Confidence in pieces

I don't really get the obsession with riding bareback. If you're worried about balance, ride with a saddle until you're comfortable, then take your stirrups away.
 
squidsin said:
I don't really get the obsession with riding bareback. If you're worried about balance, ride with a saddle until you're comfortable, then take your stirrups away.
Click to expand...

I love riding bareback. You feel such a connection with the horse and you can really see how your seat and the lightest of aids can influence him. But I do agree with you, if you are nervous and/or lacking balance then it is probably best to stick with a saddle for the time being. It is much easier to fall off bareback!
 
My tip for bareback and improving your seat, just keep doing what you are comfortable with, your body will build strength in the right places and thats the main reason we feel wobbly, because we don't have the core strength to sustain it, gradually it will come. Pilates is good for extra core building in between rides too :)
 
squidsin said:
I don't really get the obsession with riding bareback. If you're worried about balance, ride with a saddle until you're comfortable, then take your stirrups away.
Click to expand...

For me riding bareback is the most beautiful feeling, it takes me away from all the crap going on in life to a time when life was totally carefree and nothing really 'mattered' it makes me feel connected, warm (nothing nicer than a warm pony on a freezing cold day) it makes me feel a little bit good about myself and my abilities as a rider, I wouldn't say it was an obsession though, just something I enjoy. Plus it is fantastic for balance, much better than riding without stirrups I think.
I guess for me it is more therapeutic than anything else. Each to their own squidsin.
 
I don't think it's an obsession Squids, it's just fun! I used to ride Mouse and Annie in from the field bareback in just a headcollar and canter them up the driveway... I didn't get to ride as a kid and do that type of thing, so I make up for it now. I did lots of bareback hacking and jumping with the Pony Club kids in Portugal and I felt like just another one of them :p
 
  • Like
Reactions: orbvalley
I have never fallen off bareback as RI keeps us mightily safe. But she does use bareback to teach even a novice oap like me. If suitable. The aim is to get good balance. No mention or possibility of a strong core in my case. It is easier for the horse and you to read each other through feel if there is no saddle. Once you get it, then you can put a saddle on again.
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom