BAREBACK PADS --- we have tried several

48 Hour Filmmaker: New Mexico 2008

We'll be able to ride, but not with our bareback pads LOL, but helping make a 48 hour movie should be fun!! Here are 6 bareback pads we found on the internet. We have personally tried 4 of them, and here is our assessment...

Also reviewed is a mounting aid made for a bareback horse, and a great UnderPad to help protect your valuable pads from dirt, sweat, and hair! AND they are washable in a regular washing machine, AS LONG AS IT HAS A GOOD LINT FILTER!!!!
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Here are 6 bareback pads we found on the internet. We have personally tried 4 of them, and here is our assessment...

Also reviewed is a mounting aid made for a bareback horse, and a great UnderPad to help protect your valuable pads from dirt, sweat, and hair! AND they are washable in a regular washing machine, AS LONG AS IT HAS A GOOD LINT FILTER!!!!
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Clicking the link gives Tips for Prevention and ''Cure'' of Equine Colic. This method has given us 99.999% success since 1976.

We also use a great Non Toxic Fly Spray, healthy to horses, humans, and the planet!
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Diamond Wool Deluxe Bareback Pad

Bareback pads come in many price ranges;  the advantage of this bareback pad is that it has heavy rings for the breast collar.  Disadvantage is the buckle arrangement for the cinch.

This Bareback Riding Padis what 3 of us have bought. Char has brown, Annie has green, and Karen has purple!

We like this pad because it has big, strong rings to hold a breast collar. The suede surface gives a very secure feeling to the rider, especially when they are first riding bareback.

HUGE DRAWBACK........ the cinching system is not only that old fashioned hard to use tooth-clip, but the cinch is several inches too long for any of our horses, even with under pads and saddle blankets.

The photo below shows what I did to the one I have here for guests. Both sides have the ''latigo'' into which I have burned holes (holding a large awl on the flame of our cooking stove)-- but since the material is not synthetic, the holes did not ''melt'' and tore. I then had to sew some leather on both sides and use a leather punch. Then it was PERFECT!!!!!

A regular western cinch can then be used and adjusted on both sides. AND the cinch has rings for the bottom end of the breast collar.
Bareback pads can be tweaked a bit; add a real cinch and the horse is more comfortable, and the bareback pad more secure. Many bareback pads come with a very unsatisfactory cinch system; it does not stay very tight, and the flat thin strap can hurt the horses's belly after a short ride.
The near photo is the old cinch, look familiar?
The photo far left shows what I did to the one I have here for guests. Both sides have the ''latigo'' into which I have burned holes (holding a large awl on the flame of our cooking stove)-- but since the material is not synthetic, the holes did not ''melt'' and tore. I then had to sew some leather on both sides and use a leather punch. Then it was PERFECT!!!!!

A regular western cinch can then be used and adjusted on both sides. AND the cinch has rings for the bottom end of the breast collar.



Char was having a terrible time keeping her bareback pad tight enough with that terrible old system, so she recently took her bareback pad to our friend who makes and repairs saddles; he stitches a great leather with D rings, and now char has a REAL cinch system!



Char chose to have the D-rings higher than I would have; my knees hit them on her pad and when I take mine in, I will have the leather strap made about 4'' longer on each side......






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Susie's bareback pad is really pretty and she loves it!  No rings for a breast collar, but the cinch system is very good. Susie's Bareback Riding Pad is actually the honey-colored one, and boy does it look great on her Chestnut Arabian gelding, Z!!!


Reinsman® Contoured Tacky-Too™ Bareback Pad

A bareback pad with an interesting backing and a good cinch system.

Tacky Toobareback pads come in many colors, and we had ordered an ''Aztec'' one, but it arrived in plain brown, so off it went, back to the maker. It was nicely made, and the sticky bottom was an interesting feature!


Drawback..... no place for attaching a breast collar.



Baretek

Lisa bought this somewhat spendy bareback pad.  It has a more substantial seat and a good cinch system.  Lisa loves her bareback pad a lot.

Lisa bought the ''english'' version of the Baretek Pad, and the long flaps are just long enough. I would imagine the ''western'' style would not be good for long rides unless one has a long saddle blanket, or getting sweaty is not an issue.

This pad has a terrific cinch system, and great rings for the breast collar! It is VERY COMFY, and Lisa is thrilled!



Toklat Bareback Pad

We have used many fine quality products from Toklat (which is actually a location in the Denali National Park of Alaska and the name of the river that runs through it.)

Once again, a nice bareback pad that we have in our tack room, but missing that very valuable ring for attaching the breast collar. Good cinching method tho!

El Companero Bareback Rider

What a gorgeous bareback pad!  No one we know has tried this one yet, but it sure looks pretty!

Bareback Padscome in every design you can imagine, and this rather spendy one has some great features. No one here has bought one yet, but we look forward to seeing one in person one of these days!



KV Vet Econo Pad

We bought this very inexpensive bareback pad just as a spare.  Good for short distances when you just want to keep the hair, dirt, and sweat off your jeans!

Little Econo Padthat has the breast collar rings, a ''real'' cinch, and fits the horse quite well.


MY HOMEMADE BAREBACK PAD

Homemade bareback pad that I made several years ago; it is a work in progress but works very well.  Using a real cinch and latigo allows it to be cinched tight-- added rings for a breast collar.

I am working on a detailed ''instruction'' page for this pad, which works really well. Read my wikiHowpage for the start of homemade pads!


Favorite Saddle Bags with Water Bottle Pockets

Carrying plenty of quality drinking water is an important part of any horseback ride, for humans as well as doggies!!!! Finding a great saddlebag with balanced water and pockets is a challenge, but finally I found an Ebay store with just the right ones!! AND they come in many colors!

Bareback pads really need some saddle bags of some kind; carrying water is essential for long rides!!

Bare-Up Mounting Aid

When riding on a bareback pad, mounting out in the field can be a  problem; this device is good, but not long enough to fit over a bareback pad

Bareback Mountingoffers some interesting challenges, we'll soon have some YouTubes of a few of the funny ways we get on our horses!!!

We got one of these Bare-Up Mounting Aids, and found it really worked IF your horse had no bareback pad. Ours needs about 8'' added to the end, then we can bring it with us for emergencies....

One of our favorite ways to mount when there is nothing around, get the horse right next to someone with a saddle and ''borrow'' their stirrup!


Saddle Pad with Pockets

We found a terrific Saddle Pad that also has roomy pockets. This saddle pad protects your bareback pad, and gives some additional comfort to the ''Horse Bones'' (Ischium Tuberosity).

My homemade bareback pad uses an Australian Saddle Pad that has pockets, very handy for many things we take horseback riding.


Saddle Blanket Under Pad Protection

Is your saddle blanket getting sweaty and dirty? Boy are they hard to get clean again; too big, too covered with hair and sweat for the clothes washing machine. They never get clean enough when sprayed with water.

MY NEW SOLUTION?? Underpads!! Yes, a friend sells ''reclaimed'' ambulance/hospital/nursing home pads

Just see the difference between the clean pad and the after a ride pad!! i LOVE that the hair and sweat and dirt are no longer on my good saddle blankets!!!

Sometimes I need to take a scrub brush to them to remove the excess hair, but usually I just put them in my older washing machine THAT HAS A LINT FILTER. Naturally, I use an all ''Green'' Nontoxic Laundry Concentrate, and it leaves no residue to harm the horses' backs.

Photos of pads Before riding and After!! So glad the dirt, sweat, and hair is on the washable pad and not my good blanket!
Bareback pads, as well as all saddle pads, really benefit from an under pad to keep the good saddle pads clean.

Just one ride on a bareback pad, or a saddle pad, and the horse's sweat and dirt and hair can make a big mess.  This saddlepad under pad washes in the washing machine very well!

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For many years I have been riding our horses with a ''training halter'' bitless bridle. Jenny has a terrific website for making your own Natural Horsemanship Halter.

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Annie rode bareback in her childhood, and only occasionally used a bareback pad. CONTACT ME HERE


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