Do You Remember? Posting Trot

Oh gosh, were those the times.

I was 9 years old and my mom FINALLY let me take lessons. It was my first riding lesson on a beautiful appaloosa POA pony, an old one at that. I was on a lead line and the trainer would jog along side at the trot, and I didn't know how to post yet but she exampled the concept to me, had me practice at the walk, and attempt at the trot. I could not do it.

Now at my barn it's VERY favorable to take group lessons, as private lessons are VERY expensive. But they have a rule for beginners- You can't join a group lesson till you learn to post the trot. Well, 6 or 7 private lessons in and I still couldn't get it. My mom said to me at that point, that if I couldn't get it by the next lesson I couldn't take lessons anymore because the private lessons were so expensive. I got it quickly after she told me that, THANK GOD!

Rising trot came naturally to me, in my first lesson it felt right so that's what I did.

Learning which diagonal didn't happen for a few years; I got with a trainer who had me on the lunge line and told me to watch the shoulders. Outside leg forward, up. Then she would have me yell out now, now, now, now... with the outside shoulder. Then she made me post with my eyes closed to get the feel for it. I still sometimes have to look to make sure it's right.

Learning to sit at the trot was an entirely different matter, so hard. It took me years and the use of the 'unisit' system (which is actually just a torture device for idiots like me who can't sit the trot)

I also remember 'rise and fall with the leg on the wall'. What I remember the most though is my instructor asking me if I was on the right diagonal, I'd stare down and take a random guess.

I also remember looking down and saying 'up' every time the horse's leg would rise. Around and around saying 'Upp uppp uppp uppp uppp.'

All I remember is being about 6 or 7 on my pony one day and my mom telling me to rise up when the inside leg came back. She didn't explain it in the easiest terms to understand.That being said I was very confused and just didn't post, I was riding western anyway. But when I was 11 I wanted to learn english so taught myself how to post (still in a western saddle), but whenever I rode english for the first time I could do a posting trot.

Oh my gosh...thats so long ago! I honestly don't remember learning how to post. I rode for several years before lessons. Going to say I most likely got the rising and sitting part naturally, then just needed refinement once lessons did come along.

Love this!

I remember learning to rise to the trot on a trail ride with my best mate when we were about 6 or 7 years old. She picked up posting before me - NOT HAPPY. So I started faking a rising trot, all out of rhythym and sync with the horse but I was sure as hell going to rise to that trot no matter what!! Eventually through all that awkward rising, I just fell into beat with the horse, much more comfortable after that.

As for diaganols, I didn't even know about them until I started showing when I was about 14 having never had lessons. I placed third in a class and the judge made a passing comment about how I was on the wrong diagonol. My response was something like.... diagonol wha...? Stayed back after the class and had it explained to me, good as gold after that!