riding bareback - schooling - does anyone?

T

those-ears

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My youngster (cob) is having a saddle fitted (current one too tight) the saddler cannot come out to me till week monday and i have a show and dressage test on the 14th April which we need to practice for.
I am not prepared to put her saddle on her as its obviously too tight. So......i had a mini-brain wave, i was thinking of schooling her bareback a few times in the school and doing some lunge sessions on other days - she does 5 x per week hacking/schooling at the moment.
I think it will help my position too - a bit of long legs (no stirrups) never does anyone any harm!!
Never ridden her bareback other than when i first sat on her - not sure how she will react?!
Would anyone else do this if you where saddle-less?! i cant see it doing any harm?
 
I rode bareback (only schooling not hacking!!) for about a month while I waited for a saddler to come....
Well all Ill say is my balance isnt as good as I thought it was :D
I have a roly poly cob and a few times I thought I may just slide off the side...:)
But it was good and kept her doing something until saddler was able to come.
 
i have been schooling bareback a few time this past month and all i can say is it has done my lower leg position wonders :p my heels are now staying down alot more of the time and i am sitting up straighter :) i would deffinantly just go for it and if you take things slowly then i cant see why it would be a problem
 
Sure, why not?! I ride and school (and the rest) bareback a lot - especially in summer. There are plenty of folk on here who do. Laura Wheeler posted a nice video of her schooling one of hers bb (and he was going lovely) recently...
 
Other than taking it steady for the baby - maybe have someone on hand to grab head incase of freak out emergency - (unlikley!)

enjoy!

Better doing it on a nice wide cob than some skinny gobby TB! ;)
 
I rode with a bareback pad whilst waiting on a new saddle. Really good for discovering flaws in your seat!

I found it helped loads with refinement, stopping/starting with your seat etc. You and the horse can feel more. Just make sure you have your body protector on! Have fun.
 
I school my mare bareback occasionally as it gives me an even greater feel of whats going on underneath me as shes working. :D
 
Schooled today and yesterday bareback, i sit to the right apparently Haha, nearly slid off so centred myself properly and all of a sudden my left leg is effective and my dodgy left hip hurts less. May do it more often!
 
I do, I occasionally jump and hack bareback and have had dressage lessons bareback, does wonders for my seat and balance. My horse is well rounded though so I doubt I would ride bareback on a fine tb type :eek:
 
Olivia16 said:
What will a horse do if he doesn't like going bareback??
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Who knows, it depends on the horse but if they are happy to be ridden generally I can't see why they would mind being ridden bareback? I think if they are that highly strung you maybe wouldn't even try to start with ;)
 
Rode sisters maxi cob today bareback, schooled in preparation for a bareback equitation class at a local show. Would rather try it on sisters mare than on my slightly more 'nteresting' Appy ,omd you :D
 
I've done it whilst waiting for a saddle, but was a bit of a nightmare with mine! Walk is fine, if we step it up a gear then it all gets very interesting as he has a ridiculously slippy and shiny coat and likes to launch himself half way across the menage with no warning to see if i can stay there. Good for the position but not something I like doing for the hell of it haha
 
YorksG said:
Rode sisters maxi cob today bareback, schooled in preparation for a bareback equitation class at a local show. Would rather try it on sisters mare than on my slightly more 'nteresting' Appy ,omd you :D
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She's not a maxi-cob.

She's a Westphalian Draft horse (the principle's the same though);)
 
Yes all the time:D I have done for the past 6 months. It's improved my riding drastically! I have now invested in a best friend bareback pad best thing everrrrrrrrr!!
 
Back in the day, I had to do it as part of my learning for seat/balance etc. I used to gymkhana, jump and school bareback. Your horses shape can make it easier or harder, but use a neck strap and ride forward and you should be fine, have fun and develop a good seat! Wish I had the confidence to do it now I am older and on younger horses - maybe I should bite the bullet and get on with it!
 
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