantee it will make you a better rider :wink:.

ETA: I ride my horses bareback all the time and I very rarely grab mane unless we are going up or down a steep hill where my seat isn't enough to keep me on without having a death grip with my legs.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Agreed- with practice you won't need anything to hold on to. In the meantime, you could buy (or fashion your own) neck strap. They're very commonly worn by eventer horses in the cross country phase.


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## Talon (Oct 22, 2014)

I'm not sure if I was sitting right or not. I've always been told I have great posture on a horse so I'll go with it couldn't have been that bad. But I'll be sure to check and double check next time I get on.
I'm sure I need improvement. She is also super wide. I'm used to Walkers and they're not like that. I think I'll get a neck strap and just try and get a good feel for her body type without a saddle then ditch the strap lol.


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

I my round appy all the time and she has virtually no mane. Try riding without a neck strap, it will improve your balance greatly to have nothing to use as a crutch.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I found I was tipping forward by trying to hang on to mane. 

Now I ride roached polo horses bareback (briefly, because of my bony backside, or with a sheepskin and overgirth) and have gotten used to balancing.

Check out these riders. Men and women. We have sanctioned relay races in a nearby town every year.

Professional Indian Horse Racing Association


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## Roman (Jun 13, 2014)

Are you trying to ride bareback AND bridleless?

If just bareback, can you use reins instead of relying on her mane? This can also help with balance and not relying on the horn (when riding in a saddle). 

If you are trying to go bridleless you could put a thin rope around her neck.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Roman said:


> If just bareback, can you use reins instead of relying on her mane? This can also help with balance and not relying on the horn (when riding in a saddle).



Surely I'm reading this wrong or misunderstanding it in some way. Are you encouraging her to use the reins to help her keep her balance?

Everything I've ever been taught, that is a massive no-no since you have zero fluidity in your arms if you are bracing with them to keep your balance.


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## Roman (Jun 13, 2014)

smrobs said:


> Surely I'm reading this wrong or misunderstanding it in some way. Are you encouraging her to use the reins to help her keep her balance?
> 
> Everything I've ever been taught, that is a massive no-no since you have zero fluidity in your arms if you are bracing with them to keep your balance.


It sounds as if she relies on the mane. I used to rely on the horn. 

I agree she should learn to balance whether she has something to grab or not.


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## DreaMy (Jul 1, 2014)

But we can agree that "skiing on the horses mouth" as my trainer puts it is a big fat "NO"

Something that *may* help OP is riding with a saddle but without stirrups first?

Are you getting bounced off or is it more of a sliding off to one side thing? At any rate loosen up your lower back and _try_ not to become dependent on mane/neck strap/reins they will become crutches. If you feel confident with your horse then do some very basic exercises that a beginner would do when learning to ride (with a saddle) even if it is just walking in a circle hands on hips.

Remember that it is possible. (I'm thinking that if you have good posture in the saddle you may just be over thinking it because good posture and good balance go hand in hand)


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

Roman said:


> Are you trying to ride bareback AND bridleless?
> 
> If just bareback, can you use reins instead of relying on her mane? This can also help with balance and not relying on the horn (when riding in a saddle).
> 
> If you are trying to go bridleless you could put a thin rope around her neck.


No, I hope I'm also misunderstanding! Relying on the reins for balance is always a big no-no! It won't do much but train you to be even more reliant on your hands for balance, and give you one ticked off horse. 

However, I do agree with the rope around the neck suggestion. If you're riding in a halter/rope or bridle then you could hold the reins and keep the rope around her neck for if you need it. Treat it as you would a mane when riding- try to rely on your seat and core for balance, but grab rope instead of mane if you find yourself slipping too much. Don't grab it all the time, just use it as a last resort to avoid sliding off or you'll become too reliant on it.

Since you're having trouble at the walk I'd first start focusing on developing your seat at both the walk and trot. Think no stirrups work at all gaits and sitting trot (with and without stirrups). This will help you improve your seat and balance. Try focusing on the rhythm of the walk movement. I can ride bareback at the walk no problem, but if I close my eyes then I feel like I'm about to fall off! Try having someone lead you on the horse for safety purposes (in saddle first) and close your eyes for a few seconds. You may feel extremely out of whack at first, but as you get a bit more used to it you'll be able to start feeling and moving with the horse's movement. It'll come more naturally to you both in the saddle and bareback. If you have a trainer that can give you lunge lessons then that also may help.


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## GracielaGata (Jan 14, 2012)

smrobs said:


> Sounds to me like a great way to practice and improve your seat. With no emergency handle, you will _have_ to depend on your core, seat, and legs to stay on the horse. Spend some time riding like that, I guarantee it will make you a better rider :wink:.
> 
> ETA: I ride my horses bareback all the time and I very rarely grab mane unless we are going up or down a steep hill where my seat isn't enough to keep me on without having a death grip with my legs.


Is it purely practice that makes it easier? My mare hates when I ride her bareback, but I don't really like it either. So I wonder if I don't sit well on her and that causes her to not like it? She doesn't listen very well at all under-not-saddle lol.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

GracielaGata said:


> Is it purely practice that makes it easier? My mare hates when I ride her bareback, but I don't really like it either. So I wonder if I don't sit well on her and that causes her to not like it? She doesn't listen very well at all under-not-saddle lol.


For the most part it's just practice and having a good seat. My guess is that you're completely right and that you're sitting on her incorrectly while bareback. I'm a very competent rider with a saddle, but there have been a couple of times in the past when my horse got ticked off and bucked me off when I tried to canter bareback. Quite frankly, I don't blame him. I wouldn't want me on my back with my body flying all over the place! If you're not good at it then your normal cues are different, you're probably doing some sliding around, and definitely bouncing more than usual.


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## GracielaGata (Jan 14, 2012)

DuckDodgers said:


> For the most part it's just practice and having a good seat. My guess is that you're completely right and that you're sitting on her incorrectly while bareback. I'm a very competent rider with a saddle, but there have been a couple of times in the past when my horse got ticked off and bucked me off when I tried to canter bareback. Quite frankly, I don't blame him. I wouldn't want me on my back with my body flying all over the place! If you're not good at it then your normal cues are different, you're probably doing some sliding around, and definitely bouncing more than usual.


Yeah, that is pretty much what I figured it was! I know part of it is that I have only ever attempted it within our own fences, and my mare HATES to be ridden in our property, lol. With my normal use a saddle rides, I usually just ride her for 10 minutes max out in our front area, and then off we go. 
Bareback just isn't comfortable to me, and I am sure I tend to hold too hard with my legs, and don't cue her well at all, you are right.  So I know that is our/my weak point and we don't do it more than 2-3 times per year for 10 minutes at a time when I am feeling bored and don't wanna put a saddle on before I play around. lol


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

a horse can feel whats going on with its rider extremely clearly bareback, so if you are not a reasonably relaxed and confident rider without the saddle, most horses will get annoyed pretty quick.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Also keep in mind that your legs are likely hanging anywhere from 2-6 inches in front of where she's used to getting her cues. Bareback, you tend to sit in that little hollow directly behind the withers, which puts your entire body farther forward than you normally sit while in a saddle.

As for neither of you liking it much, that's understandable. Some horses are more sensitive than others and some horses just aren't built to be comfortable for the rider without a saddle. I'm quite sure if I ever tried to ride my Dad's horse bareback, we'd have a major problem on both fronts LOL. 

One thing that might help both of you is to get a bareback pad. That will give you a bit more stick-um than just her naked hair and will provide both of you a bit of cushion. Protect you a bit from her spine and withers and protect her from your seat bones.


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## Talon (Oct 22, 2014)

I am riding with a bridle and reins just no saddle.
I dont want to use the reins to balance myself because Sally has a very soft mouth and I dont want to pull on it by mistake. I try and stay out of a horses mouth as often as possible.

I am not falling off though I'm sure if she decided to take off into a run I'd slide off onto my butt. I was just having problems because I'm used to a horse having a mane and I'd go to grab it and when I got on her I went to do the same and it wasn't there.
I do want to work on my balance and such and wont rely on a neck rope if I get one. I want to try and do this without a crutch. But it'll be nice to have as a failsafe if I feel myself slip a bit.

Thanks for all these great suggestions on how to work on balance btw!


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## Roman (Jun 13, 2014)

smrobs said:


> ETA: I ride my horses bareback all the time and I very rarely grab mane unless we are going up or down a steep hill where my seat isn't enough to keep me on without having a death grip with my legs.


I'll do that too but sometimes I try to work on my balance and not hang on, just lean forward a tad bit. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

Talon said:


> I am riding with a bridle and reins just no saddle.
> I dont want to use the reins to balance myself because Sally has a very soft mouth and I dont want to pull on it by mistake. I try and stay out of a horses mouth as often as possible.
> 
> I am not falling off though I'm sure if she decided to take off into a run I'd slide off onto my butt. I was just having problems because I'm used to a horse having a mane and I'd go to grab it and when I got on her I went to do the same and it wasn't there.
> ...


Then I think you'll be just fine with a rope. Don't use it if you don't need it, but it'll be there if you do.


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