Is bareback bad for their backs?

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Alphamare

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Sometimes I don't feel like tacking up to ride and hope on my youngster bareback. He is five or six the teeth don't agree with the passport and two dentists don't agree either (one says could be six (this year when he is six in his passport) or could be five and a half and the other dentist aged him as a full year younger then his passport (4 when he should have been five). Anyway I like to bimble about bareback occasionally only in walk but my seat bones do touch either side of his spine (he is very wide!) when I am on him. It's for ten min max.

Also how to help him get his confidence back he was turned away over the winter and has lost a bit of confidence in solo stuff (also why I like to to the bimbling) I do hack him out alone still but he is much less confident and i do NOT want to ruin him. Someone suggests doing a mix of hacking in company and alone which I have started doing. He was amazing hacking alone didn't look at anything he now looks at stuff.
 
I don't think so but I've been riding since the dark ages and this never crossed my mind until I started reading forums. In fact I was always told it was more comfy for them so who knows?
 
Since you say it is mostly walk and is more 'bimbling' (i like that word) I should think it does him good really and will in turn help to build his confidence. I know what you mean about not being bothered to tack up, I am like that but too scared to do bareback at the mo!

The more muscled he is over his back the better, and that can only happen by being worked more regularly :-)
 
Alphamare said:
Sometimes I don't feel like tacking up to ride and hope on my youngster bareback. He is five or six the teeth don't agree with the passport and two dentists don't agree either (one says could be six (this year when he is six in his passport) or could be five and a half and the other dentist aged him as a full year younger then his passport (4 when he should have been five). Anyway I like to bimble about bareback occasionally only in walk but my seat bones do touch either side of his spine (he is very wide!) when I am on him. It's for ten min max.

Also how to help him get his confidence back he was turned away over the winter and has lost a bit of confidence in solo stuff (also why I like to to the bimbling) I do hack him out alone still but he is much less confident and i do NOT want to ruin him. Someone suggests doing a mix of hacking in company and alone which I have started doing. He was amazing hacking alone didn't look at anything he now looks at stuff.
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No I do not think so, none of mine seem to suffer.


How ever I think men would suffer more than us ladies. That said I have known some including my first mare, whom i suffered after getting off and she was A OK;)


Cheese wire gives you an idea.

if you do ride bare back, prob best you do not wear a thong. or you will be ..............................................................................ouchy ouchy
 
It certainly doesn't have to be bad.

If you are bouncy in trot and faster work or unbalanced that can be uncomfortable for them. In general if you aren't particularly heavy for them (in terms of their fitness as well as size) don't see that a brief gentle walk will be much worse than the same with a saddle to distribute the pressure.

Enjoy!
 
I would love to ride bareback again. Did it all the time in the olden days. But now, shared horse, is much frowned upon silly behaviour, so I can't. But if you can, go for it. Nothing like that real engagement between you and horse. Did long hacks bareback in the bad old 70s.
 
Well I'll carry on then :-) I weigh about 8% of him so no worries there. He has an absolutely enormous trot and I know my limits, I would come off. So we just walk. :-)

I do hope he gets his confidence back soon.
 
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