This bareback thing is a lot harder than it looks...

  Oh how I miss my saddle. I want that comfy, soft, leather thing made by the gods on my horses back and underneath of me again. Unfortunately for me, 1) It won't get here until at least another month and a half. and 2) I promised myself I'd conquer my horse bareback over the summer.



  Riding bareback is anything but easy, especially with Udex. He is so bony, has massive withers, and has such powerful steps. I don't feel like I'm going to fall when I ride him without a saddle- it's just that he is so, so, so uncomfortable. Even with a saddle on his back he's not the most smooth ride.. taking away the comfortable feeling of a saddle and sitting directly on Udex's back gives you an unreal feeling- And I don't mean that in a good way. If you don't know what you're doing in trot you will spring right off his bony back. It's easier to do rising trot bareback with him versus sitting trot. His steps naturally give you a little something to help yourself rise while trotting. While that extra "something" works with you during rising trot, it really can manage to work against you during sitting trot! Udex has a funky canter due to rollkur; he moves like like a rocking horse. However, I find his canter really nice to sit compared to his walk and trot. It's so easy to count his stride and find a nice way to sit to the rhythm.

Udex and I cantering.

  A few days ago I rode Udex in one of the outdoor arenas. Apparently wind (especially 35mph wind!) makes the horses hyper and crazy. First I let Udex play to get some energy out. He thought he was a thoroughbred. He ran his little lungs out and elongated his stride! He was like lightning! After about ten minutes of racing with the wind I thought there would be no way he would want to run while I was riding. Since Udex happens to be Udex, I of course was very wrong. The entire way to from his stall to the arena he was prancing. He knew he was going to ride and was just as excited as I was! The first bit of the ride was great- He was walking obediently with his head down. During trot he was rushing and just wanted to go. If he'd have tried to pull that stunt while I was riding him in the saddle I would have easily been able to set him in his place and correct that behavior.. However because of the fact I was bareback, I had to focus more on staying on his back rather than getting him at the perfect pace and in a nice frame. The canter wasn't any better. The first few strides were okay, and then Udex decided to take off. Sitting him at a fast canter isn't hard- I actually find it fun. The hard part is the transition that comes after the canter. I find that extremely difficult to sit without the support from the saddle. As Udex took off I was trying hard to both sit without loosing balance, and to stop him. That's not easy to do- especially when your bareback pad is slipping back taking you with it with every stride. Udex made a sudden stop at one of the fences- by the time he stopped I was sitting on his withers! Once again- if I had my saddle this is something that would have never gotten out of hand.

At least the walk was okay.

 As disappointed as I am to admit it- Mr. Udex got away with his speedy trot and canter. Bareback is so difficult because you not only have to focus on what you'd normally do... but you also have to work harder to stay on your horses back! Well, okay maybe for other people bareback comes a bit more natural, but for me it's something that needs a lot of work! I hope that by the end of summer I'll be able to ride Udex just as good without saddle as I could with! (:

"Rollkur opponents care for horses. Rollkur proponents care more for success."