Posting Trot in Horse Riding

In horse riding, a mastery of the slower, sitting trot can lead to an approach of the posting trot, which allows the horse to open its stride and cover more ground. Learn about using the posting trot as a warm-up with help from a riding instructor in this video on posting trots in horse riding.

Hello. My name is Chelsey Sawtell, primary riding instructor at Black Friar Farm in Kingston Springs, Tennessee and today's lesson will be posting trot. Once you have mastered the slower sitting trot, you may feel comfortable to move up to a posting trot.A posting trot is an up and down motion with the riders body, moving in and out of two-point with the horses legs as they move forward in the trot. In the posting trot, the horse is able to open its stride and cover more ground more quickly. The posting trot is often used to warm up horses as the lack of consistent rider pressure on the horses back encourages them to loosen their back muscles and use their back more efficiently. Many riders feel as though the posting trot is more conducive to their comfort as well, as they are not constantly flexing their stomach muscles to keep themselves firmly seated on the horses back. Though posting is most common in the English and hundred jumper saddles, it can be done in any saddle from Western to Australian, Dressage, close contact. When learning to pose, holding on to the horses main can provide the rider with additional security. Begin in the sitting trot. The rider will notice that as the horse's hind legs move forward, they are hit in their seat with the horses back. Use this to your advantage. As you feel the horses hind leg can't come up, bumping you in your seat, stand up into a bit of a two-point and allow yourself to come back down and make contact with the saddle. Without hesitation, return back into the two-point position and squat back down into the tack. Posting should be a fluid up-down motion with the horse's hindquarters. At no point should you feel as though you are fighting against the movement of the horse, but rather dancing with your partner. With posting, practice makes perfect. Make sure that you stay balanced in your feet. Wear appropriate head and foot gear and relax. Allow yourself to naturally move with the horse rather than move against it.