We've all seen them. The photos and the video clips of people riding bareback on the beach or across the field, hair and mane flowing in the breeze--the perfect image of freedom and grace. Should you try it?
The answer is that it depends a good deal on the rider's flexibility. The horse's back flexes as he moves, and a very stiff human will end up pounding on the horse's back with every movement, and no saddle to absorb the punishment. That can be very painful for a horse.
It also takes tremendous balance and muscle conditioning to remain stable on a moving horse. Most people who try it--even those who think they have pretty good seats in the saddle--immediately fall off or hang on to the horse's mane for dear life once the horse begins to trot. This is not only dangerous for the rider, it is also uncomfortable for the horse.
But an experienced rider with a balanced and flexible seat moves effortlessly with the horse as though they were one being. The horse essentially gets a bit of a back rub and the rider has his or her spine comfortably flexed through the horse's movement.
To learn how to ride bareback as a beginner, it is better to start first with a saddle which will not only help the rider remained balanced, it will also absorb the pounding from a stiff rider's inability to move smoothly with the horse.
For those who have more developed seats, begin by riding with a bareback to provide some cushioning. Resist the temptation to grab the pad if you become unbalanced. Grab mane instead, and right yourself. Stretch through your legs, and balance on your seat bones. Think of your legs as damp cloths resting on the horse's barrel, and your seat bones as springy shock absorbers that follow the horse's movement. When you're an expert at that, you're free to do bareback.
It is also important to realize that THE HORSE HAS TWO SIDES TO HIS BACK. Many riders think the trot and canter are up-and-down movements, and they try to “follow” this movement by “allowing” their seats to go up and down. But the Trot is diagonal gait; the fore and hind legs on opposite sides move together (unless your horse is a pacer). When the horse’s hind leg moves forward, his back will drop on that side. Your seat bone and leg must drop slightly in order to stay in contact with his back and barrel. This means that your pelvis and leg alternate with each stride. Sally Swift likened this to pedaling backward on a bicycle. You can read more about that here.
The canter movement feels like a circular movement because of the way the horse utilizes his legs to create three beats: outside hind, followed by inside hind and outside fore, followed by inside fore. Your hips need to move like you're doing a hula in order to comfortably follow this movement.
The best time to learn to ride this way is as a child, but it is possible to develop this skill as an adult with the help of a good instructor. In fact, riding bareback can improve your riding overall. The first time I rode bareback, I immediately noticed that the horse's spine was directly under my left seat bone, meaning that I had a habit of sitting shifted over to the right. I subsequently discovered the reason: My right leg is slightly shorter than my left leg (which I wasn't aware of), yet I carefully arranged my stirrups so that they hung evenly on both sides of the horse. That meant that I had to stretch my right leg down further to reach the right stirrup, and that caused me to lean and sit slightly to the right.
(Wonder whether you have one leg that is longer than the other? Notice how you stand. Do you usually find yourself shifting more of your weight onto one leg, and bending the other slightly at the knee? If so, the leg that you shift your weight onto may be shorter the the other, which is why standing straight on both feet may be tiring for you.)
This excellent video from CRKTraining demonstrates how to ride bareback. Lots of nuggets in this video, so you'll probably want to watch it a few times.
The answer is that it depends a good deal on the rider's flexibility. The horse's back flexes as he moves, and a very stiff human will end up pounding on the horse's back with every movement, and no saddle to absorb the punishment. That can be very painful for a horse.
It also takes tremendous balance and muscle conditioning to remain stable on a moving horse. Most people who try it--even those who think they have pretty good seats in the saddle--immediately fall off or hang on to the horse's mane for dear life once the horse begins to trot. This is not only dangerous for the rider, it is also uncomfortable for the horse.
But an experienced rider with a balanced and flexible seat moves effortlessly with the horse as though they were one being. The horse essentially gets a bit of a back rub and the rider has his or her spine comfortably flexed through the horse's movement.
To learn how to ride bareback as a beginner, it is better to start first with a saddle which will not only help the rider remained balanced, it will also absorb the pounding from a stiff rider's inability to move smoothly with the horse.
For those who have more developed seats, begin by riding with a bareback to provide some cushioning. Resist the temptation to grab the pad if you become unbalanced. Grab mane instead, and right yourself. Stretch through your legs, and balance on your seat bones. Think of your legs as damp cloths resting on the horse's barrel, and your seat bones as springy shock absorbers that follow the horse's movement. When you're an expert at that, you're free to do bareback.
It is also important to realize that THE HORSE HAS TWO SIDES TO HIS BACK. Many riders think the trot and canter are up-and-down movements, and they try to “follow” this movement by “allowing” their seats to go up and down. But the Trot is diagonal gait; the fore and hind legs on opposite sides move together (unless your horse is a pacer). When the horse’s hind leg moves forward, his back will drop on that side. Your seat bone and leg must drop slightly in order to stay in contact with his back and barrel. This means that your pelvis and leg alternate with each stride. Sally Swift likened this to pedaling backward on a bicycle. You can read more about that here.
The canter movement feels like a circular movement because of the way the horse utilizes his legs to create three beats: outside hind, followed by inside hind and outside fore, followed by inside fore. Your hips need to move like you're doing a hula in order to comfortably follow this movement.
The best time to learn to ride this way is as a child, but it is possible to develop this skill as an adult with the help of a good instructor. In fact, riding bareback can improve your riding overall. The first time I rode bareback, I immediately noticed that the horse's spine was directly under my left seat bone, meaning that I had a habit of sitting shifted over to the right. I subsequently discovered the reason: My right leg is slightly shorter than my left leg (which I wasn't aware of), yet I carefully arranged my stirrups so that they hung evenly on both sides of the horse. That meant that I had to stretch my right leg down further to reach the right stirrup, and that caused me to lean and sit slightly to the right.
(Wonder whether you have one leg that is longer than the other? Notice how you stand. Do you usually find yourself shifting more of your weight onto one leg, and bending the other slightly at the knee? If so, the leg that you shift your weight onto may be shorter the the other, which is why standing straight on both feet may be tiring for you.)
This excellent video from CRKTraining demonstrates how to ride bareback. Lots of nuggets in this video, so you'll probably want to watch it a few times.
And when for the hunter-jumpers out there, this video should inspire you. In it, New Zealander Alycia Burton jumps big completely bareback. It's exhilarating to watch!
Happy riding!
Copyright Denise Cummins, PhD March 18, 2016
Opening photo credit: © Hvat10 | Dreamstime.com - <a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-young-woman-riding-trakehner-horse-her-sunset-meadow-image51787803#res9815805">Young woman riding Trakehner horse</a>