# How can I not be lame at posting trot?



## equestrianfriend (Jun 27, 2013)

stay without posting until you get the rhythm, then sing "ompah lompah"
Works a charm


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## dapples and greys (Jun 21, 2013)

Don't worry. Posting trot takes a bit of time to get the hang of!


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## equestrianfriend (Jun 27, 2013)

Everyone is like that for the first 2-6 weeks of riding You might not get it for half a year, but don't get discouraged, just look foward to cantering and jumping, which you can only take on after mastering rising trot


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## NaeNae87 (Feb 26, 2013)

I used to think - up down up down when I was learning. It helped me remember what I was supposed to be doing. I also found it helps just to zone into the beat and not over-think what you are doing. 

Your legs will prob hurt after your lesson and maybe your core. Most newbies use their legs to grip and not their core to balance. Try doing some core strengthening exercises at home to help your strength. Things I found useful were -sit ups, planks, thread the needle and also swapping your chair for one of those large exercise balls when at home watching the tv or on the computer.  

It will take a few weeks for you to get the hang of it, try not to get too disheartened. Just remember, we all went through it


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Sorry, but did you think it would be easier? Riding is a sport, and it takes time to get the muscle memory.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

Well whenever you find yourself bouncing you should bounce up and then bounce down 

Practice your sitting trot, practice your trotting in two point position, and then put them all together. 

There isn't any real secret to posting, it just comes with time. One day you'll just get it. It's not the same on all horses either, some horses are super easy to post, others even once you've been doing it for a while it can take a while to adjust to. So in that way it might be easier to learn to post if you use the same horse each ride.


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## futuredoctor (Jun 8, 2013)

I youtubed it and it doesn't seem like something that can be learned with a simple explanation. I will just have to keep learning it. Haha @ "Ompah loompah"


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

It sounds silly, but this is how I taught my five-year old sister to post yesterday: Have your instructor watch you post at a standstill to make sure you're doing it correctly, and then when you move to a trot, have him/her say "Up, down, up, down...." while you post for several strides. It will help you to figure out your timing.

When posting correctly, you can drop your stirrups and not have a problem, because the muscles involved are in your thighs. They take a while to develop, but eventually you will rely more on your leg muscles than the stirrups.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

Like anything else, practice. It won't come overnight!


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Some horses are easier than others. Some have a big push going thru their back that lifts you up, and all you have to do is pause at the top & then gently come down. OTOH, a lot of western horses will do an easy jog...slower, and there isn't much lift at all. My mare does it that way naturally - feels good to ride while sitting, but it makes posting hard.

I wouldn't worry about diagonals for the first few lessons.

Also, I think of it more as rolling up & forward onto my thighs than an up-down motion with stirrups. Personally, I like a discrete post. I want my crotch and rump off the saddle, but my jeans still touching...at least, that is the mental picture I use. If you are an inch out of the saddle or 6 inches, either way the weight is off the rump.

Finally, some saddles make it tough. When the heels are forward of your hips, you have a tendency to thrust your hips forward to get over the stirrups so you can 'stand in the stirrups'. If you have shoulder - hip -heel in a vertical line when seated, it makes posting easier. With time, you will learn to use your thighs instead of standing up in the stirrups.

Riding a horse is very different from normal daily activities. I ran/jogged for 40 years before I started riding. Instead of making riding easier, it made it harder. The muscles that tighten up from running need to be loose to ride well, and vice versa. You could be a top athlete in many sports and still be totally out of shape for riding. That is one of the things I like about riding. It is a great complement to running because the muscles used are different.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Posting to the trot on the correct diagonal takes practice, lots of it. Listen to your instructor, keep at it and it will get easier. Oh, and it gets easier, that'll be the time your instructor will have you post WITHOUT stirrups! Don't worry, I am an old lady & post stirrupless for a good portion of time on two different horses lately to steady up my lower legs for an upcoming championship show. If I can do it, you most certainly can, like anything in life, you want to improve, you have to take the time and put in the grunt work.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

If you're up for a real challenge, give up stirrups for Lent. I'm not Catholic but it was a fun challenge anyway, and my legs were the strongest they'd ever been after two months of riding without stirrups.


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## futuredoctor (Jun 8, 2013)

How do you know when to rise and fall? My instructor said I was doing it a little bit too fast but honestly I was just totally making it up 'cause I had no idea.


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## EquineObsessed (May 24, 2013)

You rise with the horse' outside leg (the one facing the wall or fence). If you're not sure which is your outside, ride a small circle. The leg on the inside of the circle is the inside, and the one on the outside is the outside. That's what BSMS meant by the correct diagonals. Practice a lot and just follow the outside leg and you'll be fine. Practice stirrupless some- a good post does not depend on stirrups for support, and it's a bad habit for riders to get into.


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## futuredoctor (Jun 8, 2013)

EquineObsessed said:


> You rise with the horse' outside leg (the one facing the wall or fence). If you're not sure which is your outside, ride a small circle. The leg on the inside of the circle is the inside, and the one on the outside is the outside. That's what BSMS meant by the correct diagonals. Practice a lot and just follow the outside leg and you'll be fine. Practice stirrupless some- a good post does not depend on stirrups for support, and it's a bad habit for riders to get into.


But I can't really see the legs or feet when I'm on top of the animal.


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## EquineObsessed (May 24, 2013)

Watch the shoulder- you'll see it moving forward and back. It's going to take time before you can ride effectively. It's like learning to drive- at first you're overwhelmed by all of it, steering and watching your speed and your surroundings, you just have to adjust to it. After a little while, you'll be able to 'feel' when your post is right. This was your first lesson, correct? It takes time. Enjoy the process and don't be too hard on yourself. Chances are, in the beginning, you're going to mess up more than you're going to be right, it was like that for all of us and it's ok.


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## Sunny (Mar 26, 2010)

You learn by continuing lessons and listening to your instructor.


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## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

This was your first lesson, don't worry, you will improve the more you do it. I remember my first lesson, my posting trot was horrible! I didn't have any strength or balance. But my instructor always had me do lots of two point (which I stunk at at first but got better) and she explained to me why you post (free up horse's movement) and what diagonals were, and she just had me do it all the time. I got tired really easily at first and my legs were sore, but trust me, you will improve. Posting is just one of those things that all English (except dressage) riders do, like all the time! You have to develop a lot of balance, and strength in your lower legs first, and that will come with time, posting, two point, and exercises off the horse, like biking or lunges and crunches. Just stick with it, because pretty soon it will be like second nature.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

futuredoctor said:


> Today was my first lesson and I'm not very good at the posting trot. I don't know when to go up and down. Also when I'm not posting I bounce up and down because of the force of the horse. What am I supposed to do?


Practice.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

I could only learn by closing my eyes at a sitting trot & going with the feel of the horse & their 'lift.'


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## donovan (Jun 11, 2009)

for me my speed or rising depends on my event i am doing. Also the speed at which you rise and fall affects the speed at which the horses. If you want to slow your trot think 1,2,3 rise 1,2,3 fall ect ect


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## futuredoctor (Jun 8, 2013)

Thanks, I'll try looking at the shoulders next time. There are so many things that you need to think about when riding. It's difficult.


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## xlionesss (Jan 30, 2012)

It is, and many people think it's easy as hopping on the horse and kicking!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## futuredoctor (Jun 8, 2013)

Posting is awkward.


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## sinsin4635 (Dec 1, 2009)

Rise & fall, with the leg on the wall.


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## xlionesss (Jan 30, 2012)

futuredoctor said:


> Posting is awkward.



It is not. It allows the horse to move more comfortably. Once you get the movement and timing down, you start to look effortless while doing it and not so much awkward.


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## futuredoctor (Jun 8, 2013)

Knowing me, it will take years.


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## EquineObsessed (May 24, 2013)

If that's your attitude about it, it probably will. Posting is nothing more than muscle memory. Everything seems new and confusing, but you will settle into it faster than you think.


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## futuredoctor (Jun 8, 2013)

EquineObsessed said:


> If that's your attitude about it, it probably will. Posting is nothing more than muscle memory. Everything seems new and confusing, but you will settle into it faster than you think.


Okay. Knowing me, it will take one more lesson.


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## littleamy76 (Jun 30, 2011)

Ah you'll get the hang of it, just give it some time. It took me a while to figure it out and then one day it just clicked.


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## futuredoctor (Jun 8, 2013)

I've been watching people do it. How come some people go up higher than others?


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## tlkng1 (Dec 14, 2011)

People that post "high" are usually pushing into the up position off the iron..they stand or post straight up and down. The actual post is more of a forward movement with the hips. People just learning to post are taught the up and down version in order to get the motion and timing but as they get stronger in the legs and core area, they move to the more forward motion. Think of it as "sweeping" dirt from the saddle back to front. If you watch people you will also notice that those that post directly off the iron have a very "busy" foot..it bounces and rocks as they post. Those posting properly, from the calf and using the hips, will have a quiet foot that barely, if ever, moves.

As was said we all started the same way..with the bouncy and unmanaged up and down motion...God bless the school horses that put up with beginners..they are absolute gems.


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

The way I teach my students is to count. The trot is a two beat gait, so when a horse trots, the beat is 1-2-1-2-1-2. Take a few strides and find the 1-2 rhythm. Then count with it, either in your head or out loud, then rise every time you say 1, and sit when you say 2. Worry about which shoulder you are following once you have the rhythm down. 

A LOT of new riders (and some more experienced ones) overpost the trot, and rise higher than they need to. Once you find the rhythm, don't work so hard at it, let the motion of the horse push you up. Try not to rely on your stirrups for anything more than a "location finder" for your foot, to help your leg be in the right spot. Don't brace on them, use your leg muscles and core to do the work, not your feet. (That's not as easy as it sounds, of course. That's the part that takes practice, often years of it, to get right.)


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## LadyDreamer (Jan 25, 2008)

You get it right by practicing. You will feel goofy as hell especially if you are trotting around saying "1-2-1-2" or "Up-down-up-down"(I HIGHLY recommend saying this. It helps), and you will probably look goofy, but every single person who has learned the posting trot went through this awkward stage. Just stop worrying what everyone else thinks and ride the dang horse.


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## LoveDanceRide (Feb 23, 2013)

Don't bother looking at shoulders or legs yet, you can worry about that later. Instead, try posting at the walk or just testing your balance and just standing in the stirrups at the walk. Then try sitting the trot and feel the horse's rythm. I HIGHLY recommend saying 1-2-1-2 or up down up down. I really found it to work. As a kid I even took piano lessons and so I related posting like playing two notes on the piano anyways, just keep practicing and really try to feel the rythm


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## futuredoctor (Jun 8, 2013)

At my last lesson I finally got the rhythm. It was awesome. It feels much better than bouncing around like a sack of potatoes.


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## LoveDanceRide (Feb 23, 2013)

Congratulations! Just keep practicing and you'll be a pro in no time at all! Then you'll get to the really fun stuff like cantering and jumping!


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## mangomelon (May 11, 2012)

futuredoctor said:


> But I can't really see the legs or feet when I'm on top of the animal.


OMG! Thank you... no one ever listens to me when I tell them this is why I STILL cannot get the right diagonal! (I didn't read the whole thread yet; I only got this far, but I felt the need to comment on it...)


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

mangomelon said:


> OMG! Thank you... no one ever listens to me when I tell them this is why I STILL cannot get the right diagonal! (I didn't read the whole thread yet; I only got this far, but I felt the need to comment on it...)


You can see a horse's shoulder move...


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## mangomelon (May 11, 2012)

So they say but I have a hard time with that. I pretty much reliably get the wrong diagonal every time....
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

mangomelon said:


> So they say but I have a hard time with that. I pretty much reliably get the wrong diagonal every time....
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Then do the opposite of what you think is right, then


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

OP 
Stop trying so hard!!!
Relax in the saddle starting at your jaw, neck, shoulders, back and legs, drop your heels and feel like you're melting down in to the horse
You might find it easier if your trainer has you on the lunge and you hold a neck strap that's fairly loose rather than the reins
Don't try to rise until you can feel the horse moving its legs underneath you and get the trainer to call out 'up/down with the horses diagonal movement then try to rise and fall to those commands - but don't force it or you'll get ahead of or behind the action
One of the biggest problems people have with learning to post is that beginner horses tend to be lazy and don't keep a nice steady rhythm and a novice cant manage to keep pushing the horse and learn to post at the same time


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## tlkng1 (Dec 14, 2011)

The diagonal will come with practice . Even seasoned riders don't always get it right....I've seen people with many years riding experience who just have a brain freeze and post on the wrong diagonal for a bit until they realize it and change.

The feel of the correct diagonal will come as you practice the post..you will begin to feel the subtle differences in the shift of the horse's body as each diagonal leg pair move forward. I can always pick p the correct diagonal without looking when tracking right (right hand on inside of arena)...even after 30+ years of riding I will still routinely pick up the wrong diagonal at first when going in the opposite direction (If not glancing at the shoulder when I go to start posting).


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## CharliesMom (Jul 7, 2009)

Let the horse bump you out of the saddle, I tend to over thing posting a lot, and end up posting very high and up and down instead of like a windshield. My trainer told me to relax and let my horse push me out of the saddle and back down. It works great and it allows the horse to do the hard work for you, you shouldn't have to work so hard to get a proper posting trot. If you have trouble remembering when to go up and down, look at the shoulder that is by the wall of the arena, or by the fence of where you are riding, ie, the outside leg. When that leg goes forward you need to be UP, and when the leg moves back, you sit. Try that for a few goes it you are really having trouble but don't rely on that. You need to be looking up between your horses ears and not down at the ground, so try not to turn it into a habit. 
And of course PRACTICE, riding is a complex sport and takes a lot of time for everything to fall into place, you'll get it.


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## Bedhead (Aug 4, 2013)

'You rise and fall with the leg on the wall'

That's how you remember ;D It just takes practice, don't worry, you'll get it! You can also cheat every now and then and look down to see if you're going in time with the horse. Eventually you can feel when you're on the wrong diagonal, and won't have to look down to check yourself.


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## Becka (Aug 6, 2013)

Posting,,,,hmmmmmm, funny is all I can say. I am in the process of teaching my self. I live in the sticks. Trainers? Well, few and far between, the one i do want to use is trying to make space for me and in the meantime im ,,,,,,well lets just say im TRYING. LOL. My horses are saints. One horse is very experienced and I adopted her specificaly for english riding and learning jumping and all that fun stuff. Shes a sweet heart and pretty to boot. My other one,,well, lets just say hes a ham and a half,,,love him so much. Not schooled but fun,,,,hes like riding a pumkin, bumpy. SOOoooooooo, I tried the ole english, Wintec 2000 AP saddle the other day. Its a little small for me I tihnk, so ill be looking for a different one but it came with the horse so ill use it for now. I hopped on and walked, and walked,,,,,I itnhk I did ok on the walk lol. Heels down, hands I THINK in the right position and it went well. So, I thought lets try a trot. Or not? I trotted, and I popped, bounced, flounced, flopped and STOPPED. Ok, lets try again, POST Becka POST,,,,jut like you do in a western saddle,,,,,again, flop, tip, bounce, POST omg I did it a couple times,,,,,,,right yourself before you fall off, STOP. Poor horse, he was a saint. My other one, the trained one had a slight limp, stone bruise I tihnk s I took my gelding. I will be back in the Wintec again today,,,to try my luck at posting AGAIN,,,,,,,I really need to NOT laugh as im trying to do this, my horse tinhks im nuts and I almost peed myself last time. Have a great day everyone!

We CAN do this posting thing, it taakes time and patience,,,,,and its a lot of fun.


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## Alexmac156 (Jul 15, 2013)

equestrianfriend said:


> stay without posting until you get the rhythm, then sing "ompah lompah"
> Works a charm


I never heard that before.. but as soon as you said it, I heard the song in my head, and the motion of the posting trot. lol.


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