Fox Hunting Bridleless!

In my travels throughout the web researching the Micklem bridle and other bitless bridles, I somehow stumbled across this rather awesome page. Chris Armour's Help for Heroes page A huntsman named Chris Armour has a fund raising page set up to raise money for soldiers wounded in the conflict in the Middle East. He rode his horse on a hunt without a bridle to bring interest to the cause. If you go to the link, be sure to check out the pictures on the page.

I also found a video of his ride!



More pictures can be found here Saddlesoap.co.uk.

I wish I could have seen more. I've fox hunted in the past and it can be a wild ride sometimes. I give Mr. Armour and his horse, River, credit to have that good a partnership that they could safely ride in company out in the open country without a bit or bridle. I've seen demonstrations of bridleless riding, much like those about to follow, but never quite in this context.

Here are 3 more really great videos of bridleless riding;







And no bridleless riding post would be complete without Stacey Westfall and Roxy!



"Sigh" I can't wait for this winter to thaw out. I miss riding.

Nevzorov Haute Ecole - Beautiful!

Just - wow! This is lovely to watch. Don't stop with this one, check out the other Nevzorov videos on YouTube!

And here's more: Alexander Nevzorov

iGallop vs. Bareback

This is a silly idea but it does not surprise me. I suppose if you live in a city in an apartment and love horses and take a riding lesson once a week it might be a way to try and get fit to ride so your one day in the saddle would be muscle ache free. Hmm, even so, after thinking about it, why not take the $300.00 or so you'd spend on this thing and go take a few extra riding lessons?

But for those of us owning a live, rideable horse, why on earth would you want to spend money on one of these when you can get on the real one and do the same thing? (okay for anyone reading this with one of the following: greenie, hot head TB, horse with rough gaits or horse with "issues" maybe you will find one of these useful) ;)

For anyone with a mostly reliable mount, you can get on the live horse and at least drop your stirrups from your saddle if you are not comfortable with bareback. I couldn't take myself seriously sitting on an electric horse in front of the television when there are more physical and spiritual benefits to be had from time spent with the real thing.

iGallop - another piece of exercise equipment to join the stationary bike and weight bench as a convenient place to hang laundry.

Bareback at 42

Just got home from riding. Had to keep it short tonight because I didn't get to the barn until 8:00PM. So I opted for bareback. Now, I think I'm almost at the point in my riding career where I just don't feel I should be sitting on a horse without a saddle. I may have days where I'll tempt fate and do it but for the most part, the little extra grip afforded by a bareback pad is the way I go now.

I have a nice bareback pad that is shaped to fit the horses' back and is very simple compared to some of the styles out there. It's pictured above and here's the name of it - Contour Tacky Back Bareback Pad and the catalog copy - "Designed with your safety in mind, this pad has a tacky underside that helps absorb shock, is easy to clean and prevents the slip or rolling problem found with other bareback pads. Heavy-duty buckle adjustments and a durable herculon top make this one of the nicest you've ever seen."

and my review:
I love the way this bareback pad is contoured and fits my horses back! I always hated the way bareback pads will shift from side to side when you ride, this one really does stay put. I have even jumped with it! I also like the fact that it does not come with stirrups, that's less stuff to interfere with my leg contact and position. It's comfortable for me and my horse, I like to use a baby pad underneath just to keep the bareback pad from getting too dirty. The workmanship and materials are excellent and it is worth the price. Definitely a good purchase!

So there I am, 42 years old, not exactly at my riding prime but still willing and balanced enough to enjoy the ride without a saddle. Monty was a doll, with just a Dee snaffle he and I walked and trotted for a half hour. I still love to sit his trot without a saddle. There is nothing that will improve your balance and feel like spending time on horseback with no saddle