What I Learned From Riding Bareback
Did you use to ride around bareback as a kid? Carefree, quality time with your horse usually involves a smile that spreads across your face. I had forgotten that feeling. Growing up with horses my whole life, I spent so much time on a horse, both in and out of the saddle. Then I became this hardworking adult who still loves riding, but my goals changed.
Now I am a serious rider with some serious goals and a busy work schedule. And I’ve found it’s too easy to lose that carefree, fun-loving attitude of my childhood. That’s why when I noticed some of my clients riding bareback (and having a blast doing it), I felt inspired.
Yes, that’s me, carefree and loving life riding bareback.
I recently got a new horse — born and bred to cut cattle and used for showing. Had she ever been ridden bareback? I had no idea, but as she’s the kindest horse around, I figured she would be level-headed, and if not, well, I was glad I had a short little cutting horse that wouldn’t put me far off the ground. I brought her up to that mounting block and slowly and as lightly as possible got on.
She tweaked her ears back at me to ask, ”WTF, are you doing???” Then we walked away, and she perked those ears and took the deep breath we both needed.
What came next was not what I was expecting, and no, I did not fall off. I was teleported to being a kid again. I felt carefree, light like I could take on the world. All of my stress left, and the pure enjoyment of my horse and I returned.
Not only that, but it became one of my most educational rides. So much so that I felt the need to write about it.
What are my top 3 things to take away from this experience, you may ask?
#1: A new bond with my horse
#2: A deeper feeling of how she moves and uses her body
#3: Finding my weaknesses in the saddle
In November 2021, I bought my mare, Andi. She is the nicest horse I have ever purchased, and I could not wait to get back into the world of cutting. I have huge aspirations with Andi, and with that comes more horse shows and stress. I love riding, and I love cutting, but I have always had really bad show anxiety.
On top of horse show anxiety, Andi is bad to the bone on a cow. I have no idea where her front end is half the time I am riding because she gets so low. Our rides often consist of me beating myself up for not being positioned correctly, overthinking the last cut, or wondering if she’s uncomfortable.
Riding bareback, let me put that all in the back of my head. I had to be present.
She was present and enjoying the bonding of our ride. She never responded negatively to anything I did. We just enjoyed moving together and not worrying about the other stuff.
Throughout our ride, it allowed me to feel how she really moves with nothing interfering. I could feel each stride better, could tell once her back lifted, differences in how she turned to the left versus the right and vice versa. It solidified for me how very responsive she is to my seat.
I know there are many talented riders out there that feel this with their tack on with no problem, but it was the rawness of the situation that she had nothing to compromise her.
It allowed me to test her gaits, to feel the difference in stride length, willingness to go forward, how long it took for her muscles to warm up, and for her to use her body correctly.
The humbling truth, my core isn’t as strong as I thought it was. Bummer.
It was the wake-up call I needed without getting dumped on the ground. It’s essential in being an equestrian that we are strong enough to support our horses in the way they support us. I am lacking. When I leaned down to latch the gate once I was on, the strength it took to keep my composure was ridiculous. I do know my legs are strong, this is great for what I do. What isn’t great is that I am sitting unevenly in the saddle. I also have my right hip forward and knee tight, this would explain some of my weakness in the cutting pen.
How am I going to use this education in the future?
Time for me to do more yoga, strength training and work on the never-ending weight loss journey. These are the areas I have found to help me to become the ideal rider I want to be. When I am in the saddle, I realize how much time she needs to warm up her muscles. I know my problem area and will work hard to keep my hips even, so no more knee pinching. Lastly, because she was so happy being ridden bareback, I need to pay more attention to her tack and figure out if something is bothering her — including my girth, saddle, and saddle pad. I consider it a fresh way to eliminate different things and see if there are any positive changes.
So what am I getting at, why have I decided to babble about this in a blog for equine bodywork? Our horses’ success is always the goal whether you show, trail ride, do groundwork, or enjoy each other. Sometimes we have to get out of our world and hop on bareback to see or feel.
I had been missing that piece of me, and I had no idea I was.
It’s a fantastic way to get in touch with your horse in a new way, or perhaps this is part of your program already, and you utilize and implement the new information you get each time you ride.
For the horse it is safe on, I think everyone should do it. It rekindled my love for what I do, my horse, and the simple act of being carefree and living in that moment.
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