What Is Posting on a Horse? How to Do It and Helpful Hints

How to Post on a Horse

If your instructor has not begun to teach you how to post yet, here is some information that I think will help you when the time comes. Posting is a technique used by both Western and English riders when trotting their horses. The trot tends to be a horse's bounciest and sometimes an uncomfortable gait to ride. Why is that, you ask? Essentially, the horse is pushing its hind legs up underneath itself, which makes its back rise and fall, causing the rider to bounce in their seat. Posting makes trotting more comfortable for both the horse and rider.

Step 1: Start Standing Still

Each instructor has their own way of doing things, of course. For me, when I think it is time that my student is ready to start trotting, I will start to teach them how to post while walking. Since your horse isn't bouncing you at the walk, if you can learn to post without the momentum of your horse's back rising and falling, then posting at the trot will just be a matter of learning the rhythm and timing.

To practice posting at the walk, you first need to make sure that you have learned the properly balanced seat with a straight line from shoulder to hip to heel. This is the foundation of balance. Without it, posting will be quite difficult.

So, once I have made sure my students have the basic correct position at the walk, I have them stop their horse and while standing still, try to stand up on their stirrups and stay standing. I remind them that they should still have that straight line from shoulder to hip to heel.

I also remind them that their lower leg position is the foundation for the rest of their body's security in the saddle. In other words, if their lower legs slide back behind them, they won't be able to stay standing up because their shoulders will fall forward. If their leg goes forward, then they won't be able to stand because their shoulders will go too far back.