Posting in rhythm with your horse's trot helps you absorb the horse's natural movement. Whether you ride for recreation, work or sport, posting is an indispensable riding skill that can make long hours on horseback even more enjoyable. Leslie Lange of Greeley, Colorado, coaches amateur and youth all-around competitors, and in she was honored as the American Quarter Horse Association Professional Horsewoman of the Year. The Reasons to Rise Maybe you've ridden western for years without ever posting, and you're not sure why you should start now.
Or you're a new rider and shelved the skill as something you'll learn later. Either way, there are several good reasons you should give posting a try. You know that jostling feeling you get at the trot and the soreness you feel in your lower back after a long day on the trail?
When you sit the trot, your back is absorbing every beat of every stride your horse takes. Simply by learning how to post, you can move with your horse at the trot, instead of against him. If your back is sore after trotting for long periods, you know your horse is feeling it, too.
Posting, when done correctly, can alleviate your horse's back strain, which means he can carry you even farther without fatiguing. English riders traditionally posted the trot while covering ground on the hunt field, so it's no surprise that posting is a great tool for recreational and working riders.
A young or green horse needs all the support he can get when it comes to moving forward in a balanced frame. By posting the trot, you can transfer your own balance and rhythm to the horse.
Focus on the "Do's" "There aren't a lot of tricks to posting," Lange says. However, in that simple sit-and-stand sequence, there's a lot of room for error, especially when you're first starting. The best thing you can do is to create a mental checklist for your posting sessions. That way, you can focus on what you're doing right. Post with your seat, not with your hands. Riders new to posting have a tendency to post with their entire bodies, including their hands.
This creates confusion for the horse, who relies on your hands for communication. Keep in mind that, as you rise and sit, your hands need to stay in one place. This will take practice, so keep your elbows soft and let them hinge as you post up and down.
For extra security, fix your hands in one place by resting them on the pommel or horn of the saddle. When you post, your stirrups are an important part of positioning. While you shouldn't rely solely on your stirrups to help you rise out of the saddle, they do help with your balance and create a base for you to post, says professional horsewoman Leslie Lange.
Too long of a stirrup and you'll struggle to clear the seat. Too short and you might just launch out of your horse's orbit.
In general, you should rise out of the saddle high enough to fit one of your hands sideways between your seat and the saddle, meaning your stirrups have to be short enough for you to stand at least four inches clear of the saddle's seat. Here are some tips to make sure your stirrups are adjusted correctly. Hunt or jumping seat: The correct leather and stirrup length for riding in an English hunt seat saddle is approximately equal to the distance from your finger tips to your underarm.
Measure your stirrups by placing your fingers on the buckle, pull the leather taut and hold the iron in the pit of your arm. Western or dressage: Both dressage and western riders tend to have a longer leg in the saddle than hunt seat and jumping riders.
A longer leg also means a longer stirrup. Although western and dressage saddles look very different, riders in both disciplines tend to use the same method to adjust stirrups. Sitting in the saddle, drop your stirrups or irons.
With your legs relaxed, the bottom of the stirrup should hit at or just above your ankle bone. Of course, both methods are just basic rules of thumb. Use your best judgment or consult someone knowledgeable when deciding on the proper length of stirrups for your body.
And no matter what kind of saddle you ride in, make sure both of your stirrups are the same length. Adjusting your stirrups to the right length will make posting easier. The tread platform on western stirrups should be approximately ankle height, allowing for a slight bend in the knee, making it easy to rise but not too high.
In an English saddle, stirrup length is only slightly shorter, allowing for a nice bend in the knees, with heels down and toes turned out on a slight angle. Users are bound by any changes to the Privacy Statement when he or she uses or otherwise accesses the Application after such changes have been first posted.
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Thank you for stopping by! Terms of Use. She received her veterinary degree and doctorate from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. In her spare time, she trains her horses and competes in dressage.
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Some things I learned in the process however, which were not always explained to me plainly and clearly included the following —. I've been riding since I was 9, and in love with horses from the day I was born. Living in Washington with my horse and 5 dogs. Visit my website Email me. Your email address will not be published. Currently you have JavaScript disabled.
In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Skip to content Skip to primary sidebar Posting trot can be a really beneficial for horse and rider.
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