“Are you nuts?!?”
“How can you ride that horse without a saddle?!?”
Easy.
I get on, and we go.
Alas, he sweats profusely, so I use a dressage pad and a lunging roller.
No stirrups, nothing else. Just that.
Yes, I was riding in sandals. It was hot and I forgot my boots.
Oz had to sniff my foot. 🙂
Well, people tend to see him tacked up, and he tends to be gung-ho to go. He practically tiptoes and stands very upright, giving the illusion that he is a) much bigger than he actually is, and b) extremely flighty, nervous and uncontrollable.
Well, wrong.
He’s 14.1hh, not the 15h people tend to think he is when he stands like that.
He’s also just excited to go, but not uncontrollable. Just eager.
Don’t get me wrong, he is not a slow horse, or a slacker. He’s extremely forward, one of the most forward horses I have ever ridden. When he is out, he wants to go. The faster the better.
So, when I dragged the pony to the gate, wearing nothing but a saddle pad and a bridle… there was apprehension from my fellow riders. “Are you SURE about this? We’ll wait for you to saddle him.”
I don’t need a saddle. In fact, I ride better without one.
The reason for that is a whole other post. 🙂
Anyway, we went out one day, 3 of us. Every time they wanted to speed up, they were like “Is it okay if we… (insert gait of choice)” and my answer was always “Just go ride like you always do. Don’t mind us. We’ll keep up.”
“It’s not…never mind. Just don’t fall off.”
On the way back, one of the horses got tangled in some loose branches, and spooked.
Oz, not to be outdone, exploded into a sympathy spook.
When he landed, I was scolding him for being an idiot.
Behind me was utter silence. I turn, and see both riders stare at me as if I’d grown three heads.
“What?”
“How the HELL did you stay on that? Jesus! Did you superglue yourself to his back???”
Muahahahha.
Those who ride bareback a lot will know exactly how I stayed on.
Those who have never ridden bareback… ought to try it some time to understand.
I have every single muscle at my disposal. Not just mine, but his too. It may only be a split second, but I can feel those muscles tense before he explodes. I know when, how high, which direction — before it happens. So I compensate accordingly. (I’ve been wrong, too, but not often.)
That is something you won’t get with a saddle. Any of them. It’s usually way to subtle to notice.
I’ve stayed on through a sudden 180 when we were surprised by motorcycles on the bridleway, and he spun in mid canter. (Don’t ask me how.)
Still, it’s unfathomable to a lot of people that I go hacking without a saddle. We never go long when I go bareback, because it’s uncomfortable for him over a long period. (Imagine having a weight pressing in the same spot on your back for 3 hours… so I don’t do that.)
It’s also one of the reasons I don’t do treeless saddles. It’s the weight distribution. I find it quite unreliable on the treeless, so my saddle has a proper tree.
However, the same people who frown when I scuttle about bareback, keep suggesting to go bitless.
“I can’t.” I tell them.
“Oh he’ll do fine, just practice in the arena first.”
“No, you don’t get it. I can’t. He’s a photoic head shaker.”
Blank look.
Hello, there is a reason I ride without a nose band. It irritates the hell out of him, due to the nerves firing in his face. Since every bitless bridle has a nose band… no. I can’t. It’s that simple. It’s not that I don’t want to, but if you think a bit is torture for this horse — a nose band acting on those sensitive, painful nerves is much, much worse.
By now, I’ve even ditched the brow band. Next step is finding a Meroth bit that works for him, so I can ditch the headstall altogether.
We shall see.
It’s been so grotty and constant rain, with deep, deep mud the past few months… there hasn’t been much riding at all. But hopefully it’ll dry up soon, and get a bit better.
Right now, his hooves are soft from the constantly wet ground, and even Stormy is feeling it.
So we’re not going out.
