so i really like riding bareback (especially in winter cause you stay warmer) but i need some good models, brands ect. and i thought this would be a great place to ask 
I dont have a huge pocket book so it cant break the bank but i would prefer something good for dressage and lower jumping. so show me what yaā got!
Agree w/you: warmest seat in the house for Winter
I am not a fan of most cheap bareback pads - fleece girths suck for the most part & any āstirrupsā they provide are chancy too.
As an alternative that will cost you nothing, you can use a longeing surcingle - preferably one with a saddle - and a fleece pad under it (to keep hair off your breeches).
I used mine that way - in hot weather with a baby pad - and did some small fences (2-3ā) with my TB.
I have the thinline bareback pad, itās a little pricy, but totally worth it IMO.
i saw the thin line one! how thick is it where the knee rolls on a normal saddle would go?
Hmm, Iād guess around 1/2"-1"? The whole pad offers a good amount of cushion and feels pretty secure for a bareback pad. I bought it because my horse has kissing spines and I wanted a pad that heād be comfortable in. It almost feels like youre riding in a really comfortable saddle without stirrups, and I appreciate that it doesnāt slip at all, the nonslip back really stays in place.
how is the buckle on the girth? is it like a belt buckle or a slide in and held on with teath girth?
My daughter has the kids version of this one. She uses her dressage girth with it. https://www.barefootsaddlesusa.com/Barefoot_Ride_On_Bareback_Pads_p/ride-on-pad.htm itās really nice and holds up well, stays in place and isnāt structured. She rides dressage and jumps small jumps with it (sheās only 7 soā¦)
I have the Best Friendās pad, and Iāve been very pleased with it. https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Best_Friend_Slip-Resistant_Bareback_Pad/descpage-BFSBP.html. It has the slip resistant backing, and the quality is good.
Itās a traditional girth, belt buckle with plenty of holes for adjustment on both sides.
i have this one in black. https://www.statelinetack.com/item/best-friend-comfort-plus-bareback-pad/E004918%20NVY/
My kids 8, 9, 16 all w/t/c and small cross rails with their pony with no issues. They donāt do the girth super tight and it stays in place. My oldest complains that it is too sticky.
I believe the ThinLine one is made by the Best Friends company but with ThinLine material. Maybe not. I also have the Thinline one and love it. The Christ sheepskin ones have caught my eye, but I donāt think Iāll ever shell out the money for one.
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I used to work at a therapeutic riding center, and they had the most amazing bareback pads for their hippotherapy sessions. They are lined with Supracor and give you padding while still feeling close to your horse. I got to use them a couple of times and really wanted to get one of my own. Butā¦ theyāre almost $500 :eek: https://www.supracor.com/store/show/64
So instead, I got a Trailmaster Bareback pad. I spoke with the owner/maker of these about maybe making myself a poor-womanās version of the elusive Supracor pad, and she said in her experience it would work just as well to have a Supracor half-pad under the bareback pad. I havenāt tried it yet but I have a feeling it would work just as well for less than half the price of the Supracor pad.
Normally they are custom made for you (in a wide assortment of fun colors!), but sometimes she has stock ones you can purchase. I donāt use mine nearly often enough, but I have been so pleased with it every time I do! I really do notice a difference when I use it vs plain bareback in how secure I feel. The sticky material on the seat is amazing. And, the owner is super nice to boot!
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