by Kelly Wilson
How to ride bareback
As kids we learnt to ride bareback out of necessity because our parents couldn’t afford to buy us saddles. The balance we gained in those early years gave us a great foundation, and even to this day we often ride bareback, including the very first ride on our young horses when we start their training.
At one Ribbon Day, when I was only seven years old, we forgot the girth for my saddle so I had to compete bareback. The judge couldn’t believe it and I remember placing third in my rider class. Back then, riding bareback was quite common and at most A&P shows there was a Bareback Rider over Hurdles class — which Vicki, Amanda and I frequently won. I still remember the raised eyebrows when Vicki competed bareback in a Grand Prix show-jumping class on her horse Witheze in 2009, and the thousands of spectators that were amazed by her jumping 1.82 metres bareback in the 2011 Horse of the Year Puissance on Showtym Girl.
Riding bareback improves your skills as a rider, fine-tunes your balance, improves your stickability and enhances your communication with your horse, so it’s a valuable skill to gain if you’re serious about your riding. On the following pages we’ve outlined some of the key benefits to riding bareback and some of our top tips so that you can give it a go.
Benefits of riding bareback
Bareback riding is a great way to develop your strength as a rider. Without a saddle to support you, you must rely on your legs and core to keep yourself upright and on the horse.
Bareback riding truly tests your balance and will help identify areas where your position can be improved, helping you to move more in tune with your pony’s movements.
Bareback riding allows you to feel your horse’s muscles moving and shifting beneath you, developing your awareness of how your horse’s body moves and reacts when you shift your weight.
Bareback riding will increase your stickability, making it easier to stay on the next time your horse spooks or bolts under saddle. Because you’re able to feel your pony’s muscles shifting, it’s also easier to anticipate when something is about to go wrong, often avoiding potential accidents.
Top tips for riding bareback
Before you begin, be sure you have mastered the halt, turning, walk, trot and canter in the saddle, with and without stirrups.
Mounting your pony bareback, without the aid of stirrups, can be difficult. The best way is to learn how to vault or jump onto your pony bareback, but in the meantime a mounting block, or having someone to give you a leg up, works just as well.
A good position in the saddle is the same when riding bareback. The alignment from your ear, shoulder, hip and heel should form a straight line — see the illustration on page 161.
Mastering the sitting trot in the saddle will help your balance when trotting bareback for the first time. Keep your legs long and heels down. Think of letting your weight sink down through your ‘seat cushions’ and legs.
If you start to lose your balance, don’t clench the horse with your legs. Your pony could understand this as a cue to move faster.
Whatever you do, don’t use the reins for balance. That will confuse and hurt your pony, especially if they’re wearing a bit.
Going up hills or banks can be a challenge bareback. Lean forward to get your weight off your pony’s back and use handfuls of mane to stop sliding backwards.
When you first start trotting and cantering bareback it can help to have someone lunge your pony; that way you don’t have to worry about controlling your pony, and can concentrate on maintaining your seat.
Jumping bareback
Hands: when jumping, your hands should stay soft and there should be a crease in the reins to ensure you don’t pull on the horse’s mouth.
Head: you should be looking up, in the direction that you are riding in, which will help your horse stay straight and balanced.
Legs: a good leg position should be the same with or without a saddle, with the lower leg on the girth area for balance.
Glossary
A&P Show agricultural and pastoral fair with displays of livestock and farming equipment, entertainment, food stalls and competitions — including show jumping.
Arabian an ancient horse breed from the Arabian Peninsula, known for their distinctive heads, speed and intelligence.
barrel race a horse and rider race around a series of barrels. Whoever gets around the course in the fastest time — without knocking over any barrels — is the winner.
bit the metal mouthpiece of a bridle.
bridle gear placed on the horse’s head — including the bit and reins — that is used to direct and guide the animal.
browbands the strap on the bridle which goes over the horse’s brow or forehead. Browbands can be plain leather or include bright decorations.
buck a bucking horse jumps and arches its back, which makes it very hard for the rider to stay on.
bush, the a New Zealand word for the forest.
canter the horse gait between a trot and a gallop.
colic abdominal pain in a horse. Always call your veterinarian if you think your horse has colic as it can be very serious.
crossbars a simple horse jump with a horizontal bar raised on two vertical posts. The height of the horizontal bar can be adjusted according to how high a horse can jump.
dished a head shape similar to a seahorse, which is common in Arabian horses.
dressage a form of horse training where horse and rider work together to learn a collection of particular movements — a bit like dance! In competitions, horses are judged on their balance, movement and obedience.
farm a ranch where livestock are raised.
faults penalties given during show-jumping competitions — for example, if a horse refuses to jump or knocks over a rail.
float a horse float, a horse carrier that is hitched up to a separate vehicle.
formation ride a competition in which several riders and their horses must ride together in a particular routine.
gait the way a horse moves; a walk, trot, canter or gallop.
gallop the fastest horse gait.
gelding a castrated male horse.
girth a cinch, the band that secures the saddle to a horse.
Grand Prix show jumping the top level of show jumping.
hand ponies and horses are measured in ‘hands’. One hand equals 4 inches (10.16cm).
halt to come to a stop.
halter a harness for a horse’s head, used to lead the horse.
hunter class event a competition in which a horse and rider must navigate a course of fences.
jig-jog between a walk and a slow trot, a jig-jogging horse is very uncomfortable to ride. Horses jig-jog for a number of different reasons including anxiety or excitement.
jump standard the standards on each side of the jump, used to adjust the jump height.
jumper a sweater.
lead rein (rope) the rope used to guide a horse.
mane the hair that grows on the top ridge of a horse’s neck.
muzzle the nose and jaws of a horse.
nicker a relatively quiet vibrating noise, which the horse makes with its mouth closed, usually as a sign of affection.
oxer a jump with two horizontal rails set across from each other with a gap between. This makes the jump wider and more challenging for the horse.
paddock a pasture or field of grass where horses are kept.
pick out (hooves) to clear a horse’s hooves of stone and debris.
pony small horse breeds that are under 14.2 hands tall.
rear a horse throws its head up and stands on its hind legs when rearing. This can be very dangerous for a rider as they can easily fall off the horse.
Ribbon Day a day of competitions where ribbons are awarded as prizes to the winners.
Royal Easter Show an annual event held at Easter with carnival rides, agricultural events, live music, food stalls and sporting events.
rugged to cover a horse in a rug to protect them from extreme weather conditions.
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tack horse equipment.
trek riding a pony or horse across country, also known as trail riding.
trot the gait between a walk and a canter.
truck a horse truck, a vehicle and horse carrier in one.
unbroken a horse that has not been trained and is therefore not safe to ride.
walk the slowest horse gait.
withers the bony ridge between a horse’s shoulder blades, at the bottom of the neck. The height of a horse is measured from the withers to the ground.
woolshed a large shed on a farm, used for shearing sheep.
Thank you
AT THE TIME, THE LESSONS we learnt from Casper seemed ground-breaking. The way his behaviour changed after having his teeth done was obvious, and it was a relief to be able to offer him a more comfortable and happier life.
In the twenty years since then, our knowledge about sore and difficult horses has grown extensively. Each problem pony we encountered (and there have been many of them) began a quest to search for solutions to their behavioural issues, rather than punishing them for misbehaving. In hindsight we missed many diagnoses, and there are countless horses that we could have helped if only we’d stumbled across the answer sooner.
Books, manuals, theses and magazine articles became our constant companions, and every time we paid a professional to care for our ponies we used it as an opportunity to ask questions and learn from them. Over the years, the pieces of knowledge gleaned from vets, equine dentists, farriers and physios began to come together to form a picture of horse behaviour which showed us how pain can affect these creatures.
While Amanda and I paid little attention in the early days, both Mum and our older sister, Vicki, were committed to learning as much as possible. Later, when our own interest in horse welfare grew, they were always ready to share their knowledge. For that we are thankful.
Like most lessons, the ones that stayed with us were gained through first-hand experience. Of the hundreds of horses and ponies that have come into our lives, there have been a number of issues to resolve. From horses with poorly fitting saddles and dental issues like Casper’s, to skeletal damage and bone splints, to colic, fencing wounds, tetanus and poisoning, we have never been short of learning opportunities.
The most important lesson has been to understand the way in which horses communicate, for although they cannot speak, they are always trying to show us what is wrong. Bucking, kicking, biting, rearing and bolting are only some of the many ways in which our horses have shown their discomfort over the years. The subtler ways, like pinning their ears back, wrinkling their muzzle, showing the whites of their eyes, swishing a tail or holding their body tense are all things we’ve learnt to watch out for.
So thank you to our horses, for constantly teaching us about themselves. We hope that after a lifetime of learning we will be even closer to understanding these wonderful creatures so that we can strive to give them the best life imaginable.
As always, thanks must also go to my family. Without them, these books wouldn’t be possible. Mum and Dad, thank you for the childhood you gave us — I hope one day my own kids can be as free and fun-loving as we were, enjoying the great outdoors like we did, rather than depending on technology for their entertainment. I value the lifestyle we grew up with and wish every child could experience the benefits of living in close contact with animals and nature.
Thanks also to my sisters, the best sidekicks any girl could wish for. So many of the adventures we had as children are still part of our everyday lives. I love the nostalgia of riding bareback, swimming our ponies at the beach, caring for sick and injured animals, galloping over the farm, riding in the dark, making jumps and obstacles out of odds and ends and rescuing horses that others see no value in. Although twenty years have passed since the events described in this book, we are fundamentally the same and take pleasure in the simple things in life. I hope that never changes.
DID YOU ENJOY THIS BOOK?
We love hearing from readers! Here’s what some of you have told us about Dandy, the Mountain Pony
“First day with Dandy and can’t put it down!!” — Madi
“I loved it so much.” — Ruby
“I absolutely loved it to pieces. It has inspired me that girls can do anything and dreams really can come true if you want them to. It was a fantastic book. I would rate it 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, stars and even more! Please make more books because I am very excited for the next one.” — Augustine
“Dandy, the Mountain Pony had such a friendly vibe to it that made me not want to put the book down! I felt like I was really there watching the action and willing them to succeed.” — Charlotte
“I’m 11 years old. Nana bought me the book about Vicki’s story of Dandy, the Mountain Pony … on the 2nd chapter I was picturing about what was happening and I hope that I follow in your footsteps with horses.” — Evelyn
“I have finished reading Dandy, the Mountain Pony and it’s truly amazing. I keep reading it over and over.” — Nikita
“I cannot wait until I can read Cameo, the Street Pony!” — Sienna
Have you read … Book 1 in the Showtym Adventures series?
DANDY, THE MOUNTAIN PONY
Let the adventure begin … taming a WILD pony!
When nine-year-old Vicki Wilson’s beloved lease pony is sold, she is heartbroken. Her family doesn’t have much money, and she is desperate to have a pony of her own so she can keep riding.
Then Vicki has the chance she has been waiting for, to tame and train her own wild pony! How will she earn the trust of her beautiful new chestnut? And will Dandy ever be quiet enough for her to ride at Pony Club or compete at Ribbon Days?
This book is inspired by the Wilson Sisters’ early years, where Vicki, Kelly and Amanda Wilson first encounter horses in the wild and learn what it takes to make them into champions.
Have you read … Book 2 in the Showtym Adventures series?
CAMEO,THE STREET PONY
The adventure continues … training a street pony into a show pony!
When nine-year-old Kelly Wilson outgrows her pony, her mum surprises her with a beautiful steel-grey mare that she spotted trotting down the street, tied to the back of a truck. But there’s a catch. Cameo has never been ridden!
While her sisters Vicki and Amanda are jumping higher than ever before, Kelly must face her fears on an untested pony. Will Cameo ever be ready for competitions? And will the girls’ ponies hold their own against the purebreds at the Royal Show?
This exciting story of setbacks and success, in which Vicki, Kelly and Amanda Wilson first experience the thrill of serious competition, is inspired by the Wilson Sisters’ early years.
Coming next … Don’t miss Book 4 in the Showtym Adventures
CHESSY, THE WELSH PONY
Diamonds in the rough — will these unwanted ponies find love?
Seven-year-old Amanda Wilson dreams of training her own wild pony, just as her big sisters have done. Then comes the chance she has been waiting for — a muster of beautiful Welsh ponies that have run wild in the hills.
Among them is Chessy, a striking stallion, and just the right size for Amanda. But small doesn’t equal easy, and first Amanda must prove she has what it takes by training Magic, a stroppy mare from Pony Club. Will Magic and Chessy ever be safe enough to join Amanda on her crazy adventures?
Vicki and Kelly must help Amanda to win her ponies’ trust in this engaging story of perseverance and reward, which is inspired by the Wilson Sisters’ early years.
About the Author
© Kelly Wilson
Kelly Wilson is an award-winning photographer and designer, and the bestselling author of four non-fiction books, For the Love of Horses, Stallion Challenges, Mustang Ride and Saving the Snowy Brumbies; a picture book, Ranger the Kaimanawa Stallion; and the Showtym Adventures series. With her sisters Vicki and Amanda, Kelly has starred in the hit-rating TV series, Keeping up wi
th the Kaimanawas, following their work taming New Zealand’s wild Kaimanawa horses, and has travelled to America and Australia to rescue and tame wild horses.
www.wilsonsisters.nz
PUFFIN
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First published by Penguin Random House New Zealand, 2018
Text © Kelly Wilson, 2018
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Design by Cat Taylor © Penguin Random House New Zealand
Author photo by Amanda Wilson
Illustrations by Heather Wilson © Penguin Random House New Zealand
Cover illustrations by Jenny Cooper © Penguin Random House New Zealand
A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of New Zealand.
ISBN: 978-0-14-377225-5
THE BEGINNING