Posting Trot

[B W]

I have just come from my lesson where I am trying to learn the posting (rising) trot. I'm 55 and a new rider and this is so difficult. I have a nice horse who puts up with me (not a school horse by any means so he does have some go to him) so I feel really bad flopping all over the saddle and falling on his back. I just can't get my balance. I have a good teacher and she says that she's told me what to do but I just have to find what works for my body. Does anyone have any tips on how to learn this most important part of english riding? Is it just practice I need? HELP!

[Maci]

First, practice the movement in a walk. When you rise up out of the saddle, gently thrust your pelvis forwards then return into the saddle. It sounds choppy now (and it will be at first), but once you get use to it, it improves! Try this a few times in walk, and then try it in a trot. When you do it, try to "fit" the movement with the pace of the horse, or in other words, do it to the rythem the horse sets with his pace. If you are rising and you feel "off rythem", sit a bounce and try again. You should then feel more "in tune". This doesn't come overnight- practice makes perfect!

Opt for a few lunge lessons- you don't have to worry about steering the horse, so therefore you can concentrate on the movement. Don't grip with your legs and try to keep your heels down. At first, my instructor had me post trot with my arms out at my sides (on a lunge, of course) to help me find my balance!

Good Luck!
Maci :)

[Katie_85]

First, read Heather Moffett's KWTR series on this site. Then if at all possible, bring a short belt to your lesons and loop it through the rings on the front of the saddle. You can get ahold of this and it might help you find your balance. I think The Kinder Way to Ride explains this, but I'm not sure.

Maci: I must be completely off because I though you had to sit an odd numnber of bounces to come up on the correct diagonal. I am definately new at this and you know more than I do, but if you sit an even number of bounces wouldn't you come up on the same diagonal?:confused:

[HelloKitty]

i got the hang of the rising trot in my second lesson but it can take time, you just have to keep on rising out of the saddle using your legd whether it is to the beat or not cos sooner or later you will catch the beat and be able to pick it up from there, good luck.:p

[Maci]

Now you've got me confused! :confused: I've been trying to visualize it for the past 5 minutes but I seem to be unable to!? Yes, I think it's sit one bounce.....it makes more sense! I guess to me it just feels like two bounces......oh, I've gone mad!!

Maci :)

[Liz M]

This worked for me but not everyone - firstly, try to think about something else and let instinct take over and you may find that you do it naturally without thinking. If this seems rather dangerous, try not to concentrate on the push up out of the saddle, move gently up and forwards until an imaginary brick wall and back down. You could also try saying "up, down, up, down" or counting "1,2,1,2". Im afraid the best thing you can do is practice, practice, practice.......
Hope this helps.

[B W]

Liz M

Thanks for the tip. I went out the next night and practiced. I did like you suggested and thought of something else, like where I was going which is a good thing. I did much better. And Katie, I attached a small belt to my saddle but yesterday found a used bucking strap at my favorite tack shop. It looks much better than my "too small for me now" belt. I held on to the strap when needed but found that just because it was there helped me keep my balance. Most of the time I didn't need to hold on to it. Also, it helped me stay out of my horse's mouth. And I'm not so much concerned with diagonals yet. I'll be doing well to just get the post for now. I don't know how old you guys are but when you get my age body parts don't work as well. This is like a dance and I haven't danced in 30 yrs. But I WANT to dance with my horse Jet. Maybe there is hope for this old girl yet. Thanks to everyone who helped. I'm not there yet but better than that the last lesson I had. My instructor is feeling much better now that I've shown SOME progress.

[Katie_85]

I'm glad things went well for you! You'll get to where it's just a natural action. (I'm on a Western saddle and still try to do it. (Instructor won't let me though!:( )

Maci: I think my last instructor said to sit an odd number of bounces. I dunno, I'm now completely confused!

[Maci]

I just asked my friend who rides with me, because now, I'm totally confused, and she said it was sit one bounce, so you're right!

Conclusion: Oh God! I miss school! My brain needs exercise, so I can think right! :eek:

All Cleared Up!
Maci :)

[Katie_85]

Yay, OMG, I finally got one right!!! Yippeee...everyone applaud! :D Thanks for clearing that up though Maci!:)

[B W]

How do you guys get these cute little galloping horses and stuff? I want one. Tell me how to do it and I promise I'll try not to copy.

[Katie_85]

Okay, here goes.
Find a website that offers equine clip-art.
Save an image to your computer. (Max. size is 50x50 pixels.)
Go to profile.
Click on edit options.
Scroll down and click on change avator.
Click on browse and select your clip-art file.
Click submit modifications and there you go!

:)

[Maci]

Just make sure that the clip art you choose is a moving image!

Maci :)

[Chelle]

What do you do when you are first learning to ride and your horse won't cooperate and give the trot when you ask. This is the problem I am having. When she will finally pick up the trot she is very bouncy and I wonder if she is working off her forehand. She'll only give a few strides and then drop back to the walk. I keep wondering if maybe I'm out of sync with her - which I probably am. What do they call that - getting behind them or something. I'm not sure whether the horse is just being lazy or if she is just responding to what I am doing. I ride in a sidepull but also I keep my hands down. I do pull back on her if she is going way to fast in the trot in an attempt to bring her to her nicer gait. I have tried to get a copy of Heather's book but after waiting 2 months and it still being on back order I cancelled. I've read all the information on this side. I practiced on the stool and I have to say the stool was much more cooperative and steady than my horse! I can't sit the trot either. I don't think I'll ever learn to do this. Sit straight, keep your ear, shoulder and hip in line, but be relaxed, keep your toes up but keep you legs off your horse. Sit deep but don't grip up. I think I should stick to riding stools instead of horses.

P.S. If my mare is working off her forehand, what can I, the beginner that I am, do to get her to work off her hindend.

[Moonlightrider]

Diagonals whether I can spell them or not.

I was first taught on the inside diagonal - imagine how annoying it was to forever be told you were on the wrong one when the shoulder went up with you! So that was bad.

For changing:

Up - Down - Up - Down - Sit-One-More-Beat- Up - Down. So you sit a beat, but it's two bounces. I think. At any rate, that's how it works for me. And theoretically it makes sense... I shouldn't ever go school supplies shopping. I'm thinking like I do in math class... aaaaaah!

[B W]

Chelle: Your horse sounds green like mine. You are probably giving her conflicting signals like pulling on her when her trot gets to fast or bouncy. My horse does the same and I pull on him. Poor thing. I am a beginner and learning to post the trot so I'm just glad he's putting up with me. If this is YOUR horse, the suspended trot is a good thing once you get the post. At least, that is what I'm told since my horse also has a BIG trot. It is easier to post a horse that has a small trot but that's not what dressage people want. If you are having trouble feeling secure on the big trot, get a bucking strap and put it on your saddle. That helped me a lot. Sometimes I don't use it but just knowing it's there helps me. And if you are just learning why are you worried about diagonals? HAVE FUN!

[Blue]

The one tip that really helped me came from a particularly matter of fact instructor, who said that the action was like 'slow sex!!!' She was meaning that I shouldn't go up and down in the stirrups, rather tilt the pelvis forwards and backwards.

Another instructor told me to imagine that my legs had been amputated below the knee, (again to avoid standing in the stirrups) so to grip with the inside of your knees - imagine sitting on the floor, with your legs folder underneath you, and rising to kneeling position and back down again.

It's definitely harder when you start, as the muscles in your legs haven't built up the strength...although that's not much help for you now, unless you can do other exercise to get stronger.

I suppose it's just a question of getting the tip that helps you click!

Good luck!

[Mare-e]

Blue,

I love your "slow sex" comparison, which is similar to what one of my instructors suggested with a rhythmic pelvic thrust action. But I have recently had other instructors tell me to do the opposite, which is to stand up (without locking my knees) to very clearly define my post. Maybe that suggestion is only temporary to correct some of the flaws in the way I post. I have had a lot of different instructors in the past two years and posting trot body position and motion seems to be where I get a lot of conflicting advise. Is there only one "right" way, or are there variations on what is acceptable?

[B W]

Okay guys. It's me again. Well I've been at this posting trot thing for nearly two weeks. I have tried everything and it just is not working. I can get the one two beat but when I try to put it to my horse he just gets faster and faster at the trot. PLUS, I cannot steer him and post at the same time. I've so frustrated. I have gotten a tiny bit better but I'm so hard on myself and I can't help it. My instructor had my stirrups short and wanted to shorten them even more. Today I went out on my own and lowered them a notch and I felt more secure. I did post on the long side (excuse me if I don't know the lingo) of the arena but I can't get him to turn from the corner. We just stop there. Of course, he knows that's where he stops so it would take some doing to get him to turn in. He knows I'm a green rider so he takes advantage. Not a nasty horse by any means but still he's a horse. I think when I post I am giving him the signal to go faster by the fact that I'm giving him the leg to go. But until I get this posting thing I can't think of everything at once. Or maybe I'm behind him and he's trying to balance me. I don't know. After I rode him I went back and got my wonderful Tennessee Walker and went on a trail ride. I really want to learn this english riding but maybe I should stick with my Walker and Western saddle and sell my Quarter Horse. When I see all the people at the barn posting it looks so easy. Here I am the oldest and worst rider at the barn. Well.... that felt good to vent. Any tips other than already given would be appreciated. And Mare-e, the slow sex thing does not work since my horse has a fast trot. Picture that!:eek: :o

[Katie_85]

Don't uh..worry...you'll g g get it. Sorry for the stuttering, I'm still recovering from that "slow sex" analogy. It took me about 4 lessons to start coming together with the horse, so to say. Once you get it, it will just come naturally. -anyway- I've been riding a TW for a couple of lessons and would much rather be on an English saddle posting away! Maybe it's just me?:D

[StevieLake]

I don't know if anyone mentioned this in a longer post.(I didn't read everything).

I just wanted to say that once you really master the posting trot (and even without stirrups! :eek:) you will advance to the canter. (Am I right, people? Just checking, lol.) They all say (at least every single rider I've ever met) that the canter is way easier to ride than the trot. If you let yourself relaz and move with the horse, you'll feel a very nice rocking motion, as opposed to"working" to stay in sunce with the trot. (Some horses may have a very smooth trot, and a very choppy canter; but all the same, if you're talking about gaits in general, that's what I hear.)

Btw, posting willl become second nature, don't worry about it. Once you master the harder stuff like practing posting, it'll get easier to ride the canter. Bueno suerte!

~Stevie

p.s. My instructor always tells me that I post so much, I'm"...going hunder thighs like those girls on the German olympic teams; We'll have to start calling you Helga!" Lol, I have no idea what that means considering Helga isn't German, is it? I thought it was Swedish or something. Lol, you guys know more about Europe than me anyway. Okay, sorry, jsut another one of my tangents. ;)

[Ipsa]

Do you think your stirrups may be too long. I have an older friend who has a lot of trouble with rising trot but her stirrups are too long for her to have a stable leg position.
Just try short trots like just the length of the arena , back to walk, then trot down the next long side to geve yourself time to rebalance in between.
Keep trying, you'll get there.:D

[B W]

Well I finally did it. I posted AND turned the horse at the same time. Thank goodness I wasn't chewing gum since that would have totally taken away any coordination that I may have even thought I had. So...maybe there's hope for me yet. Thanks guys for the encouragement. Oh and my instructor told me last night that a trainer at my barn wants to show my horse at the end of this month. I can't wait. He is sooo cute. The skinny guy that I bought two months ago has turned into quite a nice looking gelding. I'm so happy at my barn. They take such good care of the horses. Unless a horse has just arrived, you never see a rib at this barn. I LOVE TO SEE HAPPY HORSES!

[Bebe]

One day you'll be riding and all of a sudden you'll get it! Then you'll never forget. It can take a while to get there though so don't be discouraged.

One thing that may help is to have someone come and lead you at the trot. That takes away the worry of having to steer and you can concentrate on rising instead.

Don't try too hard either, try to just let the horses motion thrust you forwards and up off the saddle a little.

The speed of the trot is probably due to you tensing up with your legs in an attempt to get out of the saddle. Try to think of your legs being wet towels, they drape the horse but nothing else. Easier said than done I know but it may help.

Good luck, you'll get it!:D

Amanda

[Chelle]

How long should a beginner struggle trying to post before taking a break or quitting for the day? Between putting the squeeze on my couch potato horse and then trying to post, I get exhausted quickly. So to avoid frustration and to set a reasonable goal, how long should I set out to practice or my in case attempt to post? Another thing, how far off the saddle would you say the average butt should come up during posting? Thanks.

[ros]

The thing I've found has made MOST difference to my rising trot is a decent saddle. If your saddle doesn't quite fit the horse, it will tip you forward or back; also, if the stirrup bars are too far forward the stirrips themselves will pull your legs forward out of position. This is why Heathers saddles are so good - they don't put you in the wrong position from the start.

I used to think it was me. It wasn't. Since I learned how a good saddle can help you ride well, I've looked at other saddles - of my own, and ones I've ridden on at riding establishments and so on -and when I think back to what I've been expected to learn on it beggars belief. Trying to keep your balance, your legs and hands still, on a saddle that's pushing you OUT of balance all the time, is a nightmare the effects of which shouldn't be underestimated.

[Chelle]

I can't tell that my saddle doesn't fit. It's a Wintec 500 All Purpose saddle. Seems to fit the horse properly - no pinching or poking her back. I would hate to think the saddle doesn't fit me because I just bought it and there's no returning it. I know Heather has seat savers but I wasn't aware of saddles. I wanted a video tape but I'm in the U.S. Thanks for the info.

[ros]

Let's assume your saddle fits your horse OK. If you stand on the ground and look at it on the horse, it should sit nice and level - neither tipping up at the fron or at the back. The most common problem seems to be saddles that are too narrow, which tip you backwards when you ride, and make it very difficult to rise to the trot because you have to lean your upper body too far forward to enable yourself to rise. That makes the motion jerky, and everything else (hands, legs) go out the window. The trouble is, unless the problem is very pronounced you may not realise what's happening until you sit on a better saddle - that's what happened to me. I just assumed for years that I was useless!

However, I should hate to be a scaremonger - I've just got a bit paranoid about saddles lately, having had a couple of bad experiences with "qualified" saddlers.

[Bebe]

A saddle that doesn't fit the rider as well as it could won't help matters but it isn't impossible to learn to rise in a less than perfect saddle.

One way to check it fits the rider is to look at it whilst it's on your horse. Make sure the horse is on level ground and look at the saddle. The part that you sit in needs to be level. If it seems to be tilting forwards or backwards that will throw you out of balance and make a good position harder to achieve. Also, sit in the saddle and put one hand on the saddle behind you. Ideally you want to have room for a hands width. (Ros just beat me to the post with this part :o)

Also, let the stirrup leathers hang down. Look for the placement of these, they don't want to be too close to the front of the saddle. When you sit in the saddle, organise yourself into the correct position without stirrups and see where the leathers hang in relationto your leg. If they hang and are level with thigh and ankle, great. If not, then you may be struggling to keep the correct shoulder, hip, heel alignment.

If you find that your saddle has any of these problems yet fits your horse correctly a master saddle may be able to adjust it to fit you, depends on the problems.

Hope this helps
Amanda

[B W]

This is a relatively old thread but I bringing it back. I was having so much trouble posting and thought I would never get it. Someone here said one day I would, and I did. I can post pretty good. I do have some trouble with my horse though since at a trot he will just throw his head around and get me off balanced. My trainer says I just need to be consistant with him until he does what I want. I also have a wintec 500. I ride another horse using an "expensive" saddle and it's wonderful. But, alas I cannot afford that kind of saddle so I will have to be a little off balanced. One thing I have found about the wintec is the stirrup leathers (or not leathers). I'm not crazy about them. They are a little flimsy for me. But the good thing about the fit of that saddle is you can change it.

[Bebe]

Can you get your instructor to put you on the lunge or have someone lead the horse for you whilst you practice rising to the trot? This way you won't have to worry about steering, keeping the horse in trot or anything else, you can just post.

I think everyone finds it difficult to learn to rise to the trot but it will come and it will be an instant and permanent improvement. You struggle and struggle and then one day you get it and that's it, you can do it.

Another tip that helped me was to wait for the horses movement to gently push me out of the saddle, rather than forcibly push yourself out using your stirrups and legs. You should barely come out of the saddle and the movement should mainly come through your pelvis (stomach) area. Another image that helped me was to think of having a rubber band attached from the horses poll (between the ears) to my belly button. On the up part of the rise the band should shorten and on the sit it should lengthen.

Good luck & keep trying
Amanda

[fizz21]

can I pretty Please ask you all what does Stable leg mean?

[B W]

Well here it is January and I'm still learning. I've gotten better at the rising trot although haven't done much work on that lately. My TW horse is lame and has been retired so I'm a little bummed out about that. Now I've taken my "new" horse on a trail ride and I ride him around the barn instead of in the 20 x 40. I stayed in that fenced in area for the longest time. Things are going slowly learning to ride this horse but I feel better about the whole thing now. I ride both western and english so when I don't feel like posting I just put my western saddle on him and trailer out to the park. I will work on posting when it gets warm. At the moment we have 12" of snow and the horses are out in it. I used to like snow before I had horses. Now I'm worried about them being so cold. It was interesting going back reading some of the things I wrote a few months back. When I read those I realize I've come a long way. This riding thing is a slow process and I forget that there was a time I had to make myself get on this horse. Now I just saddle up and off we go. Life is good.