problems caused by bareback?

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Megibo

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just want to know if there are any?

as it's now turning out my mares saddle probably wont fit anymore. she cant take a bigger one nor can i afford one and it pushes too low cause my bums too big for it so sits on the back. currently i'm losing weight but until i lose 3 stone i'm thinking of just going bareback and leaving it at that. she has got really good back muscle, plenty of coverage there.

will long term bareback riding do any damage to her back ? waste the muscle? etc etc i'd be using a bareback pad, nice and thick but wanted to know if this will cause any issues.
do have a bareback lady coming out soon so will she know ?
 
I rode bare back this evening as it happens, I'm waiting for my saddle to arrive.

Getting on was interesting, decided to jump on outside my stable rather than using the mounting block in the school, so used a bucket....hmmm not as agile as I was in my youth lol, he'd already got across the yard with me half on half off...I'm too old and he's too big lol

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^^wtf ped!!? :)

I love riding bareback, gives you a lovely "long" feeling I think. I can't see it having long term issues on the horse unless as someone said you are bouncing heavilly on their back! :) enjoy!
 
i've been riding my recently backed pony bareback as he is so round saddles just don't fit him and also i'm too big for the pony saddles IF there was one out there suitable. i've got a treeless for him but i don't feel safe in it (again it's a small one) so i've resorted to riding bareback.
i love it and have more fun without a saddle. i don't ride him for long or far though as he is a tiddler and i'm quite big! :D

i used to ride my 17.2hh bareback as well and i loved the way you could feel the horse really pushing forward through their whole body.
 
I wouldn't like to ride bareback on a regular basis, surely as said by sovndom, your seat bones will have some form of pressure.

Mind you it was good enough for the Indians but then I don't suppose they really much thought about the horses backs.
 
debating about what to do then....i dont trust the saddle pushing low at the back whilst i'm still 12 stone will try it again when i'm 9 stone.
what shall i do-bareback pad, just bareback or ride with a prolite at the back as recommended by saddler, however i dont want that to then create pressure on her withers and pinch etc.
its very frustrating but i'm stuck til i can afford a treeless saddle or i may invest in getting a Suber pad, heard good things about them :confused:
 
i rode bareback when i had no saddle (still have no saddle!!)

i only stopped when idecided to give my mare a holiday instead of carrying on riding :)

Shes back in work from the weekend and at a competition and im hoping for an attitude adjustment from her lol :)
 
Just a wee tip, sounds ridiculous but do not apply show sheen just before attempting bareback, I totally forgot and leapt on and went out the other side
 
This is my only relevant experience.

I had a pony and an lightweight adult who was schooling her. As the adult was relatively large for the pony the saddle fitter advised against a treeless saddle. She said that the weight wasn't dispersed by the saddle so would have a bigger impact on less of the horses back.

It seems to me that the same this would happen if bareback. All I can suggest if that if you do ride bareback you are extremely careful how you carry yourself so as to not stress the horses back any more than necessary.
 
I rode Phil bareback between May and September last year due to no saddle. He had his back checked before he went on loan in October and AFAIK he wasn't sore. I was 12 1/2 stone at the time too although despite being bigger even then had a bit of a bony bum :rolleyes:
 
I ride mine bareback a lot, my old lad probably at least as much as I do under saddle, have done for years without problems. Anecdotal of course! I do think it depends on how you ride and what you do. My lad has a choppy, bouncy trot, so I don't trot him much bb. My little lad has a very smooth trot, so I trot him more bareback... Riding quietly and well balanced bareback is certainly better than riding with a poorly fitting saddle. Actually I was doing interval training with the old lad on the gallops last night bareback. He was having a great deal of fun :D I wouldn't leap on first time bareback and try to do a normal schooling session, but a bit of quiet work until you're both used to it, building up... If you're worried about it, get a few lessons with a good instructor who would be able to assess how you are riding bareback (some people compensate for the lack of a saddle by adopting a less than ideal position etc) and to reassure you that your horse doesn't seem to be affected by it (or alert you if they think there is a problem!). I've never heard of people having bareback lessons, but I'm sure someone would be willing to give them :p
 
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