Zen Horse

Training Tip of the Week
By Clinton Anderson

Post for Better Balance:

Whether you ride English or western, compete or trail ride, we all have one thing in common and that’s to be the best horsemen we can be. A truly great horseman moves as one with their horse and has extremely good balance. One of the best ways to develop good balance with a horse is to learn how to post to the trot. The trot is a two beat diagonal gait, and when you post correctly, you’ll be sitting one beat and raising the next. In order to stay in rhythm with your horse, you must have good balance and be in time with his feet.

Most people make learning to post difficult, but in reality, it’s as simple as this:

Learn to post at the standstill first by practicing the up and down motion – this way you don’t have to worry about your balance as much as when the horse is moving. Start out by standing up in the stirrups and act like you’re going to head butt the ceiling. Then sit down. Remember that you have to have rhythm so as you stand up and sit down, count out loud to yourself – “one, two; one, two; or up, down; up, down.” You’ll find that whatever comes out of your mouth, your body will often follow. Notice that one, two or up, down has two beats to it, the exact same beat your horse’s feet will have when he’s trotting.

Practice the same motion of posting (up, down; up, down) at the walk. This will be a little trickier since the horse is moving, but it’s important to practice the up, down motion while you’re going slow before jumping straight to the trot. Remember to keep a consistent rhythm.

Now practice posting at the trot. Put the horse on a loose rein at the trot and let him go wherever he wants – don’t steer him. By letting the horse go wherever he wants, you will only have to worry about moving up and down and finding a rhythm, not steering him and worrying about where he’s going. Of course, you want to practice in a safe arena or pasture. As you post to the trot, remember to keep counting out loud to yourself and focus on establishing a consistent rhythm. You’ll find that at first you’ll be flopping and bouncing all over the saddle, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be moving in rhythm with your horse in no time.

Happy Posting,

Danna