# Bareback riding tips?



## SallyBaby (Nov 30, 2008)

Well, I would absolutley love to ride barback on Sally. However, I get nervouse and she knows it and freaks out a little. I was wondering if anyone had some tips, on seat and stuff. I doesnt help that I'm only just over 5 feet and Sally's 16.1hh.


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## missy06 (Apr 5, 2008)

Can you have someone lunge Sally at a walk the first few times until you feel comfortable? This was you can focus on Sally's gaits, relaxing to move with her gaits, etc. I'd also suggest not just letting your legs hang down low-try and keep them in a position like you would if your feet were in stirrups. This will strengthen your leg muscles and enable you to give leg aids like you would under saddle. Just remember to breathe normally and keep your muscles relaxed-you're right in that Sally can tell if you're nervous, because you're probably tensing up. Enjoy-I love bareback riding!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

missy is right, just take your time. If you don't have someone to lunge her, you might try riding in a very small arena or a roundpen. Start at a walk and focus on staying relaxed. I love riding bareback. It will help you to improve your balance and leg strength. Just take your time.


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## mlkarel2010 (Jan 27, 2008)

What helped me a lot was buying a bareback pad. Mine I got was horribly cheap and came w/ that fake cinch system... so I bought too tie-straps and use a regular cinch and tie cinch knots to keep it on. I throw it over a saddle pad for extra cushion and comfort for both of us. That way it's harder to slip around and I have my "O crap" handle in case I need it. It was just a big confidence boost. 

I also recommend warming up thoroughly. I always say you have to fake it to make it. What I mean is when you are nervous or scared, take a few deep breathes and make it seem like you aren't. It really helps a lot.


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

*Try to relax your seat and just have fun with it! Also, I will never ride a horse bareback until I can trust my life on it.*


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## lizzie_magic (Sep 18, 2008)

Just relax and have fun, don't hold on tight with your legs, it makes you fall off, just loosly wrap your legs around the horse.


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## Jubilee Rose (May 28, 2008)

Everyone had good advice, so I won't repeat what was said. I will add though that riding bareback in the snow is the best. It boosts your confidence because you feel you aren't such a long way from the ground, and if you fall off, you land in fluffy snow. Last winter I fell off twice from cantering bareback and it didn't hurt a bit. Not to say that you should try falling on off on purpose, but wear your helmet, take your time and you'll be fine.

Happy riding!


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## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

Just stay relaxed and you could focus on keeping deep, meditative breathing or you could sing a relaxing tune in your head so that you stay relaxed... possibly take an Ipod and listen to a soothing song over and over...


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## SallyBaby (Nov 30, 2008)

mlkarel2010 said:


> What helped me a lot was buying a bareback pad. Mine I got was horribly cheap and came w/ that fake cinch system... so I bought too tie-straps and use a regular cinch and tie cinch knots to keep it on. I throw it over a saddle pad for extra cushion and comfort for both of us. That way it's harder to slip around and I have my "O crap" handle in case I need it. It was just a big confidence boost.
> 
> I also recommend warming up thoroughly. I always say you have to fake it to make it. What I mean is when you are nervous or scared, take a few deep breathes and make it seem like you aren't. It really helps a lot.


I think I might do that. Thanks.


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## SallyBaby (Nov 30, 2008)

Thank you so much for the tips. I will try working with more bareback riding or no stirrups. The tips are great.


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## xilikeggs0 (Sep 14, 2008)

mlkarel2010 said:


> What helped me a lot was buying a bareback pad. Mine I got was horribly cheap and came w/ that fake cinch system... so I bought too tie-straps and use a regular cinch and tie cinch knots to keep it on. I throw it over a saddle pad for extra cushion and comfort for both of us. That way it's harder to slip around and I have my "O crap" handle in case I need it. It was just a big confidence boost.
> 
> I also recommend warming up thoroughly. I always say you have to fake it to make it. What I mean is when you are nervous or scared, take a few deep breathes and make it seem like you aren't. It really helps a lot.


 Just a note - it's not safe to use stirrups with a bareback pad, so make sure if you get one it doesn't have them.

Not to be rude, but doesn't using a bareback pad sort of defeat the whole purpose of riding bareback? The only reason I could see using one would be if your horse is really bony and uncomfortable to ride bareback.


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## xilikeggs0 (Sep 14, 2008)

My tips: Always, always, always wear a helmet, and use a bridle. 

I tried to ride a horse that I've ridden tons of times yesterday. He was in his pasture (where I always ride him), but yesterday the other horse that he shares it with was in it for the first time when I tried to ride him. I got a leg up from my boyfriend, and the horse immediately walked over to the other horse, who pinned his ears at him. I smacked the other horse's butt to try to get him to go away, so he would kick at the horse that I was on. He ran away bucking, and my horse did the same. He ran into a corner, then slid to a stop. I ended up on his neck, and as soon as I got myself back on his back, he took off again, bucking the whole time. I held on pretty good, but I was scared to death. Then I screamed the horse's name, and it all gets a little fuzzy from there... I thought he stopped, but my boyfriend said that he made a really sharp right turn. Either way, I ended up on the ground. I hit my head, but luckily not very hard. I walked away with nothing but a scraped wrist and a headache.


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## mlkarel2010 (Jan 27, 2008)

It doesn't defeat the purpose of bareback riding. You still don't have your stirrups to depend on or the structure of the tree. Really all it does is add padding and a little bit of friction and extra security. 

I just like using a bareback pad since I'm still not quite used to it yet. It's just a security blanket for me I guess. I like knowing I have something to hold onto and it's easier to grip with my legs. Riding Duke w/ out it is like straddling a greasy pregnant cow. 

That's just my opinion. If you believe it defeats the purpose that's ok. I won't force you to ride with one.


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## Midwest Paint (Oct 21, 2008)

Riding bareback is pretty awesome.. I like riding this style often. It helps me play around with my natural balance. I also like attempting a variety of tasks bareback as it not only helps me improve my riding style but aids in teaching the horse leg pressure cues!

One tip that no one ever really mentioned to me when I first started riding bareback many years ago, is to sit just behind the front shoulders where you have a few inches between you and the withers, and drape you legs across the barrel just as it rounds into the belly. I am sure you may have already got that one under hand.. LOL! But I wanted to throw it in there.


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## brookelovesparelli (Jan 21, 2009)

Hi well i thought i should add i love bare back riding to, some tips i have picked up is well, I usually feel like the horse/pony go faster when not in saddle that in so i use phases to ask them to go just to make sure not to become to nervy, because they can sense that, & if you are nervy because of doing/trying something new then they will become to, purely because they are to trying something not done day in day out.....
PHASES:

1. smile with all four cheeks  & think forwards (but not to fast)
2. press inwards with thighs
3. press inwards with calves
4. all of the above

also try and ride in a fenced off place arena, round yard, yard, paddock, etc, etc. this builds up confidence extremely well! 

be sure to sit on your buttocks cheeks not as forwards as you would in a saddle.

if you are still nervous try all of the above with a saddle *fully fitted* do that for 30min in a enclosed space riding circles, diagonals, transitions etc, etc. Then take away you stirrups & ride the same circles, etc, etc. until you are comfy with that, do that for a week or so then just do the no stirrups for 30min (roundabout) then take away all saddle equipment.  good luck happy riding & remember slow & steady wins the race


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

Another good tip is to ride with a neck strap. None of my horses have mane, so we get an old stirrup leather and buckle it around their neck, in case they spook or something it's there to grab onto, or for that awful after-canter trot! Really its all about practise and getting comfortable.


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## SallyBaby (Nov 30, 2008)

Thankyou for the tips everyone!
Xilikeggs0- I Always ride with a healmet!


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## SuspiciousInnocence (Jan 17, 2009)

I agree with what all the others have sed. Also, when you do ride bareback, remember to always go with the horse. At a camp I had to go to with my riding school there were lots of falls (with saddles) so we had a little safety lecture/demo bareback.. How to go with your horse etc. Funnily enough half way through the little lesson a tree branch broke and all the ponies spooked. The riders might have stayed on with a saddle but once their pony spooked and they were bareback, I saw sooo many of them trying to go against the movement of the animal. They leaned forward to slow and stop their ponies. It was terrible!!! Of all the 13 girls, I was the only one who went with my pony and was 100% stable.


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## Baby Doll Amy (Oct 28, 2008)

riding bareback would have to be my fav. kind of riding, i ride in a bridle because sam doesn't have much of a mane, i do alot of jumping bareback as that taught me to hang on better with my legs, i also do alot of stuff where we ride in ditches and walking up the steep edges of them, i also do the odd gallop bareback. the biggest horse i have rode bareback was bomber a 17.3 hh thoroughbred only thing worring me was how high i was up.


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

Never never never ride without a bridle, and I say that this goes for anyone. I knew a woman who had been riding for several years (she was working on advanced things like Spanish Walk and tempis with her horse, just to indicate some of how advanced she was). Her horse was known as the calmest and most trustworthy in the barn. He would stand wherever she left him, whether in front of the tack room, at the arena gate while she went to get something... all that jazz.

So next comes the scary part. She went trail riding on him without anything but a halter (no helmet no nothing). It was fairly late in the evening and as they were coming back, he bolted. She was essentially "scraped" off of him when he ran her leg against a tree. Her leg was broken, he went on without her, it was getting dark, and when people saw him loose on the lawn without any tack they assumed that she had simply let him graze as she often did. Luckily, people eventually noticed that her car was still there, her horse had been out for a while, and there had been no sign of her. They found her. She ended up staying in the hospital for a month or so. I leased her horse while she recovered... a full five months I'd guess, maybe more. While I leased him, I often rode bareback. He was an angel, and I always had the bridle on him, my helmet on my head, and the reins in my hands even if I never really used them. (He was a 17.3 hh giant too. ;D I had to jump and heave myself onto him _from_ the mounting block.)

That's my scary story to convince all yous never to consider riding bridleless and saddleless unaccompanied on the trails... and not other places where you'd be screwed if you fell and broke a leg. Sure, it's a romantic idea to be able to ride without anything, but I wouldn't suggest doing it anywhere other than an arena or a fairly clear, level pasture... and only if you _can_ do it.


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## missy06 (Apr 5, 2008)

I'm going to add a question of my own to this thread instead of starting a new one.  Since it's been freezing cold lately and I also want to work on my balance/seat, I've been riding Blaze a lot bareback. At the walk, we're superb. I feel like I'm moving with his motion well, he's relaxed and listens to my leg and seat aids. The trot? Disaster. This comes from the fact that I generally don't have a relaxed enough seat to sit a trot bareback (and I'm really just starting to try and do it often) and the fact that he gets rushy at the trot, even under saddle. He's also being ridden maybe 2-3 times a week, so he's eager to move out. Fast trot+unsecured bareback rider=BOUNCING. 

What I'm worried about is hurting his back by bouncing around all over it. What can I do to work on keeping him slow? Working in the large arena yesterday wasn't great. Would it help if we were riding in a smaller pen and just doing circles? On the straight away he wants to gogogogo. I would normally use my seat and legs first to ask him to slow down, but because I'm not comfortable sitting the bareback trot, I find myself trying to slow him down with the reins as I grip with my legs not to bounce right off. Help! I don't really have anyone who could come out and lunge him for me while I ride, so that's out. Should I be working on getting him slow at the trot under saddle first before I start trying to learn to sit the trot bareback? Advice and suggestions welcome.


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

It wasn't clear to me whether you're more of an English or Western rider, but I'll tell you what I know from an English standpoint... and a lot of this applies to both disciplines anyhow.

First of all, I doubt that you are actually hurting him by bouncing around. It is more likely that you are simply annoying him and causing him to tense up. When you feel unsecure, you are most likely also tense, and when both of you are tense, it makes the whole experience choppy, unbalanced, and generally unhappy. When you do grip with your legs, try to keep your upper leg as relaxed as possible, otherwise you're more likely to ping off like a clothespin on something round. By using your lower leg as more support and keeping your upper leg relaxed, you are conforming to the round shape of his barrel much better. Even then, your leg and the reins shouldn't be the only things holding you on.

If you are an English rider, keep your elbows at your sides at all costs. Rather than to use any steady pressure on the reins, grip and release periodically... half-halts essentially. My instructor helped me figure out how to sit the trot better in the following manner; she noticed that when I changed diagonals at the trot (sitting for two bounces and continuing) I did it very casually, smoothly, and without tension. On this note, she told me to practice changing diagonals several times in a row, going from sitting to posting and back again. Eventually my "changes of diagonal" were no longer sitting for two beats but several more, always keeping in mind trying to maintain the same position and relaxation that I had when I really was only changing diagonal. This exercise is one that probably is better to start off with under the saddle. I hope I made sense while trying to explain it.

You may also consider using a bareback pad if you don't have one already. It offers a bit more security, but is still much different from riding in the saddle. I think of it as adding a stepping stone that will help transition from saddle to no saddle a little less abruptly.


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## missy06 (Apr 5, 2008)

Eolith said:


> It wasn't clear to me whether you're more of an English or Western rider, but I'll tell you what I know from an English standpoint... and a lot of this applies to both disciplines anyhow.
> 
> First of all, I doubt that you are actually hurting him by bouncing around. It is more likely that you are simply annoying him and causing him to tense up. When you feel unsecure, you are most likely also tense, and when both of you are tense, it makes the whole experience choppy, unbalanced, and generally unhappy. When you do grip with your legs, try to keep your upper leg as relaxed as possible, otherwise you're more likely to ping off like a clothespin on something round. By using your lower leg as more support and keeping your upper leg relaxed, you are conforming to the round shape of his barrel much better. Even then, your leg and the reins shouldn't be the only things holding you on.
> 
> ...


This is great advice-thanks so much. I am an English rider, and I try and stay conscious of keeping my legs in a position that they'd be in while in stirrups while I'm riding bareback. I'll try and focus more on support from my lower legs rather than my uppers (the clothespin analogy was spot on-that's what I feel like). 

I feel the same way about my changing diagonals; I'll try and work on maintaining that softness while under saddle. I've never ridden bareback with a pad before, but I can look into getting one.


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## SallyBaby (Nov 30, 2008)

Thanks so much for the tips! I am wrking on my leg position to help in bareback. I trotted and walked with no stirrups (YAY) and cantered be accident. I noticed that it really wasnt the gate that makes me nervouse and unbalanced, it the transition. So we will be working on smooth transitions


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## charliBum (Jan 7, 2009)

I love riding bareback! Mt BIGGEST TIP would be not to grip with your knee or thighs, only thing that should be keeping you on should be balance and sometimes your calves, you should never be gripping hard out with your thighs or knees, that is very bad. also make sure you have good enough hands to ride bareback, and are not holding on to the reins to stay on, and with enough of practise you should be jumping and galloping around


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

You're height won't make it more difficult for you to ride bareback  Your position should not change from when you are riding with tack. Your aids should not change either. In order for you to ride bareback and stay on :lol: you really need to focus on keeping you pelvis and lower back relaxed in order for you to follow you're horse's motion. There is no other way to build a better seat than to ride bareback actually.
Make sure you keep your lower leg on, but very relaxed. You should never use your lower or upper leg to stay on. But as I just posted, there isn't much advice to be given really. Keep your position the same, relax your pelvis and lower back, keep your elbows relaxed, chin up and look where you're going. The more you do it, the easier it becomes and the better your seat WITH tack will become and it's actually a lot of fun.

...and if you fall off, laugh at yourself and get right back on because it will happen


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