Sometimes sitting the trot can be very difficult…and bumpy! This is when posting comes in handy. Posting is when you rise and fall with every stride. You rise as one pair moves forward and as the other pair moves you gently sit…not fall J! While the horse is trotting he is moving his legs diagonally in pairs. When someone says you are on the wrong ‘diagonal’ they mean you are rising with the wrong pair of legs. If you are turning right you should be rising when the left fore foot is forward; and if you are turning left you should be rising when the right fore foot is forward. Here’s an example:

Riding in an arena, if you are tracking left, you should be rising with the shoulder that is closest to the fence – the right shoulder. To help you remember this you could memorize the phrase, “Rise and fall with the leg on the wall.” You can tell which pair of legs you are rising to by looking down at the shoulder, and eventually you will be able to “feel” which diagonal you are on. You can glance down every now and then to check which diagonal you are on, but try to only move your eyes. Moving your whole head could throw you off balance.

It may seem strange that when turning left you rise with the right shoulder and when turning right you rise with the left shoulder. When you sit up you actually push yourself up and forward, pushing your weight forward, which, in turn, pushes the horse’s balance forward slightly, also. With that shift forward, the horse can move the legs he’s using forward a little bit more. When turning or circling, the outside front leg must move farther and the inside hind leg must come up higher and work more, in order to keep the back end arched. So therefore, the up and forward motion of rising gives the horse a little more “lift”.

While posting on the correct diagonal is essential for making balanced turns, it is not necessary while you are moving straight or making large turns. It is only essential if you are making a sudden or tight turn. Actually, if you are trotting straight for longer distance, it is nice for the horse if you change your diagonal every now and then.

Learning to post to the correct diagonals is a good thing to know, but if it takes a while for you to learn, don’t worry. It’s not as important as being able to post without bouncing a lot and not continuously looking down to make sure you are on the correct diagonal. So remember to look where you’re going and keep a soft seat and soft hands…your horse will appreciate it!