Mental block... Slowing posting

Today, I decided to ride a pony in my lesson. The cutest, fwuzziest, huggablest pony in the entire world

As I'm trotting him, I note that he has very minimal spring to his trot. You know how bigger horses will sort of throw you into the post? Well Mr. Short Legs pony takes a bit more effort to post on. Anyway, as I'm posting, he speeds up so my instructor tells me to slow my posting. Normally, I have no issue with this. For some reason, I couldn't do it today! It's like my brain is telling my body to stop posting with the pony and slow him down but my body just keeps posting with the speedy little legs! :(

I started getting it after a while (a long while). To do that, I would basically sort of think "walk" and have my body slow as if I were going to go down to a walk. Still, after I did that if the pony sped up again I'd be posting faster with him!

I have no idea if it has to do with the pony's gait, some sort of body control mental illness (lol), or what!

Does anyone have any excersizes that would help with slowing my posting against the horse's trot? Any sort of things to think (besides slow) to get the right muscles to work?

But I do love ponies! By far my most fun lessons are on ponies :)

You love ponies, lordy, there's no help for you, LOL.

What my instructor used to say was to "pause" my body at the top of the rise. That seemed to give me something I could latch onto as a technique. I still find it hard to do, because once you're good at posting you just naturally go into that 1-2, 1-2 zone, and this is asking you to break out of it. It takes a lot of practice.

My hunch is that the reason you're having trouble on the pony is that his flat movement doesn't give you an obvious rhythm to work with. Just keep at it. It sounds like what you're doing is working.

I had the same problem slowing my posting with my eventer, Charlie. I was so used to my other horse Jester's daisy cutter, hunter trot that when Charlie and his huge suspended trot came along, I couldn't post to save my life. We would race around the arena with me bouncing along like a rag doll. Embarassing!

I don't know if you could do it since you said you rode the pony for a lesson, but what worked for me was music. I picked a song that had a beat I could post to and rode around with it on repeat until I could consciously make my ab muscles do it. Controlling your posting sure works your core and trunk muscles! I listened to I'm Alive by Story of the Year. It totally worked for me and now I can control good ol' Charles' speed with no problem.

Didn't your trainer tell you what to do?

They would I assume know this pony since it is used in the lessons.

Don't be afraid to ask them for a more step by step procedure on what to do.

When training young horses (who speed up and slow down at the gaits) I sing jungle bells then match my riding (especially posting) to the rythm of the music. When you find you're singing jingle bells really fast then the audio feedback will help you realize it and enable you to slow down your posting.

Lol I know! They're just a blast to ride! They're a blast to take to the XC!

Lol! See, I can post, it just takes more effort. Problem is I'm posting a million miles an hour. Like up, down, up, down, updownupdownupdown, ududududududud Lol!

Oh yes. She gave me quite a few mental tricks to slow my posting. It's not a pony issue (although he is very inconsistent..) it's a ME issue. I just can't get around my own mental issues (lol). "Think slow" "Post down like you're going to a walk" "Post bigger, slower" etc. I learn best if I'm just allowed to figure it out with what I've been given, and she did leave me to my own devices at one point in the lesson. Like I said, I can get it for a moment, once my brain turns to mush and a vein pops out of my forehead in concentration!! Lol

That sounds like a great idea! I didn't even think to put it to music! The pony is really all over the place with pace, and that may be my main issue. He is great to learn on though, because I tend to be a little more on the inconsistent side myself. It's all part of the "passenger" curse that is a result of riding auto-pilot lesson horses for a long time... Or that is my theory anyway

I'm off to sing jingle bells and practice on my excersize ball! Lol

I always tell myself that I'm riding in slow motion.. it helps me. It might help you, who knows :P That or the idea of putting more weight in your legs to get the horse to slow.. think about pressing a brake pedal on a car or a go-kart.

I usually tell riders to rise a little higher and sit a little longer but I know what you mean with a pony short high speed trot, hell to rise to.

That may help me as well. Problem is I get these great ideas and then my body will not apply them! It may take some practice lol

Oh yes. It is so choppy! I have to over exaggerate posting, because if I rely on being pushed out of the saddle I just end up awkwardly bouncing along!

Oh yes it will take awhile.

What do you mean by over exaggerate it? Do you have a video?