Icy is a sweet girl, a 7 year old pony with a bit of barn sourness in her. She is quickly overcoming that with almost daily handling and a plucky girl who is just about as stubborn as a pony!
I began my horseback riding experience as a young girl riding bareback. My mom felt it was the best way to learn to have excellent balance and coordination while riding a horse. I'm not worried about injury as my girls wear a helmet (something I never did) and they really don't have far to fall. My girls are not pulling on her mouth to overcompensate as initially they did take riding lessons with a saddle and they learned the reining then. I remind them to keep their heels lower than their toes - this is something I do even when they are in a saddle.
I was reading that bareback riding is not easier on a horses back and they prefer a saddle. Hmm. I usually always rode my horse bareback as a girl (I was light weight) and I think he preferred that during the hot summer months.
My plan is to alternate between the saddle and bareback. Does anyone have any thoughts on the subject?
