Bareback Velcro

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Sid these days!
Apr 30, 2010
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Surrey Hills
No, I didn't use it (though I have been tempted :D).

Ziggy and I went out today for the first time in 2 weeks - I have been so busy, and it's been so hot. I couldn't motivate myself to carry the saddle over to the field so I just took the bridle and hopped on bareback.

Sometimes when I ride him bareback I feel like a pea on a drum bouncing around, sometimes I feel as if I am glued to him. Today was one of the latter days, it was lovely. We did a little trot up the road and I could rise no problem (thanks quads, glutes and core). Then I asked him for a tiny canter on our first little hill and he said "Woah! Mum! We haven't been out for two weeks!" and cantered on the spot and curvetted, and it all felt so natural and easy I just laughed and said "Steady Zigs" and he cantered up the little hill (5 strides!) and back to walk, no problems.

When he is saddled he is madly wonky - saddle slips to the right - and so do I - but in bareback his nice well-padded spine anchors me and I stay in the middle and it is sooooooo comfortable. I concentrate on using my core to keep myself upright, my back neutral (not hollow as is natural to me) and my hip bones in contact. he concentrates on trying to snatch a mouthful from the hedges here and there, but it's quite half hearted ;).

It really felt today as if we were sharing energy, his energy flowing into me and mine into him, we just mooched around at walk and trot and had a nice relaxing time for 45 perfect minutes. What a gorgeous ride.
 
My bareback is in the school at the moment, but once we get settled round the golf course I will take her round there.
I dare not take her out hacking even on quiet roads, she isn't Jack and in a really weird way I want to leave that for something we did.

Question re rising to the trot, yours is OK about it then? Mine hates it if I rise. I have tried it and she threatens to dump the cargo aka you! Where I want to sit and how isn't where I end up. In order to go with her I have to chuck out the how and just flow.
The neutral back I think I get, I use it when she is doing her "I am scared I am scared fart and I take off"

If your saddle is moving off does it need flocking? Or is it your stirrup leathers.

My pad needs a tweak, can't decide if its time to change it to another or do some DIY on mine.
 
I have a friend working on what the issue is with our 9recently refitted and reflocked) saddle. It's mad how different he is without it. Friend (trainee horse chiropractor) thinks his right hip is wonky but we will find out.

He likes it if I rise to the trot bareback. When I sit, unless he is doing his little tiny I-can-do-this-all-day jog, he slows down and eventually settles back to walk. If he is jogging we can go on for ages. If I rose for ages he could go on for ages, but my body won't!
 
I would love to have your BB confidence, Jane. I used to ride Cherry bareback at WTC and have tried it recently on Joe and Albi but these days I feel like I am just going to slither out the side door if they turn. Perhaps it is a nervous hang-up following my accident that makes me tense... and thus more likely to fall.
 
Rode bareback today, tried to rise to the trot. The second I went to do it her ears went back, she hollowed and her head threw a great toss.
I think the expression on her face would have been "shall I follow on with that thought!" She hates any tension, you have to sit sort of spongy absorbing the movement.
 
OK really stupid question and I hold my hand up to this how do you rise to the trot bareback with no stirrups. I have never tried this as in my head to rise you need to balance off something IE the stirrups bars I do not grip with my legs in any pace I use my weight and core to balance through the rise and fall. So if you take away the stirups do you grip with your lower leg (in which case we can't do it as I have nothing to grip on with the ginger!) or your knees and how does this effect your position as gripping anywhere in my head alters your lower leg position, bareback pushes your legs forward to the natural shape of the horse so you end up sat further forward with your legs in front of were they would be with a saddle on.

Can you take a video so I can see please, I might try and utube it in a minutes. Sorry for all the questions just really curious as to how this works. Sounds like a great work out
 
Yes, my legs are further forward and dangling loosely. Ziggy has a big wide barrel as joosie will confirm, so my knees are at the widest point of his barrel anyway when we are bareback. I use my knees to pivot on, and my thighs and core lift me up.

I doubt I could even sit on the ginger thing bareback as he probably has a spine like a shark's fin, and if I did I don't know if I would try to rise as a sensitive pony might be upset (like Tilley)....
 
I used to ride my high withered tb bareback when saddle fitting was no longer an option.
I used the Zilco bareback fleece pad, no ridden pics. Mainly in walk, I can recall jumping so we much have done very very brief trot.

Mine is very sensitive and even tight unrestricting jodphurs get her looking round at you.
 
Jane&Ziggy said:
Yes, my legs are further forward and dangling loosely. Ziggy has a big wide barrel as joosie will confirm, so my knees are at the widest point of his barrel anyway when we are bareback. I use my knees to pivot on, and my thighs and core lift me up.
Click to expand...

This is what I do too ^^^ but I wouldn't want to try it on a sensitive soul.
Sounds just like one of those super special rides that stay with you for ages .... lovely.
 
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