Anyone combine bareback and under saddle as a dressage rider? Former trainer once told me you may develop a chair seat. Thoughts?,
My major concern with riding bareback is hurting my horse’s back since the rider’s weight is limited to a small space. It’s probably helpful to feel your horses movement better, but I would limit it.
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At the level of doing some basic training, riding some movements bareback is probably very educational for both. It would really highlight the importance of balance, rhythm and feel and in particular, feeling the muscles lifting through the horse’s back. But then once the movements becomes more collected I suspect one would need to be a totally awesome rider to have the physical strength and the precision to ride without a saddle. As for a chair seat, unlikely as it isn’t in good balance with the horse.
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That’s BS. Here is Alizee Froment and Mistral, her FEI horse
And the duo in competition in conventional tack at the GP Freestyle. CDIO Hickstead
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The purpose of the saddle is to balance the rider and evenly distribute the rider’s weight across the horses back. A rider with impeccable balance and impressive core strength (like Alizee Fromont) can ride effectively without one. I don’t think I could. A good dressage saddle puts the rider’s pelvis in the ideal position - upright with the thighs draping down and slightly turned in. You will be fighting to maintain this position without the saddle.
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Thank you for this. I love this pair.
Wouldn’t it be enlightening to have “naked dressage” competitions. No bridle, no saddle (no spurs, even, like Alizée 
) . I would love to see that.
I am a fan…Here is another great pair…Alycia Burton and Goldrush
Riding a bounce grid…bareback
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A few years back when I was not quite 70, I was prepping for a little schooling show, planning to do 2nd level when my saddle came apart. It was going to take several weeks to repair it so I rode with a thinline bareback pad, no stirrups. It was a really good experience and my horse stayed soft through his back so I don’t think I bothered him too much. I was quite sad they wouldn’t let me in the ring without a saddle though.
I don’t know how it would exacerbate a chair seat. I know my legs had to be in the right place if I was going to be effective and stay on.
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Exactly. In the 2 riders I posted above, they all have a “following seat.” The legs hang down quietly from the pelvis.
I could see if you are riding a 2,000 lb draft with a huge round barrel, that your leg’s won’t spread eagle and that ther rider’s legs would be more “chair-ish”…but the point is that the legs sit passively on the horse unless asking for something.
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If you need a saddle to be placed in balance, you have no balance.
I am also north of 70 and ride bareback to practice balance and not gripping with the legs. I have no core strength.
I have never had a horse object to my sitting bareback on their back. You can really feel the what the horse is doing under you with no saddle…one reason to use a saddle is to cushion the rider from shark-fin whithers.
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Am I the only one who read this and immediately thought, “What, no clothes??”
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it would be interesting…BUT…think of all the bareback hours people would put in on their horses in order to win. It would not be ideal for the animals.
I developed most of my good balancing skills from riding one of my horses bareback most of the time. In the end: I was a good rider and HE had a very compromised spine. If i could travel back in time i would ride that beautiful boy in a saddle almost all the time.
Saddles benefit the horse by distributing the rider’s weight along the spine and cross the ribs. That’s the good thing about saddles.
If you really want to develop your balance, bareback is the way to go…but know that it’s at the sacrifice of your horse’s back. If you have more than one horse you could practice like…once or twice month for about 15 minutes on each of them.
FWIW, my coach and i disagree on this. She’s more inclined toward bareback than i am.
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There was a few months that my mare and I did not have a saddle, and I utilized a bareback pad for all of our rides. It was an absolute blessing for us - I found my balance and ability to become one with her gaits (especially her springy trot), and she was able to become more responsive to my seat aids and relaxed in the work. Our ridden work improved exponentially over this period.
Going back to the saddle, I did have to bring my legs back where they belong, but it wasn’t a difficult transition. I still occasionally pull out the bareback pad and use that instead of my saddle.
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I d have to agree…we mere mortals can only dream of having that skill bareback
I think bareback can be a blast and really test and help a rider.
My biggest issue with riding bareback is getting on. As a kid, I was too short to get a saddle in my horse, but she was about 15.1 so there were a lot of objects I could climb on to get on her. With my 16.3 mare, it’s a struggle to get up because there aren’t fencelines in a type which will help me. She has a perfect bareback shape, though, and was even started bareback. My thoroughbred and trakehner are both painful bareback.
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This is 90% of riders today. Well fitted saddles are a good thing for the rider and the horse. A select few can ride effectively without one.
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I feel like the ideal time to put in those bareback hours are when you are 12 and weigh 85 pounds.
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i agree
And still bounce 
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there’s no reason to spend time trotting though. Unless you need to transition down from a canter. MUCH balance can be gained at a walk, and good body position and gait-following at canter.
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