As a kid and a teenager, I mostly rode bareback all the time except in shows....a little English and Western. As an adult, I rode western and skipped the bareback most of the time. For hard trail riding...long, all day rides, steep hills, rough riding, a good western saddle is so much more comfortable IMO and you do less "work" than English or bareback. And that's the kind of riding I did mostly. As an adult, I got lazier and enjoyed the western saddle so much better than bareback on longer trail type rides.
There really isn't a "best" way, I don't think. It's all preference. However, I firmly believe that when kids are learning to ride, they should start out with bareback as I think it makes for a good seat, good balance etc. You really learn to feel the horse and become a better rider, more glued to the horse...or one with the horse.