facing problems with english riding

Question
hello lisa. i am really findding difficult in learning horse back riding. my butt is hitting hard in the saddle while doing a posting trot. i am also getting back pain and my legs are running inside the stirrups. please help out ! ! !

Answer
Hi, when you post, if you are hitting the saddle hard it sounds like you are not using your legs as a shock absorber to let yourself down lightly.  With experience and practice, posting should almost be a natural movement- remember you want to almost be pushed up by the movement of the horse then go back down softly. A lot of times the toughness is caused by the rider being too tense, which doesn't show you to move smoothly and softly. How fast you post depends on the speed and chair of the horse you are on.  

The back pain can be related to the rough posting, have you tried riding at just at a walk with no stirrups to get the feel of the movement of the horse?  Riding bareback also helps with balance which should relate back when you transition to the saddle and stirrups.

I am not sure what you mean by your legs running inside the stirrups?  If riding English, the proper length of stirrups can be measured by putting your arm out with fingers touching where the stirrup attaches to the saddle. The bottom of the stirrup should touch your arm pit.

I hope this helps, if you have other questions please let me know.