Riding with a Roller & Stirrups

[vicm2509]

I would appreciate opinions on riding a horse with a Roller with Stirrups attached please.

I have not done it, my horse is way to bouncey anyway and would slit me in half if I got on bareback, but I have seen people riding like this.

Personally I think it would put way too much pressure on a small area of the horses back, and also cause you to ride very unbalanced as the stirrups would be in the wrong place (unless of course you sat on top of the roller) which would in turn unbalance the horse.

So what are your thoughts?

 

[Geraldine]

I was thinking about this the other day - is it possible??? I haven't seen anyone doing it but I sometimes ride bareback down to the field (it's a keffing long walk from the stable) and my legs ache like you would not believe when I get there! So I was idly wondering if you could ride with a roller and stirrups.

But then I thought if I'm faffing around doing a roller up and attaching stirrups I might as well stick the saddle on!!!!

 

[dianchi]

Some of the "natural" saddles look just like this!

I wouldnt do it to mine. Prefer my well fitted saddle thanks!

 

[wormhugs]

Vaulters have stirrups on their (rather specialized) roller. But they have a HUGE pad underneath

 

[*hic*]

I have a Total Contact saddle (known as "the belt") which we used to help redevelop an upside down horse's muscles to enable him to work in an outline. I hacked out lots with it and I think it made a big difference to him, certainly he muscled up and developed topline much faster than anyone had expected. Once he was fully muscled up we got a proper saddle fitted and that's what he now uses.

We always used the TC saddle with a gel pad under and I have to say he seemed to find it very comfortable and so did I. My daughter took him to a PC combined training session in it and it was treated with great scepticism but after the session the sceptics had to agree that he did seem to go well in it and she had no problem jumping 3' - pretty much their limit.

Like everything else, I think much depends on how balanced you are as a rider and also it helps if you can do rising trot with no stirrups. That, I feel, is when you would be most likely to put unacceptable pressure on the back through it.

It is now borrowed by my daughter's instructor, on occasion, for her advanced pupils to check their balance - and also whether saddles are affecting the horses' way of going.

 

[spaniel]

A standard, non specialist roller with leathers attached is going to wreck the horses back very quickly. The pressure points are just too hefty. Bareback would be much more comfortable for both horse and rider!

 

[jacks_mum]

I think I was going to the beach and planning to take my horse in the sea, it would be a good option.

 

[Abracadabjar]

you can get a bareback roller from Robinsons, my daughter rides in it at the mo due to having a fat ponio.

You attach stirupps as you would do to a normal saddle, it also has a handle to grab on when it gets to bumpy