Saddle? I have tried several (GP, Western, Aussie, Trail and Endurance). They all seem to take away from the experience, My balance is disturbed and there is less contact/feel. The stirrups seems to be the biggest problem, my entire riding position seems to be negatively affected by them. I tried to ride without them, but I am constantly pushed forward in the saddle. Its really uncomfortable.

i would suspect that when in a saddle without stirrups you are riding in a position that is tilting you farther forward on your pelvis than you need to be and are feeling 'pushed forward'. do you find yourself leaning forward often while riding? try sitting up straighter and back 'on your pockets' a little bit more (but don't tuck your bum underneath you too far). the position we take up while riding bareback is a bit different than when in a saddle, so your riding style does need to adjust for that.

you may also be trying saddles that are not fitting you well enough, and the 'pushing forward' is your body trying to find a secure position in a saddle that just can't give that to you due to ill fit.

if you primarily ride bareback then using a saddle will be something to get used to. even if your riding experience spans many years it would be a good idea to go for a few lessons in the discipline of the type of saddle you prefer most, just to get a refresher on riding correctly and riding in a saddle. i know i've picked up some bad riding habits that need corrected, but sadly the budget doesn't allow any lessons for me right now.

 

Thank you for the advice.

None of the saddles I tried fit me specifically, they were just saddles I borrowed here and there. Also, I have never had formal riding lessons, so that might definitely help too.

I still wonder, could riding without stirrups in a saddle be a good thing?

 

Just find a saddle that fits you and your horse then take the stirrups off and see how it goes.
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EdmontonHorseGal is absolutely right. If the saddle doesn't fit you or your horse it can be more of a pain that it's worth. You should try working with a professional to help you find a saddle that fits you and your horse and take a handful of lessons. You should find that you feel a lot more comfortable.

To answer your other question, yes, riding in a saddle without stirrups is completely acceptable and can be beneficial to you as a rider for the sake of finding your seat and gaining you leg strength. A lot of instructors will remove the stirrups from their students' saddles to improve their riding ability. Though, as you get used to riding in a saddle and if you find a saddle that fits, you may find that you can have stirrups on your saddle and not be bothered by them.

Also, a close contact may feel a little better to you than any other type of saddle as you generally feel closer to the horse and have less of a seat to hold you in. However, once you start riding in a saddle, you may change your mind. The best way to figure out what you like is to try riding in some saddles for a while, preferably in a lesson setting and start forming some opinions!

 

I guess there is no way around, all answers point to a proper fitting saddle and some riding lessons (I hope I can afford it).

Generally, the less restrictive and bulky a saddle is, the more I like it. That sounds like a GP I suppose.

 

The least restrictive thing that you could find would probably be a flat close contact with minimal padding. Just take the stirrups off.
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When people ride bareback they often don't realize how much they move or shift the weight, unlike in a saddle. This offers the horse relief plus if you pinch your tush it will remove the pelvic pressure and help you build a shapely bum. If the withers are boney you might want to use a thick western pad. A length of 3" webbing with holes burned into it works well with a neoprene cinch with a buckle at each end.

 

What about a training saddle like they use on TBs, just remove the stirrups? Or would there be too little distribution there without a full tree and defeat the purpose? Just a thought!

 

You mean something like this?

That's a great idea! Looks like the closest contact least restrictive saddle one can get.

I found some of these exercise saddles that do have a full tree, so I guess weight distribution should be descent on those.

Anyone have any experience with them? I have never seen one.

 

Just a thought what about this?

http://dashwillemse.wix.com/pandorasaddles

They are also on facebook if you type in Pandora performance saddles.

 

Just a thought what about this?

They are also on facebook if you type in Pandora performance saddles.

Looks nice, very close contact. The price tag is a bit heavy for me, especially since I have to import it to South Africa. Thanks for sharing anyway!

What about a high quality bareback pad? We ride ours ($300 price point) over top of a thick contoured western pad. No slipping and excellent protection for the horse.

Yes, I thought I will research saddles for a bit but if I do not find anything I will go for a bareback pad. Its just the lack of weight distribution that make me give preference to a saddle.

 

What about a high quality barebaack pad? We ride ours ($300 price point) over top of a thick contoured western pad. No slipping and excellent protection for the horse.
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Yeah I completely forgot about price until after I uploaded the details.

Yeah too bad (for you) they are in Australia. I went to school with the girl who started the business and she is actually from South Africa lol.

 

When I saw the website I first thought it must be from South Africa because they use the word "LEKKER" which is Afrikaans (my mother tongue ). It is such a nice word that the English adopted it.

 

Have you considered a treeless?