Western Posting

In every horsemanship clinic I teach, I start the mounted session by assessing all the riders in terms of their control, their riding position and skill and their authority over the horse. To do this, I put them through some regulated paces that involve changes of gaits and changes of direction. During this process I am watching the riders and their horses to try and figure out what are the most pressing things that need improvement and that will guide what I have each individual rider work on. As I make this assessment, I always ask for regular trot, slow trot, sitting trot and posting trot, specifically to see how much ability the rider has.

To me, it makes no difference whatsoever whether you ride English or Western; if you are riding the long trot you should be able to post and posting is a very fundamental skill. If your horse is so incredibly smooth gaited that you can comfortably sit the extended trot, then you are very lucky and probably a very good rider. But I ask for everyone to post the trot at some point to see if someone doesn’t know how to do it or uses poor technique (posting off the stirrup instead of off the thigh). Before the end of the day, they will learn how to post because it is an important skill for a rider and it would be silly to think that Western riders don’t need this skill.

Think about it, if you had 20 miles of fence line to ride today, would you do it at the sitting trot? When you need to cover ground on a horse over long distances, the long trot is the most efficient gait to ride and posting is easiest for both you and your horse. Besides, posting is a fundamental skill and  building block for more advanced skills—you wouldn’t want to leave a block out of your foundation.

So why don’t Western riders post in competition? Well, if you are showing at the long trot it is probably in some sort of pleasure class and if you are being judged on how easy and pleasurable your horse is to ride, you want to make him look smooth. If you are being judged on how great a rider you are, then sitting the long trot shows a lot of skill. In some cases posting in a Western competition is prohibited by the rules or dictated by the class procedures. In other cases, like versatility ranch horse competitions, you are allowed to post but in doing so, it may appear to the judge that your horse is so ungodly rough gaited that you couldn’t possibly sit the trot.

Anywhere you go where there are Western riders, you’ll see the riders posting-- it is a pretty basic skill. Though they may not do it during an actual competition, it is a skill they need and use regularly. If you have the pleasure of riding a gaited horse that does not trot, you don’t really need to post and in fact may not be able to do it correctly on  gaited horse since correct posting involves using the lift in the horse’s back as he goes into suspension in the trot. Riding a gaited horse can give a false reading on how skilled a rider is; they are definitely easier to ride (if they are well trained and well gaited). If the rider has never developed the skill to ride the natural trot or canter (the gaits with suspension) she/he may not have adequate skill to ride in difficult situations or even ride a naturally gaited horse; she may not have developed a strong leg position, adequate balance and the strength to hold on when the going gets rough.

I doubt you would find any accomplished riders anywhere, in any discipline that do not know how to post. If you haven’t yet, you will. All riders should know how to sit the trot, post the trot and ride the standing trot and they each have their particular challenges. Learning to post seems tricky at first—it’s one of those skills that you think you’ll never figure out and then once you do, you can’t believe how easy it is. To me, it seems easier for people to learn the posting trot than the sitting trot (unless they are on an incredibly smooth horse). What about you? If you ride Western, do you know how to and use the posting trot? Or do you think that posting is only for English riders?

Enjoy the ride,

Julie

 

 

5# Challenge-- Back by Popular Demand!

See the Facebook Discussion Group about this blog posting: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=22115&post=155614&uid=102611707180#post155614

During a recent trip to the beach, I had cause to don my bathing suit (a rarity for horse us trainers—our white legs and farmer’s tans are downright embarrassing), which led me to a renewed commitment to shed a few more pounds. After a brief mention of it on FaceBook, I was inspired by your copious and hilarious comments and I think it is definitely time to resurrect the Five Pound Challenge. Here’s how it works…

A year ago or so, my friends Lucy and Cheryl and I decided to challenge each other to each lose five pounds. We started with a ceremonious weigh-in, which gave us our start weight and we each came up with a reward that we would treat ourselves to once the weight was lost. We also started exercising together and sharing ideas for weight loss and cheering each other on. The support we had for each other and the friendly competition the challenge inspired made it pretty easy. Within a few weeks we had each met our goal and so we started on the second five pounds. I wrote about it on my blog back then and was overwhelmed with the touching and funny stories I got in response and the number of people that joined us in the challenge. We talked about techniques, rewards and heard some inspiring stories from people that had lost a hundred pounds or more.

Although I have managed to keep the original five pounds off, that second five pounds has come and gone at least a dozen times and I am currently in need of the Challenge. With summer just around the corner and some beach and boating trips in the works, I am renewing my commitment, along with Lucy and Cheryl—and anyone else that wants to join us!

I have a few new ideas to make the 5# challenge even better:

1. DO LESS.

2. DO MORE.

3. THINK REWARD!

4. INVOLVE YOUR HORSE.

Doing less: Lucy and Cheryl and I decided that there is at least one thing, and maybe two or three that we can easily eat or drink less of during this challenge. I am not a big fan of the total deprivation diets. In the end, I find that to go without and to deprive myself leads to more bingeing and less healthy habits. Does it work for you? I am a believer in moderation in all things. So, I am just looking to cut out a few little things—no more buttered toast in the mornings (it’s not so much the toast as the butter I need to give up; Cheryl says I could eat unbuttered toast but, really, what’s the point? The toast is just a vehicle for the butter and it’s the fat calories that kill you), no more cream in my coffee (I will use 2% milk or none at all) and I will cut my adult beverage consumption by 30% (gotta have some fun!). What small things can you cut from your regular diet that will help with the challenge?

Doing more: My latest trend in exercising has been to try and do more and more of it until I find the level of exercise that allows me to eat and drink whatever I like. So far, there are not enough hours in the day to make up for my appetite of all things tasty. Of all the successful weight-loss trends in the last century, it always boils down to a simple equation: calories in/calories out. If I had all day to exercise, I might be able to keep the equation working in my favor but I don’t—I do have to work for a living. But, I am vowing to do just a little more exercising and specifically more upper body workout, in addition to the lower body/aerobic focus I have now. Also, I know there must be ways to increase exercise just in my daily routine—like taking the stairs, walking instead of driving, raking the yard, pulling weeds. Any ideas?

Think reward! Although losing weight becomes its own reward, I think it is good to indulge yourself a little and reward yourself at certain milestones. Last time my reward was to buy expensive underwear; Cheryl got a massage. It has to be something you wouldn’t normally do for yourself—not necessarily anything big or expensive but something self-indulgent. Although I am still mulling it over in my mind, I am leaning toward getting my truck detailed. Or maybe buying some potted flowers for the patio (they look so much better than when I put the pots together). I guess everyone is different in what constitutes indulgence. What will be your treat?

Involve you horse: Through the decades, horses have become just as obese as Americans and it is just as detrimental to their health and mortality. Maybe your horse could join you in the challenge? Of course, he’d have to lose more than 5# for it to be much of a challenge, but why not extend this health kick to your horse? As Lucy is fond of saying, if someone would just lock us in a stall and cut our rations in half, weight loss would be easy! But maybe you need to cut back on the sugary treats you give; change from alfalfa to grass; cut back a little on the portions. My horse Dually is not the type to need to lose weight; we worry more about keeping it on him, but I can still involve him in my challenge and he could be a little more fit. Your horse can be a part of your weight loss challenge and a definite part of #2—do more. Ride longer; ride one more day a week; take your horse on a run/walk; ride for five minutes each time at the posting trot without stirrups; curry him twice as long; scrub the inside of his stall. There has to be something you can do with your horse that is good for both him and you and that will get you more exercise and in better shape. What can you do? Please share your ideas with us.

I am committed to this challenge, how about you? Enlist your friends. Heck, last time my husband even joined us in the challenge (although I have to admit he is much more disciplined about dieting than I am—but I am more disciplined about working out)! If you don’t have a nearby friend to enlist, find one online—here, in the comment section or on my FaceBook page where we're encouraging all to keep one another motivated: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=22115&post=155614&uid=102611707180#post155614 You can join Lucy and Cheryl and me—just say the word.

Enjoy the ride,

Julie