Basic Guide to Riding Bareback- Josie Embleton

       Most people that own or ride horses want to be able to gallop on their horse bareback, it just looks like so much fun. Just imagine galloping on the back of a horse without a saddle, it really does sound like fun. When you decide to try it, you might find it's not as graceful and comfortable as everyone makes it look. You manage to climb up your horses back and you've already worked up a sweat. Then as you scoot into place on your horse's back, you realize there really is no good place to sit and that your horse has a very prominent spine. Once you finally find a spot you can manage to sit in, you make your horse walk and you discover the next obstacle, horses are slippery. You can't manage to stay in that one spot once you get trotting and cantering. Bareback almost seems like too much work to be bothered with.
      It doesn't always have to go like this though. There are some tricks and tips I've learned from riding bareback that you may find helpful. First of all, the stronger your legs are, the easier this will be. To make mounting more graceful, use a mounting block (the taller the better). This puts you higher up so you can just swing your leg over your horse and slide into place. Next, you have to find a comfortable spot to sit on your horse. I've found the best spot to sit is just behind the withers in a sort of groove. Once you've found a comfortable spot, you can move your horse forward and work through the gaits. The walk is best to start out with and get comfortable. The trot is the hardest to sit bareback due to the bounciness of the gait, if you'd like to trot though, I find the sitting trot to be the most comfortable. Next, you can canter your horse, this gait is actually quite smooth to sit bareback considering it's a rocking motion rather than bouncing. If you're really feeling good at this point, you can gallop and even jump. Jumping is fun to do, but remember horses are somewhat slippery so start low and build your way up. The best thing to help with a slippery horse is sitting in a towel or saddle pad, which helps you grip a little better.
       I hope your next bareback ride can go smoother and be more enjoyable with these tips.