# bareback riding pad



## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

I'm looking to buy a new bareback riding pad for a gift. The person who will be using this rides a lot bareback. She really needs the pad because her horse has a large wither and really bony back. She does have a pad but the buckles connecting the pad to the girth bruise and scrape her legs so she needs something new. No sturips or sturips that can come off are a must. 

Any suggestions on a good pad?


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

If the horse has prominent withers, you have to get a contoured bareback pad. So many of them are made on a flat pattern... as if you are going to toss it over a 2x4 and ride it. When you are evaluating pads, remember that the girth attachment on the bareback pad is going to dictate where the pad "wants" to sit. I have a pad that I just love. Let me see if I can find it online so I can provide a link.

You'll want a pad that is 

1.) contoured to fit the shape of the withers (otherwise the pad slides back behind the withers)

2.) preferrably made with a grippy material underneath

3.) made with the girth attachment located in a place that will not make the pad fight your placement


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

Found it!

http://www.equestriancollections.com/product.asp?groupcode=II00101

It is called the "Best Friend Comfort Plus" bareback pad. This web site calls it an "English" bareback pad but I don't see anything "English" about it.

This one fits all three of my aforementioned criteria: grippy material underneath (on the included girth as well), contoured to fit the withers, girth attachment placed BEHIND the withers so the pad will stay in place rather than trying to slip forward or backward. 

So many pads have the girth attachment right over the withers. I don't know many horses whose girth bed is directly below their withers. This causes the pad to slip backwards. Useless.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

http://www.bestfriendequine.com/comfort-plus-bareback-pad.htm


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

I have been riding a bareback pad for over 20 years and have had no desire to go back to a saddle. I do tough mountain riding and the thing stays put. It may not be something you're interested in, but I thought I'd mention it. Made by Colorado Saddlery, it's the Natural Ride.

The saddle pad in the photo is the pad that came with it. When I'm riding a mount with a high backbone, I use a thicker saddle pad.

I removed everything on the fork and put on my own cinch, stirrup leathers, stirrups.


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## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

Is the "Best Friend Comfort Plus" bareback pad flexable? She has a very narrow horse so the fold flat type really does lay nicely. It's just the girth attachments that are the problem - they attach just below her knees.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

It is as flexible as any other bareback pad. There is no form or blocking or anything in it. If you'd like, I can take any photos or measurements of mine that would be helpful. Mine is the black one.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

I have a couple of the Natural Rides, as well. I like them very much and they are the only "bareback pad" I would put stirrups on. I still need to modify the stirrup/girth system, though, because my stirrup length keeps getting out of whack. When riding in shorts, I prefer the Best Friend Comfort Plus.

Make sure you note that the regular "Best Friend" bareback pad and the "Best Friend Comfort Plus" bareback pad are two different models. The Comfort Plus has the best withers-fitting contour.

when I'm talking about the other pads being designed to fit a 2x4, I'm not talking about the width of the horse... I'm talking about the swoop of the horse's spine. Let me draw a picture...


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

Wow, it's hard to draw with this touchpad on my laptop.

Okay, here's a horse in motion with average withers.










In the next photo, the light blue line shows the part of the horse's back where the rider sits. The green box shows the area of the horse's back where the saddle/bareback pad should sit. The purple line highlights the contour of the horse's spine when viewed from the side. This is also called the horse's "topline".










So, you can see how, from the shape of the horse's topline that a contoured bareback pad will fit the withers better than a bareback pad that has a flat pattern.


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## tailwagging (Jan 6, 2005)

Rogo said:


> I have been riding a bareback pad for over 20 years and have had no desire to go back to a saddle. I do tough mountain riding and the thing stays put. It may not be something you're interested in, but I thought I'd mention it. Made by Colorado Saddlery, it's the Natural Ride.
> 
> The saddle pad in the photo is the pad that came with it. When I'm riding a mount with a high backbone, I use a thicker saddle pad.
> 
> I removed everything on the fork and put on my own cinch, stirrup leathers, stirrups.


I ride with this as well.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

=== I still need to modify the stirrup/girth system, though, because my stirrup length keeps getting out of whack. ===


I've never ridden english, but I put on english stirrup leathers on my Natural Ride. (To me, it's just a large belt!) I can raise/lower my stirrups as I ride. I also lower the stirrup for mounting and put it where I want it once mounted.

Having tried different types of cinches thru the years. the neoprene cinch won. I've used it for years on all different types of mounts (horses, mules, donkeys, steer) and no galling. We all use what works for us! )


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