Ride a Horse Bareback

Once you and your horse develop a strong bond, you may want to try developing a new skill to strengthen your bond with him. Bareback riding is an amazing experience as long as you and your horse are prepared. There is no point in riding bareback if you do not feel comfortable in doing so. Bareback riding can be very dangerous; be sure to take it slow and to not rush anything.

Steps

  1. Seek the guidance of an experienced rider or instructor to supervise your foray into bareback riding. Also, build up your leg muscle before you try bareback, especially your thighs, this will help keep you safe and make the ride easier. Do this by practicing 2-point position and posting.
  2. Understand that it is important to try this on the right horse. Some horses throw you up higher than others. A smooth-gaited horse with a broad back and low withers is ideal (although a horse with good-sized withers is ideal for going downhill). Be careful of horses that startle easily; if it's your first time riding bareback you may not be able to stay safe if your horse decides to rear.
  3. Focus on where you want to go with your eyes. Do not look down at your horse or you may become unbalanced.
  4. Look, leg, rein. Before you use the reins to ask for a turn, turn your head to look where you want to go. Horses are very sensitive, and when you turn your head part of your torso will turn as well, and the horse will feel it. Once you have looked, use your legs to reinforce the balance-shift signal you've already given the horse. After following this step, use the rein if needed. (An experienced horse feeling you look and/or use your leg will likely start the motions before you've even moved the reins!)
  5. Keep your legs in the same riding position you would if you had stirrups.
  6. Learn to ride balanced at a walk, trot, and canter in a saddle but without the stirrups. Have your instructor walk or lunge with you at first so that you can focus on balancing. Start at a walk and stay there for several days before trying anything faster. Practice for short periods of 15 minutes or less.
  7. Consider using a bareback pad, but choose one without stirrups. A regular saddle has a rigid frame that keeps it from sliding under the horses belly when you put pressure in a stirrup. Using a bareback pad will still help get you used to riding without a saddle, because it gives you a better grip than the horses bare back would. Choose a bareback pad that you're comfortable with, as long as it doesn't have stirrups. But, what's the point of bareback if its not "Bare" back.
  8. Again, ride as you would normally. Your calves should touch the horse's sides but not apply pressure.
  9. Use a stirrup leather without the stirrups, strapped around the base of the horse's neck, to hold onto if you feel you may lose your balance. Alternatively, you can rely on the horse's mane, which will not hurt it. Whatever you do, do not use the reins to regain your balance, as that will upset and/or confuse the horse.
  10. Use just a halter/head collar to ride. This can sometimes confuse a horse, so simply loop it through the other side of the head collar to create a 'bridle' feel. This also allows the horse to have a free mouth, and not to be so rigid.
  11. Sit forward on the horse. Right by the withers. When you canter bareback, relax your legs, sit back a little and let your body rock with the movement of the horse.
  12. When you trot, be stiff. Sit up straight and make a grip with your thighs.



Tips

  • Don't give up! The benefits you can reap from bareback riding are immense; increased riding skill, becoming closer to your horse, not having to lug out a saddle every time you want to ride, and looking really cool.
  • Try to move with the horse, because if you try to move against it you will fall off.
  • Grab the mane if you have to, so you won't pull on the reins. Some people might think that this will unbalance you, but it won't.
  • Go by your instinct. Don't lean over too far; judge your own abilities.
  • Sit deep. If you sit deep, you have better balance.
  • If you've never mounted without using a stirrup before, you need to figure out an alternative for bareback riding. Either learn how to mount without stirrups, have someone give you a leg up, or have a mounting block (or equivalent) around that you and your horse are already familiar with. Obviously, this is easier on a shorter horse.
  • If you fall off, try to roll so you can get away from the horse's feet. Rolling will also reduce the impact of the fall.
  • Move with your horse, to practice this you should try 'walking' with your hips as you ride. This can also be done in a saddle. Just move your hips with the horse as if you are walking.
  • If you seem to be slipping a lot on your horse's back or if your horse has very high, uncomfortable withers, try riding with a bareback pad at first. It cinches on just like a western saddle, and can help you keep your balance while still feeling close to your horse.
  • The canter (or lope) is a much more comfortable gait bareback than the trot. If you can train your horse to go straight from a walk to a slow canter, without trotting in between, this is very convenient for bareback riding.
  • When using a mounting block, just slide your leg up over and don't let your horse move until you get your balance.
  • When going downhill, lean back as far as you think necessary, and when going up, lean forward a bit.
  • Relax! When you are tense, you actually tend to fall off more than when your muscles are limp and relaxed. Relax your stomach muscles or push out your belly, as your core relaxes so will the rest of your body.Don't clench your muscles.
  • If you're stressed or nervous, horses will pick up on that; try to feel calm and if you're stressed, save bareback riding for another day.
  • Remember that a horse's trot is a 'side to side' gait, not up and down, so try to have each hip fall and rise with that motion.
  • Start out in a place the horse is familiar with. Don't go out on the road or in the pasture the first few times. Try to stick with an arena, and when you do eventually expand your riding area, make sure someone knows where you are going to be riding.
  • When first starting out you may find it easier to grip the horse's body with your calves and thighs. As you progress as a bareback rider you will feel the need to just gently hold on with just your thighs. Make sure you have a well-trained and trustworthy horse before riding him/her bareback!
  • Try riding without stirrups first if you wish, this helps you get the feel of not having stirrups underneath your feet. Then, like said, try a bareback pad. These help you feel supported, as well as excited to get so close to riding bareback. One key word: relax! Easier said then done, but in the end, it's a useful tip.
  • Try riding with a halter but make sure an adult or an instructor is nearby to keep watch!
  • Balance is a huge part of riding. To improve your understanding of balancing on a horse, sit on a gym ball in approximate riding position and get someone to start slowly pushing you, one-handed (exerting increasing pressure, not a straight out shove). Feel what your body needs to do to stay in position and apply this to your riding. Getting confident? Get a bigger gym ball that allows you to take your feet off the ground and do the same.
  • Don't think you're good enough to gallop bareback when you're not. You could fall and badly injure yourself.
  • A slow canter can sometimes be better than a trot.
  • To make your trot or lope transitions a lot smoother, apply a small amount of pressure with your calves and pull back gently on the reins. This makes their head drop and it's amazing the difference it makes.
  • When you're first starting out, or when you first try a new skill, consider using a Choose a Bareback Pad. A bareback pad is like a fluffy saddle pad with a girth.
  • When the horse tenses up in the front it means they are about to rear. You should be careful of this.
  • Just watch the buttons on the back of some jeans, wear jodhpurs if you have some.
  • On your first few times, get someone to lunge your horse so you can get the feel of it.
  • When you have a hyper horse, don't ride it bareback. Only with a saddle because you would fall off. Especially with a nappy and shy horse.

Warnings

  • Move with the horse. It makes for a much more comfortable ride for both you and your horse.
  • Don't ride up or down very steep hills until you are comfortable. You'll be surprised how easy it is to slip.
  • Don't try riding bareback at the trot or lope until you feel very confident riding.
  • Some horses will start trotting if you let them get too fast going downhill, so keep the reins tight (but don't yank on the horse's mouth).
  • Do not try to do thing you are not comfortable with. Just because your friends or whoever says they can trot, canter gallop or jump bareback doesn't mean you have to risk a lot trying to impress.
  • If you feel you are going to fall, try to emergency dismount - it hurts considerably less.
  • Learn how to be balanced well and how to move well in a saddle before trying anything bareback.
  • Learn how to use your seat and then be very conscious of how you use your seat. Horses respond to everything.
  • Make sure both you and your horse are warmed up before you go into canter of other, fast gaits. Do around 5mins of walk, then a bit of trot and when you and your horse are relaxed and ready, move on.
  • Only attempt to ride a safe horse that you have a trusting bond with.
  • Wear a helmet. It's also important to wear appropriate shoes such as boots with any horse activities.
  • NEVER use a bareback pad with stirrups on it. It is actually very dangerous (pad could slip).
  • The spine of the horse could dig into you if you ride bareback. A pad is designed to prevent this.
  • Your horse may be alarmed or confused at first when you climb on without a saddle.
  • Avoid the temptation to clench your heels or calves into the horse's sides and lean forward in an attempt to keep your balance, because that will just encourage your horse to speed up.
  • When you are first riding bareback, have someone, anyone, nearby to call emergency services if necessary. This isn't usually needed, because you shouldn't ride bareback if you don't know how to ride in the first place.
  • Don't get too close to any other horses, especially behind one.
  • Some horses DON'T like leg pressure. They are not good horses for bareback riding.

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