Bareback pads? Pros, Cons?

Question

Do you use one?
What's your favorite brand?
How much does it cost?
Do you have a link?
Pros?
Cons?
Anything else?

lol sorry for my weirdness. But I'm thinking about getting one. :)

Answer 1

http://www.diamondwoolpads.com/product.asp?CID=3&PID=41

I really like the diamond wool brand pad that is shown in the link above. We've had ours for over 10 years and they are still in good condition. There are two reasons that I prefer to use them when riding bareback.

- In the summer it is terribly humid and hot, and I don't like feeling like I peed my pants on a sweaty horse.

- In the winter it is so cold (here in Minnesota) that you cannot ride longer than a minute without snowpants of some sort, and on a woolly horse its like a Slip-N-Slide. Bareback also helps to keep you warmer.



Stirrups on a bareback pad are a bad idea, and you don't need them anyway. On a bareback pad there is nothing to prevent it from turning if you shifted your weight too far into one stirrup. You would likely end up underneath your horse with your foot caught in the stirrup.



There are different sizes as far as the girth. There are also several different styles.

The kind we have at home has a kind of buckle with teeth that grip the other strap, we have one that is horse size and one that is pony, the difference is in the length of the strap.



I love the fact that this pad is wool on the bottom and suede on top, your pants grip to it well. Some people don't like that kind of buckle but I love it because it is so easy to reach down and tighten it while you're on. Other styles simply let you attach your own latigo, cinch, and off billet as you would on a western saddle.

Answer 2

Cashel Bareback Pad

Answer 3

Yes I use one at the place I ride at and I Like it a lot because being just on the horses back can be a little slippery and with the bareback pad that helps.

I'm not sure the exact brands we have there and the price varies they can cost $40 and some are $80 or more I would probably get a $60 or $70 one if it had good reviews so before buying read reviews online.

Answer 4

Ehh I'm not a big fan. Not against them though either.



I have one and have used a few others. They never work for me though. No matter what I do, they ALWAYS slide back, really far too. Which is extremely annoying and drives me insane, so I just don't use them at all anymore.

I can ride regular bareback no problem at all. I don't need a bareback pad, so I have no reason to use one.



BUT, I think that they are AWESOME for people just learning to ride or just learning to ride bareback. They're great for people just learning to ride because it'll give them the security of having some grip, but won't make them dependent on the saddle.

They're always great for people just getting used to riding bareback for pretty much the same reason. Grip. It's hard to just go straight into bareback without any experience because you feel like you're sliding all over the place, the bareback pad prevents slippage.



Overall, i think they're a great tool and very helpful. Just not my cup of tea.

Answer 5

Do you use one?

- I have a cashel soft saddle which is more like a cross between a saddle and a bareback pad. It's amazing. I used to have a reinsman tacky too bareback pad, which was awesome and had a great grip so it wouldn't slide. It got stolen though... With a bunch of other tack.



What's your favorite brand?

- Both that I've mentioned I love. But idk if the cashel is really considered a bareback pad. It's pushing it lol



How much does it cost?

- the cashel retails for 200 something new, but I got mine for free from a dear friend. The reinsman pad is 60 something new.

Do you have a link?

No... I'm on my phone so it's tough. Can you google it? lol, Sorry........

Pros?

The pros with the cashel is that I have a bad back and it's a lot more supportive than an actual bareback pad. The pros with the reinsman one is that it's closer contact but still good grip and keeps your pants clean.



Cons?

I guess that the reinsman one doesn't offer any support, and the cashel's cons are........ Not as close of contact? LOL. Pretty much the opposite of the pros but swapped



Anything else?



Nope :-]

Answer 6

I have this one:



http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=F48E8C9F-C91C-4E53-9717-AA09A6914380&item=39607&ccd=IFH003&utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=free&utm_content=39607



I paid around $75 for it.



Pros: it has a neoprene bottom and cinch to grip the horse so that it doesn't slip and it has a handle you can grab if you need it. And it comes with a water bottle even though I don't use mine.



Cons: Uhh...It's $75? I don't really know of any lol.



I absolutely love it. I was teaching my fiance how to ride and more often than not I made him ride in the bareback pad instead of the saddle so that he can really work up his balance. It's just cushy enough to be comfortable but not so thick that you feel like you're not riding bareback.

Answer 7

i use one and always will. it actually makes bareback riding safer if you have the right kind of pad. you need one with a grip on the underside to prevent it from slipping. the bareback pads have a grab strap for balance. there are all different kinds with different features and prices. dover.com is a good place to start. hope this helps!

Answer 8

I dont care about the brand- if its a good one..its good! lol I love this one. http://www.statelinetack.com/item/mustang-microsuede-bareback-pad/WIM01/

I dont have that one- but I was thinking of buying it for my holsteiner HUGE withered mare, but decided I would probably fall off with a trot like hers and 1 misbounce lol.

The good ones generally cost $40-$70.

You can get the super amazing ones anywhere from $100-$300



Pros for you- you get a better seat, stronger legs, stronger core, with PROPER riding, you get softer hands, seperation of seat, arm, leg (instead of your leg arms moving violently with your seat in the sitting trot).

Pros for your horse IF YOU ARE RIDING CORRECTLY- The horse will become softer to your seat, hand, leg.

Cons for you- easier chance to fall off obviously. if you arn't riding correctly, you can develop gorilla arms from trying to balance. Where you stick your elbows out and through your arms forward, curl up your rists etc.

Cons for the horse- since your chances of falling off are higher, if you do fall off the horse will quickly learn how to get you off. If you arn't riding correctly- you can cause the horse to duck behind the bit, be afraid of contact, cause the horse to 'run' in the trot or canter. cause the horse to be off balance, etc....

Answer 9

Truly I'd rather just wash my jeans more often and grab mane. I HATE mine. It's prolly a sucky brand and thats why but, it slips like crazy, sideways and back. Truly I feel safer without it. Sorry to the people that like them.

Answer 10

i personally don't like them they dont make to fit the horse proper i find riding with a bareback pad is not really riding bareback.

Answer 11

I personally don't like using bareback pads, Every time I have used one it always becomes lose no matter how tight you put it and it always slips back

Answer 12

I've never used one and I never will.



Pros: keeps horse sweat/hair off your butt



Cons: Makes riding bareback more dangerous

Answer 13

Why are all the answers so dull and short these days?

Answer 14

look a horse has a very sensitive back that is why there are saddles so if you planning to make a horse unride-able then by all means but i can assure you the horse will be unride-able