Since we talked earlier about riding with a bareback pad, we should talk about the equipment itself and the features available to you.  There’s nothing worse than buying a pad that constantly slips, has buckles or a latigo knot under your knees/thigh area, or is made of poorly padded material that allows your seat bones to dig into your horses back. 

What makes a great bareback pad?  A great example is the one we have selected to represent us here at HorseThink.  It’s manufactured just for us here in the U.S. 

This pad is well-made.  It has a suede seat for better grip between you and the pad.  The padding between you and the horse is thick enough to protect your rear-end and his back.  And there’s a bottom layer of a special waffled neoprene for better grip on the horse.  The pad features a leather hand-hold to help you maintain a steady seat while you’re working on improving your balance. 

And best of all, there are English-style billets to get the girth and buckles out from under your leg.  Many other pads use a western-style latigo and cinch that results in a knot under your leg, interfering with the effective contact between you and your horse.  It’s far superior to any other pad that I’ve used for this one feature alone.  

Go to our products page at Horsethink Products and check out the quality pads.  Your balance is important to you and your horse.  Proper balance is one of the most important aspects of your riding.  No piece of equipment can replace good balance.  Invest in you and your horse by improving your balance – practice with a bareback pad.