There’s more benefits to bareback riding than just saving time saddling up…it can actually help you become a better rider! You’ll be using muscles you didn’t even know you had. If you’re willing to put in the work, you’ll reap these amazing benefits.
1. Better communication: A shift of your weight, a gentle squeeze with your calves, pressure from your thighs… all of these can be fine-tuned so that your horse responds without heavy aids.
2. Improved balance: Riding bareback is all about finding your balance without gripping. If you have an uneven posture in the saddle, it will become much more evident without one. You’ll have to work on sitting square in the middle of your horse’s back without leaning to one side in order to stay on.
3. Feeling the movement: Have you ever closed your eyes while riding? You can almost visualize the footfalls of your horse. When riding without a saddle, you learn to feel each gait. The shifting of the muscles in your horse’s back and shoulders becomes so much more evident.
4. Greater strength: Your whole body will get an intense workout. Your legs will feel the burn when you post in the trot or rise up in two-point. Also, your thigh muscles will lengthen as you stretch your legs down without stirrups. Just be prepared to feel exhausted quicker.
5. Confidence galore: You develop better trust and confidence in yourself and your horse when you lose the security of a saddle. Find a way to safely test your riding skills by experiencing all gaits of your horse.
Are you convinced yet? Time to ditch that saddle!
https://cowgirlmagazine.com/health-benefits-horseback-riding/
https://cowgirlmagazine.com/losing-weight-riding/
https://cowgirlmagazine.com/confidence-saddle/
