does riding bareback hurt your horses back?

Sorry, but I really disagree. I've ridden several horses exclusively bareback for a 5-6 year period in my teens. Often for 3-5 hours a day and I don't have a "bubbly" butt. I've never seen any sort of problem associated with it. Either has my friend who has the most non-existent butt ever! LOL, poor girl. And she rides almost exclusively bareback 2-3 hours every day. Anyways as I said before, if you ride properly and well-balanced I've never seen any ill effects even on horses that are ridden exclusively and hard bareback.

I'm glad you have had such luck. Don't say you are sorry, controversy makes the world go round after all. I was simply stating my opinion and reasoning. Im not sure the article but i do remember it was from a Western Horseman a few years ago, where they took heat and stress readings on the same horse being ridden both bareback and under saddle.And from that test and others they determined that it does in fact create a more acute stress pattern on the spine when an animal is riden bareback. I am going off of what i read. though for the sake of argument i might add that just because there are no strong signs of damage, it might still be rather uncomfortable to animal.... Just my take on it, yours is just as good.

also to take into consideration is that many people who are normally okay in a saddle, will lose stability when you take it all away from them which I think may contribute to what you read.

Certainly though, there are some horses I would never want to ride bareback because it just -seems- uncomfortable for the horse and I know it would be uncomfortable for me! Don't know how much validity there is to the first part of that though

It may not make your particular horse sore enough that you notice but it puts your wieght on a much smaller area than if you were to use a saddle. If you are riding bareback thinking that it is more comfortable for your horse you are wrong. If you are doing it because you enjoy it or it impoves your seat then go ahead but know that it is less comfortable for your horse.

My horse had really severe back problems for a while when I got her because the saddle her previous owner used didn't fit well. I rode barback for almost two years until I found a saddle that actually fit (she's VERY wide), and Sugar was absolutely fine the whole time. I've never experienced a horse being in pain from bareback riding. I think it's actually probably more comfortable for the horse, because a saddle is stiff and doesn't move with the contours of a horse's back, whereas your body does.

But then again, maybe it's just a difference between stress on the soft tissue, and stress on the bone. Either way, it's the same amount of weight, and I'm guessing nothing but a good, balanced rider can improve either situation for the horse.

I agree,my horses enjoy it because they feel "free" and 25 pounds lighter.

Of course, I don't have any evidence to back it up, so I could just have really stoic (sp) horses. Well, not Soda, it was a pain finding a saddle that he did like. And of course now I'm hearing terrible things about treeless saddles...

I've noticed that it's a lot harder to fit an western saddle than an english too. Pain in the butt.

I think bb pads are good to use but NOT with stirrups.I think that is defeating the purpose of riding bareback and not to mention dangerous to you and the horse because they have no tree.

lacyloo- I agree. Weight in the stirrups on bb pads put all your weight in one spot. Ouch. Plus if you're going to have stirrups, why not just use a saddle?