# Best Breed For Bareback?



## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

The ones you don't fall off of 

In all seriousness, I find the rounder the back, the easier on the rear they are.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Generally, you'd want a horse with a wide, flat back, minimal wither, and smooth gaits. There are some breeds that tend to have that more than others, but you can't say for certain. Some QHs would fit, but some have big withers or rough gaits. Morgans would usually fit. TWHs would also fit, but some can have big withers. I know warmbloods who fit the bill. Generally TBs wont, but I also know a TB who would.

Look for the horse, not the breed.


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## RMH (Jul 26, 2016)

It's more the individual horse than the breed. I've got a big wide round TWH x angus mare that is great for bareback riding. She'll not canter or jump unless forced to do so. A bolt, buck, or spook is just too much work for her. We did try a TWH gelding for a while that could not be ridden bareback as he had a protruding spine even though he was not underweight. You want wide and round and under control.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

My best friend LOVES riding my gelding bareback. He's a paint/Percheron cross. She said it feels like riding a big, wide, comfy couch.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

As someone who has ridden bareback my entire life, breed doesn't matter, good balance is what matters.


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## 247001 (Feb 16, 2017)

My question was about which breed is most comfortable for bareback... not which breed your not going to fall off of bareback. I dont know whose question you just tried to answer... but it wasnt mine lol

let me break it down for you...
comfortable as in - I dont want to feel like im sitting on a giant clothes hanger, what are some breeds that feel like your sitting on a giant bean bag. I get all horses are different, But just in general.


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

In the days before saddles, the shape of a horse's back was a serious conformation consideration. Xenophon instructed his followers to look for a horse that was "double-backed", by which I assume he meant the muscle on each side of the spine rose above the bone. My quarter horse is that way and very comfortable to ride bareback, in spite of high withers.


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## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

Not breed but conformation.

And knowing how to ride and being balanced helps a whole bunch. So @walkinthewalk knows of what she speaks.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Mod note:

a few posts in their entirety, and some partial posts were removed , as they were neither friendly nor helpful.
I think the OP has clarified what she meant, in terms of asking about the best , most comfortable back for bareback riding, regardless of the skill of the rider.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

redandmonty said:


> What are the most comfortable breeds for riding bareback?



sometimes the ones that look comfortable are ok, but , for example, a horse that is so fat and flat that you end up literally sitting on what feels like a picnic table, makes your legs splay out far, and then dangle off the 'edge' of the table. makes for inability to get a leg on or 'around' the horse if horse turns sharply.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

body structures vary in every breed and mixed breed --- there is no one particular breed -- unless the Draft breeds are in the mix --- then by all means consider a Draft breed.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I've generally found haflingers and Gypsy Vanner's to be supercomfy, at least the ones I rode bareback. But the other posts here are right, it depends on the horse, not the breed!


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## 247001 (Feb 16, 2017)

body structures vary in every breed and mixed breed --- there is no one particular breed -- unless the Draft breeds are in the mix --- then by all means consider a Draft breed.



Yes, builds differ depending on the horse. The question was generalizing the breeds. Which ones tend to have that build, etc.


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## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

I am old and stiff. My Arab, though he has a nice back and well sprung ribs and my legs wrap around his barrel nicely, I would not ride bareback. He is as quick as a cat and athletic. I know I would end up falling off somewhere. My Dales, nice wide back, but mutton withered, not as quick in his movements as a snail, let alone a cat, and not athletic. I do ride him bareback.

Not breed, but the horse.

Oh, and there are no perfect riders.....especially the older you get.....lolol. Once I realized I would never be the 'perfect rider', I became a better rider.


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## 247001 (Feb 16, 2017)

sarahfromsc said:


> Oh, and there are no perfect riders.....especially the older you get.....lolol. Once I realized I would never be the 'perfect rider', I became a better rider.


lol very well said


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## 247001 (Feb 16, 2017)

walkinthewalk said:


> ---- anyone with a lot of horse experience knows full well there are varying builds in all of the smaller breeds, which goes right back to considering a Draft or a Warmblood:mrgreen::mrgreen:


Yes, builds differ depending on the horse. The question was generalizing the breeds. Which ones tend to have that build, etc. I was just trying to start a conversation. I was in school, I was bored, so I started a thread.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Like stated above, it really depends on the individual horse/confo etc. I have ridden bareback on a draft horse before, it was so comfy. I've also ridden bareback on some QH's- some were not as comfy as others. Really just depends.


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## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

redandmonty said:


> What are the most comfortable breeds for riding bareback?


Easy. A Fattlybred horse.


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## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

For me, the most comfortable breed for bareback has to be the highland pony. They’re built like sofas, usually take life at a leisurely pace and are not too tall.


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## horseylover1_1 (Feb 13, 2008)

I had a Rocky Mountain horse that was smooth and so nice to ride bareback because she didn't have a bumpy trot, instead, a nice gait. I'd say as far as comfort it's hard to go wrong with most gaited breeds. Personally my least favorite gait to ride bareback is the trot.


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

I've ridden bareback a lot, especially as a kid. I don't think the breed matters as much as the conformation, as others have pointed out. Last winter we leased 2 quarter horses and the one was exceptionally comfy to ride bareback as he was a bit rounder/stockier and had lower withers. He was also shorter making it easier to get on. The other one was taller and narrower, and not as comfortable.

I haven't even attempted bareback on my current horse, a tall TB with high withers. I can tell by looking at him that it probably wouldn't be comfy for either of us. Plus, he's over 16HH and I don't feel like sliding off from that height.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Height is always an issue to consider in a fall and falls can become an issue when riding bareback. Conformation and gait not the breed. Well muscled with a light layer of padding. I feel most secure when there are withers as there is a dip that I slide nicely into and feel more secure than the mutton withered horses I've ridden. My favorite is one of my Paints but she has a smooth gait and easy personality. Never gets in a hurry unless I ask. My second favorite is my draft mare but now that we are both older I don't ride her bareback. One the height for a fall and two she has lost some muscling now that she is only being ridden and not worked and then not ridden as often as she should be to keep her fit.


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

QtrBel said:


> Height is always an issue to consider in a fall and falls can become an issue when riding bareback.


Height is also an issue for getting on. Maybe you have a mounting block at home, but out on the trail you might need to get creative. I can just barely get on my big guy on the flat if I get a run at him, but I don't expect that to be possible too much longer.


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## Lylly (Aug 11, 2014)

Ever thought of using just a riding pad ? No stirrups


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

I bought just such a bareback pad, and found the extra inch-and-a-half or two inches in height was just enough to make it impossible for me to make my running ape leap onto my horse's back. So I never use it.


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