Posting Trot
Sometimes perfecting the posting trot is hard. There can be many faults in it, but many cures for them as well. Read this article on how to perfect the posting trot, identifying the problems and cure.

Equitation Focus
When riding in competition, judges are going to sort riders out by the angles of their legs - your hip and knee angles should be the same. Think about the difference in knee angles by sorting out different styles in your head. Dressage and Western riders' angles are both open (evidenced by the longer stirrup) and a racehorse jockey's is quite closed (evidenced by the shorter stirrup). Imagine a hunter rider's closed hip and knee angle as being something in between.
With the posting trot in hunters, you need to be with the motion of the horse. Beginners tend to post up and down behind the motion with their feet in front of them - that's how they all instinctively learn because it's the safest way; they'll hardly ever fall off the back of the horse. Thirty years ago we were taught to ride with our toes straight forward, but today it's proper to put the wight more on the ball of the big toe and have the wieght go through the back of the knee and drop down into the heel. However, the blue ribbon doesn't go to the person who has their heel down the farthest. We want the heel weighted, but it depends on the person's flexibility and their build.
If a person walks with their toes pointed out, they're going to ride like that. It's hard to change their conformation. Toes should turn a little bit out, and knees shouldn't pinch. Your little toe should be on the outside branch of the stirrup (outside angled slightly forward). In this foot position, you have most of the pressure in the stirrup on the ball of the big toe and not on the little toe. Also, you shouldn't have a whole lot of lower leg on the horse because then he will either desensitized or get too strong. But you don't want your knee way out so you can drive a truck between your thighs and the saddle.

Chair Seat Position
This is a safe seat to have while trail or pleasure riding, but you won't be able to jump very well because your balance will be too far behind the motion of the horse.
Cure: Pick up a two-point position or a little half-seat, and post directly from this position. Your weight will drop down where it belongs and, in order to balance, your legs and hip will be in the right angle because the two-point and the posting trot are very similar in hip angle (leaning forward a bit).

Too-High Posting
High posters push off their toes and fling themselves out of the saddle way too high. Most high posters also have "ballerina toes" that point straight down toward the ground. You might be doing this because you're either behind the motion of the horse (playing catch-up), or you're trying to generate impulsion and energy by over posting.
Cure: If you're behind the motion, borrow someone's dressage saddle. Oddly enough, the straight flap of the saddle forces you to drop your leg down and the higher pommel also discourages high posting. If you're trying to increase impulsion in a lazy horse, exaggerating your posting won't do the trick. Instead, send him on by using your leg aided with an encouraging tap from your whip or a little tick from a spur.

The Hover
If you fall under this category, you're the type who realy moves from your seat out of the saddle. You look more like you're hovering than posting. Most likely, you ride a horse with a smooth trot, or you ride with your eyes down, tilting your weight forward and making it difficult to rise out of the saddle.
Cure: Get yourself on a bouncy horse. The spring of his trot will jolt you out of the saddle enough to get the feeling of posting. Keep your eyes up and looking between your horse's ears.

Got No Rythem
If your teeth jar and your back feels like it's a sledgehammer trying to pound a hole in the saddle, you may be sitting and rising out of sync with your horse's gait.
Cure: Find a friend or get an instructor to give you a longe lesson. This way, your teacher has control of the horse, via the longe line, and you can concentrate only on yourself. Start at a two-point at the walk. When you feel comfortable with that position, pick up a trot. Hold your tow-point and count "one, two, one, two" in the rythem of your horse's trot. If you still can't seem to pick up the beat, ask your teacher to count for you until you begin to feel her words match the up-down motion of your horse. Then try again yourself. When you can successfully count the trot beat, match your posting to your counting.

Hands in the Air
If you use your hands for balance, you'll find they end up too high above your horse's withers - and you may be pulling on his mouth to hoist yourself out of the saddle.
Cure: Attach an "S.O.S." strap to the dee rings on your pommel (you can purchase a strap from your tack store specifically for this purpose, or use an old flash noseband attachment) and hold onto this as you post. While some riders recommend employing a neck strap (an old stirrup leather buckled around your horse's neck for you to grab), this puts your position too far forward.

Pinched Position
If you fall under this category, you hang on to the saddle (for dear life) with your knees rather than using your seat and legs for balance.
Cure: One way to correct pinching is to lower your stirrup. The more open knee angle prevents you from grabbing the saddle. Or, you can try a different, rather ingenious trick. Tie pebbles in a bandage around the rider's knees with a track bandage to make them let go. But beware! You must have your heel down with a stretched calf, not standing on your toes for this exercise to work.

On the Wrong Diagnol
Could you be one of those riders who crosses thier fingers, holds their breath and hopes to be on the right diagnol rather than knowing for sure? You could be Diagonally Challenged.
Cure: One old adage that is often employed is "rise and fall with the leg on the outside." But if poetry doens't inspire you, try another remedy. Sit as the outside (rail) leg comes back, rather than to stand as the leg moves forward. Also, if the rider can't see the shoulder moving, try sticking some masking tape (better in a bright color) in an inverted V that traces the shoulder... super great for you visual learners. If you find yourself on the wrong (inside leg) posting diagnol, sit an extra beat or two bounces.

Article credited to Horse Illustrated.

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