Sure... being raised in the ranching country of the western U.S., my first horse at age 5 was a smallish Welsh pony. My father wouldn't let us ride with saddles since he believed it was safer to fall off than be drug by the foot entangled in a stirrup. We rode bareback for several years, finally owning my first saddle, made by the H.H. Heiser company (and a fine saddle it was) at age 12. But, bareback was the only way to go and we spent many days in the back country galloping at breakneck speed chasing imaginary bad guys...