Riding bareback will connect you deeply to your horse.
IN THE COMPANY OF HORSES INC.·FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016
I was an adult when I started riding horses, I had kids, a business and a mortgage to pay so getting hurt was not attractive to me! So I learned to ride bareback!
First, I just sat on my horse when she was quiet. I did this every day for a couple of weeks until I was bored with that, then I softly asked her to move forward at a walk. Just slowly, we walked for weeks, every day. Then came the trot, just a few steps at a time, then back to the walk and halt, then back up to the trot and down to the walk and halt again. I did this until I could trot for awhile, It was hard!
I trotted for months because it was so hard, I though I would never be able to canter. But I got so good at the trot, one day I just went for it and it was so easy! The canter is rhythmical just like riding a rocking horse.
This took me an entire winter, by the time spring arrived, I could no longer ride in my saddle, I realized it did not allow me to ride my horse but it made me ride my equipment. I had to relearn riding in my saddle, but now I could ride my horse without relying on my stirrups or my saddle or my reins for that matter.
Learning to ride bareback made me a much more polite rider, much softer, lighter, more patient as well as more balanced and I learned much about rhythm, my core, breath and courage. I also found gratitude, partnership and trust for my horse. And I learned to stay on.
This all happened 20 years ago, so as not to loose that skill, I regularly ride bareback, it keeps you warm in the winter and a bit of sweat in the warmer months adds grip. I recommend riding bareback to my students. You’ll learn things no one can teach you and you’ll connect deeply to your horse in ways you did not imagine.

Unbridled – The Heart of Graceful Horsemanship   http://www.inthecompanyofhorses.com