Sitting trot or posting first?

For all you english riding folks, which are you taught first when you start taking lessons, a sitting or posting trot?

I've just been reading a few threads and a couple of them have me curious.

I was taught posting trot first. In my opinion its better because you can get the rhythm of the movement down without bouncing all over the poor horses back. I think with western its easier to sit because a trot is more like a jog.. so there isnt as much movement.

I've been taking lessons consistently for a little over a year and still can't sit the trot 100%. However, put me in a western saddle on a paint or QH that knows how to jog and I can go all day!

It depends on the instructor. I was taught to post first, but I took my earliest lessons on some very rough-trotting Morgans. I got to the point where I would automatically post, and my sitting trot was just terrible/nonexistent. When I got to sitting trot, my instructor literally took the saddle away and had me ride bareback until the sitting trot clicked. I think I learned to post bareback before that happened...

If I were teaching a new rider, I would probably lean towards posting before sitting, just because new riders are usually too tense/don't have the right muscles built up yet to sit without bouncing. Relaxation and muscle will come with time, and better to save the horse's back than to push the sitting trot too fast on horse or rider.

Posting trot is first. Sitting trot isn't required until 2nd level in dressage I believe.

ALWAYS posting trot first...if you're not steady with your hands at the posting trot, they will be terrible at the sitting trot and in that case all you will do it yank on your horse's mouth

If all other things were equal, I think it would be better to learn sitting the trot first. However, I started riding at 50, and it took me a long to to be able to sit the trot. Why? Because, as Scoutrider wrote, my body & legs didn't have the flexibility to sit a bouncy trot successfully.

Posting trot first for sure. Sitting the trot while keeping your balance and staying out of the horse's way is more difficult.

When I took english lessons many years ago I was taught to post at the trot. I didn't really even realize you could sit it out. My most recent instructor (western) definitely likes to work on a sitting trot and posting trot transitions before teaching the canter because it helps with balance.

Smrobs, I personally did learn to ride english myself. So I started with whatever (sitting (aka bouncing) of course), and then posting just "clicked there" one day. But from what I see at the lessons the better way to go is to start teaching the posting one. In fact it's HARD to do sitting trot correctly. It requires a good balance and really good core muscles/leg (I'm not talking about just bouncing on horse back most beginners start with, but actual riding).

Posting trot was taught first, as sitting trot isn't required until First level dressage (I believe, may be second level - my coach wouldn't let us post during anything higher than Training level).

Also, a beginner generally doesn't have the ability to not flop around like a sack of potatoes on the poor lesson pony's back - so posting is generally considered easier for both rider and horse until rider develops better muscling.