Bareback schooling...

[Troyseph]

While I'm waiting for my new saddle to be adjusted I'm schooling my boy bareback again, talk about ouch to inner thighs

Anyway, bareback work I'm pretty good at, I can canter and jump all day long and not shift. However my trot is awful at times unless I hold him in a reeeeeaaaallyy slow trot, if he goes a bit faster it's hideously bumpy and I feel like I'm going south!

Any suggestions to help me? He is a bouncy horse, I was considering a necks trap or wha have you, but most of the time I need both hands on contact as he's rather strong at times.

Thank you.

 

[JFTDWS]

practice, endless practice

or buy a horse with a really smooth trot

 

[The mad TB]

I miss out trot, it really made me work on my walk/canter transitions however I was always told to make the trot comfortable for you so it will test
your horses collection!

I find a leadrope around their necks are soft enough to grab and not hurt them and are usually long enough that ypu can wrap your hands round it and the reins?

 

[Troyseph]

Thanks for the quick replies!

JFTD he is stupidly bouncy, so I think I will have to keep practising and practising and keep him extremely collected, cos I do love him a bit too much to swap for a less bouncy version

The mad tb, that's what I was doing the other day, we were walk to canter lovely haha! Doesn't help when you're schooling in an uneven field either I guess

 

[JFTDWS]

my cob's a bouncy devil so we normally did walk to canters. Endless bareback trotting on him as a teenager though means other horses now feel easy! So it's worth it when you get it

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Perfect Walk to Canter/Canter to Walk, no need to trot at all then

 

[Crazydancer]

You are all much better riders than me then! Rode my old lad bareback today, first time in years. It took me 15 mins to get on.... .... well he is 14.2hh... and we don't have a mounting block at the mo. I felt unstable enough at walk, don't think we'll be trying canter anytime soon. We did one little trot (he does have a smooth trot) but bottled it after a few strides. I didn't have a neck strap though so will be trying again and will find one to grab.

 

[zaminda]

I used to have lessons bareback, and the more practise you get the better. We also did a legs away technique to make you sit properly, then put legs back down. Enjoy the practise, and trying to get the horse hair off!!

 

[tallyho!]

If you can do sitting trot well in a saddle, then you can sit to a bareback trot.

To me, it feels like a twisting motion and the more you relax the better it gets. The reflex is to grip up with knees and tense your back thigh muscles and buttocks. That is what will push you off the horse.

M had a big bouncy trot. You have to make it less bouncy that is all. Practise in a saddle first if you feel you must master trot and get a nice easy rhythm in sitting trot.

 

[amandaco2]

also depends on the horses back- apart from the big chap and baby, the other 2 are pretty fat and lovely to sit on bareback. K has no withers- conf not just because shes on the porky side!

 

[SuperCoblet]

This is where I love coblets fly rug! His coat is STILL malting and he's really soft so I just grab his bridle when he's out with his fly rug on and just vault on. It's the best thing for grip if he has no rug on I stick to walk/canter and jump, maybe half a length of trot every now and then! He has helped me though, riding our 'normal' 15hh mare is a doddle to ride bareback now because coblet is so bouncy!

 

[[69117]]

The more you do it, the better you'll get. I first started riding my big old boy bareback when I got him about seven years ago. I had had a break from riding after my accident, and the pony I had for most of my pre-proper-horse-career was an absolute ******* and bucked like a thing posessed if you rode him bareback, so I never bothered with him. I chose life instead!

When I first started riding Roy bareback I found it almost impossible to get on, and wouldn't have even dreamed of going any faster than a walk. He's 17.2hh, with horribly high withers, and a ridiculously bouncy showjumper trot.

I now happily vault on from the ground (not elegantly mind you, it's definitely not pretty, but I can get myself up there with one jump and some slithering) and gallop him up from the bottom field bareback. I regularly jump him bareback, and was even brave enough to tackle a five barred gate on him once (never again without a saddle...landing from that height on those withers made my fandango VERY fragile for a few days!).

I now ride all my horses, and my clients horses bareback, and tend to ride one and lead two up to the top fields as I'm too lazy to walk. It's been so good for my riding, and I really notice a difference if I haven't done it for a while. Good luck!

 

[Crazydancer]

.
I now happily vault on from the ground (not elegantly mind you, it's definitely not pretty, but I can get myself up there with one jump and some slithering)

WOW! Impressed. You would have howled at me trying to get on my 14.2 then, tried climbing the arena fence, a jump stand, gate..... In my defence I am a crusty rusty near 50 yr old.

 

[[69117]]

WOW! Impressed. You would have howled at me trying to get on my 14.2 then, tried climbing the arena fence, a jump stand, gate..... In my defence I am a crusty rusty near 50 yr old.

It has taken a LOT of practice! I'm very lucky that he stands still for me. When I first decided to teach myself I mostly just spent half an hour bouncing off his side and squishing my boobs while he stood there looking bewildered!

 

[JFTDWS]

WOW! Impressed. You would have howled at me trying to get on my 14.2 then, tried climbing the arena fence, a jump stand, gate..... In my defence I am a crusty rusty near 50 yr old.

I'm 25 and I can't get onto my 14,2 from the ground bareback either I also had to get thrown onto a tacked up 17hh by a burly man yesterday. I'm not little either - I'm 5'8 *much embarassment*

once I'm up I can do most stuff but I certainly wouldn't attempt a 5 bar gate though that is hard core

this is my limit

 

[[69117]]

I'm 25 and I can't get onto my 14,2 from the ground bareback either I also had to get thrown onto a tacked up 17hh by a burly man yesterday. I'm not little either - I'm 5'8 *much embarassment*

once I'm up I can do most stuff but I certainly wouldn't attempt a 5 bar gate though that is hard core

this is my limit

The five barred gate incident is never to be repeated minus a saddle! Gawd only knows how I stayed on and didn't do a massive death. I still wince when I remember landing foof first on my boy's horribly high and sharp withers.

 

[JFTDWS]

would be an awesome way to die though... If I'm ever diagnosed with a terminal illness and wish to shuffle off my mortal coil, I think I may do so using "death by bareback five bar gate"