Bareback Dressage, Safety Tips To Get Started and My Top Bareback Pad Choices
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Sandra & Rovandio. Photo Credit: Kimberly Chason
I have many people ask me how they can start to incorporate bareback riding into their dressage work. I wanted to share some of my advice for getting started, including safety tips and also bareback pads to try.
Before You Begin
How Is Your Balance?
Before you try riding bareback you should be able to comfortably, and confidently, ride in a saddle without reins or stirrups at the walk, trot and canter! Do you have independent balance from the reins? If you ever catch your balance with the reins, it is not a good idea to try riding bareback.
Does your horse have a good "WHOA"?
If you have a horse that is hard to stop, rushes, or is resistant or disobedient, I do not recommend riding bareback. Make sure to refresh your horse's response to your "whoa", on the lunge line or on the ground, before you ride bareback.
Has your horse been ridden bareback before?
Some horses have sensitive backs and may react the first time they are ridden bareback. Do not assume that your horse will behave the same as he does with a saddle. Have an experienced rider test out your horse if this is your first time. You may also want a person on the ground to hold your horse when you mount and to lead him in the beginning.
Things You Might Need
Full Seat Breeches: I recommend wearing full seat breeches to help you "stick". Horsehair can be slippery so you may feel more secure wearing full seat breeches.
Mounting block: Unless you are super flexible and have the ability to leap onto the horse from the ground, then you will need a mounting block. Try a three-step for extra height. You need to have good balance and confidence to mount a horse bareback.
A helper. Make sure you have someone with you to hold the horse when you first get on. They could even lead you around at the walk to see how it feels and to help keep the horse relaxed and slow.
A helmet. If you don’t normally ride with a helmet I would recommend wearing one when you are riding bareback.
Enclosed riding area. PLEASE do not attempt riding bareback for the first time in an open field or arena with no walls. The best place to start is in a small indoor arena or a round pen.
A bareback pad. A good bareback pad helps with padding and "stick". Having a bareback pad works well for horses that have pronounced withers. Usually the material on the underside has some stick to it, like a synthetic rubber. Be careful with the all fleece pads because they may slide around on a well-groomed horse. Do not use a bareback pad that has stirrups! The tree of a saddle distributes the stirrup pressure and without it you will be placing all of your weight into one spot on the horse's back.
My Favorite Bareback Pads
ThinLine Bareback Pad
ThinLine Bareback Pad:
I currently use the ThinLine bareback pad. It has a rubbery material on the underside of the pad and the girth to keep it from sliding. It is simple and elegant with enough padding to be comfortable but not so much that you lose the bareback feel.
I have been using this pad for my Art on Horseback performances with Rovandio for many years. This pad is currently only available in Black. You can purchase this pad from my sponsors Adams Horse Supplies. Click here for more details.
Sheepskin Bareback Pad
Sheepskin Bareback Pads:
Sheepskin will be a lot softer for the rider than any other bareback pad options. This particular brand (Engel) uses 100% Merino Wool Sheepskin. The saddle seat area is removable so that it is easy to wash the cotton quilted pad. Sheepskin is temperature compensating and reduces skin irritation.
This particular brand also comes in an English style pad as well. Colors include Black, Brown, Charcoal, and Natural. It also has a handy grab strap. You can find top-of-the-line sheepskin bareback pads on Amazon. Click here for more details.
HILASON Suede Leather Pad
HILASON Suede Leather Bareback Pad:
I like the shape and look of this bareback pad and it has the same non-slip surface on the underside that my ThinLine pad has. This pad would work well for a performance routine because it comes in a variety of colors such as Purple, Black, Tan, and Turquoise (shown). It also has a handy strap to help you carry the pad to and fro.
You can use your own girth with this pad which may be a plus or a minus depending on what you prefer. You can purchase this beautiful bareback pad on Amazon. Click here to see all the color options.
Benefits of Riding Bareback
Improve Balance:
Riding bareback will help improve your balance and reveal weaknesses in your riding that can be hidden by the saddle. The horse's spine will help you feel when you are sitting centered or not. I love to feel the horse's back muscles and check that I am sitting evenly on my seat bones. You may also notice if your pad tends to slide to one side or the other, indicating that you also lean or shift too much to one side.
Riding bareback is a great way to loosen your hips, as you allow your legs to relax and drape around your horse the movement of the horse’s back will gently open your hips more and more. This is similar to riding without stirrups in a saddle except that you will also feel the muscles working underneath you.
Improve Transitions:
When you are riding bareback you will feel when the horse is lifting his back. This is particularly helpful for upward and downward transitions. Even if you just practice at the walk, incorporate transitions into the halt and see if you can feel whether the back stays lifted. If the horse starts to drop his back that will cause him to come against the hand, above the bit, and lose connection. You can improve your ability to feel the moment your horse loses his balance and help correct him/her before it becomes a problem.
Improve Steering & Lateral Work:
Practice riding serpentines, circles, and lateral movements to improve your ability to move your horse with your body and not your reins. See if you can get your horse to turn just by looking with your eyes and turning your body so that the horse feels your shoulders, hips, and legs guiding him in a new direction. If your horse does not turn or he actually goes the wrong direction then you will know there is a missing piece to your aids. Perhaps your outside leg is coming off the horse? Perhaps you are turning your shoulders but your hips are stiff and they are not allowing the turn.
In your lateral work try to notice if you slide to the wrong side of the horse or any spots of tension that crop up when you change movements.
In Conclusion
Be mindful of whether your horse is enjoying the bareback experience as you are going along. Some horses are overly sensitive and can get “cold-backed” being ridden bareback. If your horse has back problems such as kissing spine, alignment issues, is underweight, has skin problem like rain rot, or doesn’t like to be brushed, these are reasons you should probably not ride him/her bareback. When you are riding bareback you will be sitting directly on the spine so you want to be sure that your horse is comfortable.
If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below or email me at beginthedance@gmail.com. Be safe and have fun!
Sandra and Rovandio working on an Art on Horseback painting together. Click here to learn more. Photo Credit: Kimberly Chason
