by CliftonRoy

Created on: July 31, 2008   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

Being One with Your Horse

As anyone that has owned a horse knows, the relationship you have with your horse is as personal as the one you may have with your favorite dog. Like a child, your horse depends on you for everything from love to food.

Most people feel safer when they have a saddle between themselves and the horse. I believe there is something inherently more personal when there is nothing between the horse and the rider. Maybe it is the same sort of togetherness that we feel when we can actually touch those we love. So much can be translated with the simple touch of a hand, and I believe your horse is just as aware of this transfer of emotions, as the members of your own family are.

As a young teenager growing up in the rural areas of Louisiana, riding horses was a weekly and I can almost say, a daily occurrence. We would ride our horses in parades, at rodeos, and one our favorite activities was going on trail rides. Although you might occasionally see someone riding bareback, it was very seldom. I always took good care of my saddle and other riding tack, but one day a stirrup broke and I was without the use of my saddle until I could afford to get it repaired, which was going to take a couple of weeks. Since riding my horse was one of my greatest pleasures, it really bummed me out.

I was standing by the barn brushing my horse down when I thought, heck, I'll just take it easy and ride him bareback around the farm. I led him over to the feeding trough and climbed up on him. He turned his head and looked back at me as if saying, hhmmm, this feels a little different, but I guess he didn't mind and he turned his head back around as if nothing was going on. So far, so good.

Even though I didn't have the saddle to steady myself, after a few minutes of riding, I began to get comfortable. When I started relaxing, I could feel him begin to relax and once I got accustomed to the feeling, I nudged him a little with my heels and away we went. I don't mind saying that when he got to really running, it was a little scary and I had to rein him in some just to slow down. However, after about an hour of riding, I begin to feel as if he and I were one and I began to enjoy the sensation of riding bareback.

Even though I had my saddle repaired with-in a couple of weeks, I would ride him bareback more and more. It was a joy not to have to mess with the saddle all the time and to tell you the truth, I believe he liked it better himself. Many times daddy would come home

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