There are all sorts of exercises designed to make you a better rider. From riding in two-point to riding without stirrups, the varieties are endless. But have you ever thought about riding bareback instead? Bareback riding has its own unique set of advantages that can help with your development and improvement as a rider. Here’s why.

Develop the Right Muscles

When riding bareback, your main source of support – your saddle – is taken away. You must support yourself using your core strength, which is essential for every rider to have. In addition to developing your core, riding bareback helps to further develop your leg muscles. This added strength and muscle tone will make riding with a saddle easier, and you’ll be a more effective rider because of it.

Become Aware of Imbalances

Good balance is vital when riding bareback, and if you’re off-balance you’ll quickly become aware of it. Whereas a saddle can help to hold you in place, allowing you to ride crookedly, you will be better able to sense discrepancies in your balance as you ride bareback.

As you ride bareback, try to relax your legs and rely on your seat to keep you centered. If you’re looking to further check your balance, have a friend watch you ride a straight line from behind. They should note whether there’s a curve in your spine, whether your hips are slanted, and whether one shoulder is higher than the other. Additionally, you can close your eyes while riding bareback for a further challenge and to help check your balance.

Improve Your Posture

Habits like slumped shoulders and overarched backs will quickly reveal themselves when you’re riding bareback. Removing the saddle means that you have to stay centered, not only side-to-side, but front-to-back. If you have a habit of leaning too far forward, you’ll quickly notice that you feel off-balance bareback and will need to work harder to keep yourself secure. Where the saddle typically lends you security and stability, your posture needs to make up for that when riding bareback. Looking to fix posture problems? A few bareback rides can help.

Become Aware of Your Horse

Through bareback riding, you can’t help but become more aware of your horse’s body movement and signals. Whereas a saddle blocks and cushions some of your horse’s movement, you can feel your horse’s spine and back muscles move and shift with every step when you’re riding bareback. Pay attention to the way that your horse’s body moves and shifts at different gaits, both on a straight line and in circles. Having a better understanding of your horse’s body movement can make you a better rider.

Riding bareback has tons of advantages. Remember to just start out with a few minutes of bareback work at a time. It won’t be long before you’ll be able to see improvements in your riding.

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Original Source: Looking to Become a Better Rider? Try Bareback!