Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Riding old pony bareback

From: Andrea

Hi Jessica!

I have a pony who is about 40 years old. He is perfectly sound and I ride him 3-5 times a week. Since I don't own a saddle I do most of my riding bare-back. My question is: Will riding bare-back a lot be harmful to him? He has never had any soreness in his back. I also jump low fences (2' and under) bare-back, could this hurt him? I am about 5'3" and weigh about 121 lb. I work out every day and I think I have a good amount of muslce strength. Thenk you for your time. Keep up the good work!

Andrea

Hi Andrea! If your pony is still perfectly sound at his age, you've taken very, very good care of him. Congratulations!

I assume that he is a reasonably big pony, and he must be well-built if he has lasted this long and is still jumping. ;-) You are certainly not too big for a sturdy pony -- but do remember that he is quite old now, and take it easy with him. Light regular work is obviously very good for him, but it would probably be a good idea to have a talk with your veterinarian about how much you can reasonably hope to continue doing. You might even ask your veterinarian to watch while you ride and jump your pony, and get his advice about what you can do to keep the pony as sound and as comfortable as he is now.

As for riding without a saddle -- if your pony, at 40, has never had a sore back, I wouldn't worry about it. He might be LESS comfortable instead of more comfortable if you added a saddle at this point. And if his back is so well-muscled that you can continue to ride him bareback in comfort, that's a good sign. Just pay careful attention to the pony, and if he ever starts to become sore or unwilling -- or even less cheerful -- you'll know that it's time to change what you are doing. Your vet may suggest that you do less jumping at some point, or even stop jumping, but again, talk to him and show him what you do with your pony and how the pony behaves. Your vet will be able to tell you what signs to watch for that might indicate that it's time for your pony to slow down or even retire.

Yours is perhaps the oldest pony I know of that is still as sound and active as this -- congratulations again. ;-)

Jessica

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