training under saddle or bareback?

I am wondering, is it better to train a green horse (safe green horse) under saddle and a bridle or just bareback with a halter? My 3-year old is safely ridden either way, just wondering if it makes a difference in training? Maybe just horse preference?

(this is going off of what my trainer does)
I would first make sure that the horse is used to and comftorable being in a bridle and saddle being lunged at w/t/c. And the first couple times my trainer hops on, she may do it bareback but with a young horse she likes them to be ridden in a saddle so they're used to the feel.
After they are comfy doing either, she switches it every day, I don't know why.
When she starts with leg pressure and yielding, she tries it in saddle but later works bareback because they will stay more sensitive.

This horse seems comfortable and happy no matter what I do with her. Rode her bareback with a halter and a tarp over her head the other day and she was not bothered at all. I was just wondering from a training standpoint.....so maybe bareback training keeps her more sensitive to my leg cues? We have been working on yielding hindquarters and on the forehand, serpentines, whoa, back up mostly.

IMHO, there is simply no such thing as a "safe" green horse. All of my horses are started with a saddle, mostly for my safety, but also because having a saddle there helps me to eliminate unwanted movement in my own body that would spook/confuse a green horse.

I know that ideally, a person's seat should be just as good bareback as it is with a saddle, but I don't ride bareback as much as I used to when I was 15, so my bareback seat isn't nearly as strong or as steady as it used to be. I know that I wouldn't be able to ride out a spin/bolt or a decent buck without my saddle and I just don't see the point in risking traumatizing a young horse even more by falling off of him.

I totally agree with smrobs!

If you did come off of a horse who was a bit naughty, and was green, he might get the idea that this was "normal" . I do not want any horse I ride to think it's normal that I come off. (not that I can guarantee I won't come off)

Yeah, I see what you are saying. I have only ridden her bareback in the park next to our stables and in the arena where we just walk and do the turning, steering stuff, backing and standing still while I rub her all over. Trust me, if I felt at all uncinfident with her, I wouldn't....I'm old and do not want to land on the ground. Just thought it would be good for her/us to do relaxing, slow exercises together gaining confidence and bond.

Another consideration is what speed you are going during your training and where you are riding them at. I suppose if I was just going to walk around a familiar area, then bareback vs saddle wouldn't be that big of a deal, but my training is usually done on a fairly limited time frame.

I have horses because I enjoy them, but I also have them to work so they need to be broke as quickly as I can without compromising the integrity of the training. The horses I train very seldom spend an entire training session at a nice, plodding walk because I may have 30 or 60 or 90 days to turn an unhandled 3-4 year old into a horse that your average intermediate rider can throw their saddle on and do a day's work in a feedlot/ranch/trail without serious incident.

I do a lot of work at a trot and lope, doing lots of stops (and I expect hard stops), fast turns, rollbacks, spins, etc. I can ride all that out on my old, broke, dependable horses without a saddle, but on most of the green horses I get, that would be difficult if not downright impossible.

I'm more comfortable and feel I have better 'sticky' in a saddle with a greenie.

Saddles generally add some stick and keep your seat steadier for the horse.

But nothing wrong with playing bareback. Handy if you've got half hour before dark to be able to hop on!
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I see where you are coming from. If I was doing something substantial, that would be something different or if I was in your shoes with a real purpose for the day when training multiple horses.

It has just been mostly basics and playing around while I have had one hand over the past seven weeks with these pins and cast on my arm. Been just nice laid back kind of stuff.

Cast and pins come off tomorrow and then more training under saddle soon.