Riding my new horse bareback?

My horse was started under saddle and was ridden in a roping saddle the 10 times he had been ridden (at his previous home). He took to a saddle and rider like nothing and was so quiet they would put their 9 year old son on him and let him walk around the arena.

My question is, if I were to ride him bareback do you think it would make much of a difference to him since he was only ridden in a saddle? I do not have a saddle for him yet, and want to wait for him to fill out a bit more before I spend all the money on a new saddle and getting it fitted. He is not severely underweight...just not to the weight I want him at. He is doing so well on his ground work, and has everything down perfect and was a piece of cake to train since day one...I would love to hop on. I rode him before I bought him, and he was a dream. He is very responsive to leg pressure, extremely light on the bit, and was very willing and eager to please. He's just a great little horse.

It will definetly feel different to him with you on bareback, I would suggest being in a round pen first to try him out and see how he handles it. My mare had been trained with a saddle, I couldn't lift our's on her so I used a bareback pad and practiced in the round pen first for a couple months with her......I wanted to make sure I had the whoa working LOL Now she can be ridden bareback/saddle/bareback pad/double/3 grandkids on her......she's come a long ways in the 8yrs. I've had her....

It will feel a little different but really it shouldn't be that big of a deal, especially if he's as quiet as you say he is.

I decided to get on my 3yo bareback, after plaiting him up and taking photos with anebel when she came to visit.

We'd played with him, messed around and he took it all in his stride. I was waiting for the saddle I was borrowing.. and well..

I got bored.

I got a leadrope, tied it round his neck, put my hat on and climbed on.

It felt weird, especially as he isn't fully developed and his back is a bit spindly.

He took it all in his stride- he is also a very quiet horse!

Plodded around like he had been doing it all his life.

Depends on the horse, and how you feel.. just take the right precautions ;)

Good luck!

Thanks for your input everyone. I'm going to take it slowly and hopefully get on by next weekend!

Don't forget your helmet! The last time I rode my QH bareback, (she's a somewhat 'rotund' QH, and I'm only 5 ft tall! Haha), I asked her to trot (which she did nicely), but then she broke into kind've a "trot/canter" and took me by surprise in which I fell off with a "thud!" flat on my back-point being, that it was a total surprise and if I had hit my head w/o a helmet it would've been really poopy! Have fun - be safe :)

Hi shellybean, I hope that your horse enjoys much more bareback than saddle as mine do.

Enjoy your ride :)

Hi, I was wondering why you think that, as I know after the second year the horse is ready and should be trained and ridden.

No, no, no... horses do not fully develop until between 4-6. ALOT of damage can be done to a 2 years old with that thinking. Yes they can be backed at 2 with light rides but actual miles and wet saddle blankets should be done at earliest 3. I prefer 4yrs. My cousin won't barrel race her horses til they are 6. They get started on patterns at 4 but don't get run full out til 6. Also depending on the breed depends on the age they physically mature too. But just to be clear no 2 years old is fully physically developed.
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Thank you very much for this useful info. Its really strange that as I've read so much and been interested in horses for some time now, I've never found any info of this topic. All of my knowledge of this is based from the old people around here and the nearest villages. Thanks again :)

Also what do you mean by light rider in kg?

As has been said...he isn't fully developed..he will still frow another 4-5cm...I hope! He is in very light, basic work. He is rising 4 but still looks like a baby :)
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