How are you supposed to post on a trot?

Wishing, like the others said, it will just take some time to develop that rhythm so that you are comfortable doing it. The horse's own motion should do most of the work for you, you just have to learn when and where to time the correct movements.

Also, don't put too much pressure on yourself . It was only your second lesson.

Are you sure you're not confusing the outside leg lifting up with the shoulder being lifted? When I was first learning, it took me forever to initially figure out how to post on the correct diagonals, because my instructor never explained that "when the leg lifts up" was different from "when the shoulder comes up". I just assumed they happened at the same time, so when I looked down to check my diagonals, I assumed that the lifted outside shoulder was telling me I should be posting up. I was wrong. When the outside leg extends forward, the shoulder extends down with it. So from on top of the horse, it looks like the inside shoulder is down & the outside shoulder if up. If that makes sense.

"I've always been taught...."

Most riding styles (except dressage), have a 'correct' diagonal you post on.

"Rise and fall with the shoulder on the wall" Or rail. Or outside of your circle.

You watch the outside shoulder, and you do what it does.

To the OP, the trot, as you may well be aware, consists of a series of rather high impacts communicated from the SADDLE to your backside.

#1Slam, #2slam, #3slam, #4slam. The idea of posting is that you stand up in your stirrups when slam number one propels you into the air, you just sort of allow yourself to be launched.

THEN, you drop back to the saddle just in time for slam #3 to propel your happily spared rear end back up into the air.

You push DOWN on your stirrups in order to 'rise', and you simply relax and allow yourself to gently fall back to the saddle. You can hold onto the front of the saddle if it helps you catch that rhythm the first time or two.

Some horses used for beginners are these 'couch type horses'. There is very little bounce to the trot, and nothing to push you UP to post. It's like a couch on wheels - no bouncy bouncy. You have to work a little harder to catch the rhythm in that case.

Just watch that outside shoulder, it's your pal. Do what it does.

As you go on you'll get more and more refined and pretty while you d it. But the trick is to start with, to catch that rhythm.

By the way, which diagonal you are taught to post on - would depend where you lived and who you took lessons from.

In Portugal, Spain, Russia, other countries, you would be told to post on the inside diagonal.

What you have to remember, is that until you are a much more advanced rider, all those debates about diagonals and WHY are not important. Just do what your riding instructor tells you to do.

In general, if you are taking riding lessons in the US, Canada, Mexico, the Islands, Britain, you will be taught to post on the outside diagonal. You may have misunderstood the other instructor, but even if she DID teach you to post on the inside diagonal, it's very, very easy for you at this point to catch the other one.

Now...AT FIRST...the first couple rides, no one much cares WHICH diagonal you catch, especially if you're having trouble catching that rhythm. They just want you to 'get' that rhythm, so you're going UP-DOWN in the right rhythm.

I'm sick, so I won't be riding tomorow, but next week I'll be able to work on it :)

I rode Western for the longest time before switching to English, so I understand how confusing a post can be.

The biggest piece of advice I could probably give you is don't over-think it.

I did that and it was a big mistake, haha. It made everything a lot more confusing than it had to be.

First I would practice posting at the walk. It's harder at the walk because your horse isn't pushing you out of the saddle as much but you can work on the movement without really having to worry about speed or diagonals like you would at the trot. Make sure to post with your leg and not off of your stirrups.

I would try posting at the trot without worrying about diagonals when you're just beginning.

Remember to keep pace with your horse. If you go faster your horse will, too and if you go slower so will your horse (this is helpful to remember when you would like to adjust your horse's pace).

Remember to breathe (I still hold my breath so don't feel bad if you have trouble )

For diagonals "Rise and fall with the leg on the wall".

It will take a bit to get used to but have faith!

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I'm also having some difficulty posting on the right diagonal...

My first lesson on diagonals was last week and I only got it right maybe 25% of the time. I know what diagonals are and how to sit a beat to end up on the right one, but unless my instructor calls it out I can't get it right. I was using the outside shoulder as a reference for when I would post but yet I would always end up on the wrong diagonal!

I was always under the impression that when the outside shoulder rises that's when you post, but you're saying the outside shoulder will appear down when the foreleg is extending forward? Just like you, I thought both happened at the same time... I've watched YouTube videos of people posting and it still looks like that to me! Grr.

I'm oh so confused. Can someone clarify on how the shoulders should appear when posting on the right diagonal? Hopefully one day I'll get a feel for things instead of having to peek down...

To me, it has always looked like the inside shoulder comes up & the outside shoulder comes down when you have to rise up in the saddle. Before I could tell diagonals based on feel, I actually would just check the inside shoulder & rise up when I saw it come up.

Try this to see if it will make more sense - get down on all fours, then stretch one of your arms out & forward. Notice how that shoulder stretches down? And notice how the shoulder on your arm that is still touching the ground comes up a bit? Same concept when a horse is trotting.

Awesome. I had another lesson today and nailed it 9 out of 10 times! Kind of funny how someone explaining things in a different manner can make much more sense than my actual instructor. :]

That's awesome! =)