As a beginner rider the thought of riding bareback might seem a little intimidating! You’re probably picturing yourself just sliding right off of your horse’s back! Well, don’t worry, the key to learning or re-learning how to ride bareback is to take it slow! There are many benefits to riding bareback which we’ll cover in this article, and it’s loads of fun!
Riding Bareback Can Improve Your Balance
First and foremost, riding bareback will quickly help you learn to balance on your horse. Without tack to help you stay centered on your horse you’ll have to find your balance independently. Additionally, without tack to interfere you’ll have an easier time feeling your horse’s motion.
With the ability to feel the horse’s foot falls more clearly you will be able to ride in rhythm and stay in the center of the horse. It will still take a lot of practice but even riding bareback at the walk only will help improve your balance.
Riding without tack may make you feel insecure at first. You may feel like you are sliding around on your horse’s back. Tack can sometimes become a crutch for novice riders and eliminating the saddle will help you identify the skills you need to improve.
Overtime your core strength and body control will improve along with our balance.
You’ll Create Better Communication With Your Horse
The lack of tack and equipment on your horse will give you the ability to tune in with your horse more closely. For example, you’ll be able to feel if there is any tension in your horse’s back sooner than you would with a saddle on. Being able to feel your horse’s reactions without tack in the way will help you improve your aids.
Knowing which aids your horse is more or less sensitive to will help you ride more accurately and mindfully. You will likely find you’ll be able to ride softer and more effectively. If you want to achieve that effortless look the pros have, riding bareback is one way to help you get there.
Develop Better Timing As A Rider
With improved feel, balance and communication with your horse you will be able to fine tune your timing. Timing is one of the most important skills to develop in order to take your riding to the next level. For example, if you are learning to half halt you will not only need to learn how to half halt but when to half halt. A half halt is no good if your timing is wrong. Knowing when to ask your horse to change their tempo, bend, balance or frame is crucial.
As your skills improve your timing will improve. In order to develop more precise timing and finesse as a rider you’ll need to ride with independent aids. Balance and reading your horse’s body language and developing feel by riding bareback will in turn improve your timing and precision.
Advance Your Riding More Quickly
One of the most effective ways to improve your riding is to ride bareback! As I mentioned above, sometimes your saddle can get in the way of being able to feel what the horse is doing. Your timing, rhythm, accuracy of your cues, effectiveness, communication with your horse and balance will all improve more quickly if you ride bareback.
Challenging yourself to ride outside of your comfort zone, within reason is a great way to develop your core riding skills more quickly. If you are a beginner rider with dreams of competing or being able to perform more advanced maneuvers with your horse, riding bareback can help you fast track your skills and goals.
Riding Bareback Is Fun & Sometimes Convenient!
For anyone re-learning to ride as an adult or who rode a lot as a kid, you’ll already know, riding bareback is a lot of fun! Once you get comfortable, it is one of the most fun ways to ride! That’s why it’s one of my favorite summer camp activities for kids!
Secondly, riding bareback is convenient! How so? Well, on cold days when you’re too cold to tack up but still want to ride you can easily hop on your horse bareback! You’ll stay warmer by riding bareback and your fingers won’t turn into icicles while you tack up!
Riding bareback is great in the summer heat too! Why? Well, maybe it’s extremely hot and you want to go for a quick and easy ride without letting your horse get too hot. Just hop on bareback!
Basically, if you want to have fun, are too cold, too hot or too lazy to tack up, you can still ride!
Is Riding Bareback Bad For My Horse?
The short answer is, no! Bareback riding is not necessarily bad for your horse! Over the years there has been much debate about this topic. Many equestrians are concerned that without a saddle to spread the weight of the rider evenly over the horse’s back riding bareback may cause painful pressure points.
While this may be true if your horse has a lameness issue or is prone to soreness in his back, you’re unbalanced as a rider or a heavy rider. If this is the case, you should consult your veterinarian and trainer and keep bareback riding short and infrequent.
However, without the tack, there is no concern of added pressure points from ill-fitting saddles and a girth that may be over tightened and squeezing the horse’s rib cage.
Start Off Slow If You’re New To Riding Bareback
So, at this point you’ve likely decided you want to try riding bareback but you’re still nervous. How do you get started without getting hurt? Well, the best way is to start slow! Don’t be tempted to try to keep up with the Jones’s. You may see kids in your barn hopping on their ponies and galloping around or even jumping bareback.
The best way to stay safe while riding bareback is to take your time. There are many factors you’ll need to consider, for example, your riding level, your horse’s ability and level of training and your horse’s sensitivity.
If your horse has never been ridden bareback before it’s important to get them acclimated before expecting them to ride the same way they do with tack on. Remember, not only will you be able to feel your horse better without a saddle, your horse will feel your movements more too!
In order to acclimate your horse, start by riding with your tack on and determine what type of mood your horse is in. If your ride goes well, then dismount and remove your saddle. Next, get a helper like your instructor or an experienced friend to hold your horse while you mount up bareback. Start by sitting down slowly and remember your horse may be more sensitive to your leg.
Have your helper start by leading your horse for a couple of laps while they get used to you sitting on them sans saddle. Once your horse is comfortable, try riding just at the walk and experiment with how they react to your aids by doing some simple steering exercises and walk to halt transitions. Don’t push it too far the first time and always end on a positive note!
Use A Neck Strap When You First Start Out
Since you won’t have a saddle to help you balance and you will want to avoid using your reins for balance, start by using a neck strap. This way, you can grab onto it if you need to without punishing your horse by grabbing at the reins.
As you start to gain confidence and balance you won’t need to hold the neck strap but at least it will be there just in case.
And, if your horse is new to riding bareback, they will most likely be more reactive and sensitive to your aids. This could be a good thing if your horse is bit dull. Or, it could lead to an over reaction that results in you falling off. So, using a neck strap will help you stay on if your horse side steps or lurches forward. A neck strap in combination with a leader on the ground will keep you safe as you experiment with riding bareback.
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