Can someone explain to me why its so amazing to ride without bridle and saddle?

Question

I've only rode on a horse once, so I have no idea. I was just watching this video of this girl doing it and everyone was amazed. Please help me gain some perspective.

Answer 1

It is the best. It helps to feel more confident while you are riding. It also helps the horse by letting it  actually feel someone riding it with out a saddle or bridal.

Answer 2

it's like having freedom.

Answer 3

Riding a horse is all about communication.  When you ride, you use your body to communicate to the horse.  You should use your seat and legs to communicate, but the major communication comes through your hands because you use the reins to tell the horse to turn or slow down.  You should use your legs to help you turn, but the major part of turning or slowing is the hands.  The saddle is useful to keep your balance on the horse.  You can ride bareback, but you have to have really good balance.  Riding bareback is pretty common.  Riding without a bridle is very special.  to ride without a saddle and without a bridle shows that you have really excellent communication with the horse.  It's rare to be able to communicate that well... and to do it while you're balancing without a saddle is really awesome.

Does that make sense?

Answer 4

I rode horses from the time when I was around 7 until about 32, most horses I rode were thoroughbreds on the track, so never really got to experience that, what you are asking, at the track. Although when I was about 18, my dad gave to me one of his retired tb's. that I used to exercise and groom throughout that horses career, he raced til 9 yrs. old, and I galloped him for about 7 of those nine yrs. He was an amazingly fast gelding and a very nice horse. He stood a bit over 16 hands, was grey, but turned almost white as he got older. When I had him I was retraining him to be a pleasure or jumping horse and I kept in a good sized pasture, 50 or 60 acres, with about 8 or 9 other horses. The pasture was beautiful with a small lake, a creek and some tree stands. And here is what I am getting at, my only experience with what you are asking about, it was amazing.

A few times a year, and it was completely his doing, I can't remember how we started this thing, but that's immaterial, he (Maw Nipper was his racing name) would gallop up to the gate where I would be standing waiting to take him to feed, (usu. he was waiting at the gate for me, but on these special occasions it was the other way around) and would plant his feet just as he got to me and would wheel around and point his head in the opposite direction of the gate and from this cue I knew that he wanted to play our game. So, I would grab a handful of main and swing up on his back, with nothing on him, not even a halter, absolutely nothing, and he would take off strait for where the other horses were and get them all riled up until, by horse playing(looks like fighting) with the other horses and running around them until they all would take off running and maw would weave through the pack in a full gallop til he was the on the lead and we would all gallop around pasture through the creek and around and sometimes through the trees for 5 or 8 minutes, just having horse fun and then finally when he was done, he would just cut and run for the gate leaving the other horses far behind. Usually we were at the opposite end of the pasture, so it was a long and full out run for the gate only come to a skidding stop just as we reached the it and I would slide off open the gate and we would walk together to his stall. It was the most amazing feeling that I ever experienced in my life, I knew for the first time what it felt like to be a free horse amongst other horses. But I never had any control, I was just along for the fun of it and the ride, and it was great, absolutely a liberating feeling.

Now like I said, I rode this horse most all his life, But whenever I see pictures of Maw Nipper (whether they be winning pictures, he won 37 races in his career, or just family photos, he was part of our family, I immediately think of those few precious moments when he took me for the ride and let me feel the freedom of it all.

Thanks for your Q. and the memory it brought to the surface. Now I can start my day.