Posting the trot?

Question

I need tips on how to keeps your legs still while posting the trot. My legs (espcially the left one) tends to get "flappy" ,even more so if I have been posting for a while. Any tips?

Answer 1

You do not want to be squeezing constantly with either part of your leg. That will only deaden your horse to your leg aids. What you want is for your legs to be relaxed and stable and underneath you.

Here are some exercises to try:

Stand in the stirrups at walk and trot - not posting just standing. See how long you can stand in the stirrups without sitting down. Rest your hands on the horse's neck if you have to to keep from catching his mouth, but try not to use his neck for balance.

Try doing posting trot, but stay up for two beats instead of one - down up up down up up. This will help you to stay in balance at the trot and keep your leg underneath.

Also work in two point jumping position a lot. Can you stay in two point for a circle or a circuit of the arena? Can you do it without using your hands for balance?

Finally, there is the three seats exercise. Do 10 strides sitting trot, 10 strides posting trot, and 10 strides jumping position and rotate between the three seats constantly. As you master that, shorten your time in each seat to 5 strides. For more challenge, reverse the order.

All these exercises will help you to get in balance, get your lower leg back underneath you, and get weight on it so your legs don't get flappy.

Answer 2

same as the other people had said.

but what i did, was i just started without stirrups.

it helped a lot, because there was nothing to hold on to leg wise.  and it improved me dramatically.

you'll be able to do it to.

it just takes time.

Answer 3

You need to think about keeping your heel lower than your ankle and squeezing the sides of the horse with your calves. Try trotting without stirrups (it can be scary, but it helps). Keep doing this until you build up the muscle, don't worry, it will come!

Answer 4

keep your heels down. that is the biggest key, and try not to foucus on keeping your calves glued to the horse, but rather just keeping them still. When you go up on the post use your thigh muscles, not your calve. Also make sure your legs are not too far ahead of the girth or behind it. Just right in the middle

Answer 5

your probably posting out of the stirrup. your gonna have to start strenghtening your calf and use that to squeeze and hold you up. (not your knee, that turns into a  baaaaaaad habbit). After you can do that, try posting w/ no stirrups.

Answer 6

If you are riding hunt seat, squeeze with your calf.  A lot of this is about building muscle.  The more you ride, the more muscle you will build, and the better you will be able to post.  Try lots of no stirrup work.  Put a piece of paper or dollar bill between your calf and the horse.  You should be squeezing enough to keep it there.

There is no "quick fix."  You have to build muscle.

If you are riding dressage, same advice, except squeeze with the thigh and put the paper or dollar under the thigh.

Answer 7

I had the same problem, so my instructor took my reins away, and made me post over and over without the reins so I had nothing to help pull me up.

She told me to squeeze with my calfs, and kind of push your hips forward (if you know what I mean. It's kind of hard to explain over the computer). So the best advise I can give you (sry if it doesn't help you much, or if it's not exactly what you were looking for) is to squeeze with your calfs to stay balanced (you also need to build alot of muscle in your legs), keep your hands in front of you, keep them low and lite, and kind of push your hips forward when you go up. Oh! And (this may help a bit, but you prolly already know this) remember to shorten your reins when you begin to trot, it helps me alot when I'm posting.

Also make sure your on the right lead. To make sure your on the right lead look down at your horses' outside shoulder and make sure you go up as the shoulder goes up, and you go down as the shoulder goes down. If you notice that you are on the wrong lead while you are posting, sit twice (as in; in stead of going up and down right away, sit twice before you go up again) and then start posting again. Then glance down again at the outside shoulder and make sure your on the right lead. If you sit twice when you are on the wrong lead then you should be on the right lead again. (I hope that makes sense to you!)

Good luck!

EDIT* Duno if this might help you. I just found it on youtube, and saw that it said "rising trot tips".. or something like that, and thought it may be a little bit useful... http://youtube.com/watch?v=7_g2lynK01E&f...

Also try this video (it also explain the whole 'lead' deal lol)...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=uhmzxH3fzoY&f...