What is Trigger Stacking? Grand Prix Dressage Horses Good Riding vs Bad

[@lizhadley3803]

In December 2020, I took my horse to what was supposed to be a low key schooling show to give him some exposure to being off property. Our main discipline is eventing, and this was a hunter/equitation show mostly for the kids taking lessons at the hosting barn, but a lot of people from other farms showed up. Our flat class had 12 riders. At home, we normally have no more than 4 people in our indoor. This was just too much sensory stimulation for my poor green bean, and he pretty much had a mental meltdown. We did our w/t/c in one direction and then I asked to be excused from the class. We ended up walking around outside until his breathing finally came back to normal. We scratched from the rest of our classes for the day.

[@janmeyer3129]

My last horse, a lovely Appaloosa, who had previously been bomb-proof, suddenly started to give full-on freeze and back-off responses to black tree stumps we encountered in paddocks. Just worked with this for 6 months (stand facing stump, wait for him to relax) before discovering that he was going blind. Oddly enough, he was fine and trusting to ride out once he was fully blind, and had no trouble navigating his familiar environment at speed, so long as no-one shifted things

[@MBrusaZappellini]

Yes, important to understand this concept if you’re thinking about doing anything with horses. Warwick Schiller has been doing a lot of videos this year on the parasympathetic system and how it relates to training- (though he is from the reining world, he works with all disciplines...there are a number of dressage horses that he works with )I highly recommend his videos to anyone who wants to see these theories in action. Tristan Tucker (TRT) also has some great examples (and he is a dressage rider)IT IS GREAT TO SEE THIS MENTIONED IN A DRESSAGE CHANNEL - this is exactly what I was thinking when I watched that recent video of the terrified Grand Prix horse . Training needs to start with the horse feeling safe and confident, otherwise you’re asking for a blowup.

[@cynthiabrown2806]

Thank you for sharing this information! Currently working with the mare I part-board as she has become anxious and stressed over the last month. I had her teeth checked, as she is avoiding contact but they are fine. I just know that something I am doing is making her anxious and not enjoy our time together. I've learned a bit about trigger stacking, and I am working hard to discover the smaller triggers (ie cross ties) and remove them. Also took her back down to walk/trot schooling to ensure my hands aren't heavy/position is ok. Her owner suggested a bit change, so I will see in a couple hours if she's in a different bit. Fingers crossed we will work together to make her time with me fun again. I hate her being unhappy as we are both older and ride simply for the joy of it now.

[@sarahposey7166]

Trigger stacking when their cup runneth over! A lot of horses you have to give them time to just digest it and be quiet for a moment in between before you approach things again and that also helps to lower the stress level where they can think. Thank you for sharing such a great video I have passed it on students

[@susannekalejaiye4351]

Great explanation! There are two situations: regular training, and "at an event/competition". I'm now aware that no-one prepared me (and by default my horses) for dealing with trigger reactions at an event. Most of the clips used here bear out my experience - lack of preparedness for a strong trigger reaction at an event. My current thinking is: immediately revert to training mode: the horse's mental state is far more important than "completing a routine", chances are one is already out of the ribbons. I wish I'd been prepared for this thought earlier.

[@jbach1738]

Fantastic. Many trainers and riders do not take the time to address these things, and this is why we see so many disasters. Of course, they are animals, and sometimes things can happen that are completely unforeseen. However, in most cases addressing concerns in this way can completely prevent larger issues.

[@amandasawyer4784]

Very interesting & extremely well explained. Thank you 😊

[@klasketp7234]

Your a breath of fresh air. Keep up the good work:) subscribed

[@DressageHub]

Thanks! I appreciate you.

[@heathercollins4432]

Bless you for breaking this down....this is really important information...

[@epona9166]

I agree understanding trigger stacking and knowing how to keep a horse under threshold is hugely important. As a practical matter, however, we probably don't all apply the principles the same. For example, the horse whose first trigger is the unfamiliar arena and the second trigger is new and novel object in front of him -- by the time the horse is turned to the left at about 5:15 in the video, you are no longer considering the new novel object to be a trigger. I don't see it as having gone away. The horse's head is still way up and he's dancing around a bit. I actually couldn't tell what the horse was reacting to, but the handler only gave him a few seconds to deal with it. I think if the horse had been led in a circle a couple of times, back around to where he first noticed the new novel object, by the third or fourth time around the trigger would have been been nullified and his mind would have moved on to something else. But IMO it's still there in the video. And yes Ross Jacobs talks about a horse's cup of worry getting more and more full until it overflows. Warwick Schiller talks about rabbits. A horse could have a rabbit jump out in front of him on a trail and from what the rider can see, he doesn't appear to react. That can happen a bunch of times but at some point one too many rabbits jump out and the horse loses it because all those previous rabbits were adding up in his psyche until one puts him over the top -- over threshold. One of the most important concepts in horse handling I think.

[@redrumtruecrime]

I worked at a yard that had horses and ponies that did everything from kiddies lead rein, to SJ, showing, working hunter, dressage and one day eventing. The WH, LR and showing were all County/National level and the eventing were all BE the dressage was mainly working towards a good test in the eventing and to get the horses out in different arenas as much as possible to prevent them hotting up and expecting XC after, it was flatwork only and to try to take away them anticipating the XC phase (believe me, they do know after a few seasons of competing!) Anyway, County shows pose many things that can really stress your horse because they just have never been introduced, but at county shows can be extremely close to the ring you are supposed to be going in! Donkeys! Some horses love them so much they will take-off to get to them (speaking from experience here!) Others will freak totally out and end up pulling yourself out of the class because your horse just wont settle. The other huge issue is PIGS! Wild boar are a natural threat to horses and horses have the built in feature alarming them this smell is dangerous turn around and BOLT! Even the most trustworthy bombproof gentleman will at least flare their nostrils, snort and have a rigid "freeze" stance! So guess what we had at the yard? Yep a pig sty built 10 meters away from the sand school and a rescue donkey in the adjacent turn-out paddocks. There was also cattle, chickens loose running around and flying out of unexpected places, yes these horses and ponies had seen all of that from when they weaned. It meant they had an advantage at shows, that coupled with being properly ridden out through fields of cows and on busy roads! The majority of competition horses don't get ridden anywhere but being schooled in the home sand school then confined in the walker. Even turning out time is forbidden in case the horse injures its self close to comp date and lames, cuts its heels, gets kicked, impaled you name it, the rider has an excuse for it! The poor horse gets no mental stimulation until it gets to comp, then it releases some pent up energy and has its eyes out on stalks and what do the clueless rider's/trainers think? Oh i need to school him more at home!! Nooooo you need a routine that lets him be a horse in a field for at least 2hrs a day, then ride out with a sensible companion for an hour then when you get back do 30 mins schooling as hes already warmed up from riding out. Then your giving both of you the best chance of being relaxed and receptive. I'm a great believer in getting horses ridden out the sooner the better and you really bond doing that time, especially when you realise your horse at times relies on you for emotional support, if he freezes due to a tractor hedge cutting down the road but you encourage them its ok, its a great feeling when the trust is a 2 way thing, and if it works at home it will when your away in new places!! There'll certainly be no trigger stacking in that partnership!! 😊❤

[@annareichelt5997]

This explains why our last session went so sideways. My boy got spooked by a bird that flew by, a few minutes after a hunter shot in the forest. Neither the bird nor the shot wouldve usually brought him over the edge, but the close proximity of the events certainly did the trick.

[@sherrielm6259]

bravo! bravo!! encore!! excellent diagram! great info too!

[@andrewanaya990]

That's so cool the way you explain that

[@comesahorseman]

Ross Jacobs refers to this as "a horses cup of worry", and I like that analogy. Please check out his channel.

[@rebecca.smith.]

You're going to ❤ this video - it completely changed my mindset! 🐴 The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain: Shifting the Paradigm of How We See Lameness 🐴

[@mandad1015]

My mare was fight when I bought her. Turned around at the rail, stuffed her nose, and bucked when thought canter was coming. After 8 months very calm, did a clinic and had another girl ride her. A mare who just turned 6. Releasing pressure on her face helped a lot and disengaged the behavior.

[@tashamott]

My new loan pony can be very nappy but she has recently picked up a habit of broncing. What should I do to stop her napping at a river? She freezes, backs up, trots and canters in circles and broncs.

[@rebelbaby8747]

omg sorry I should say this riding hall where you walked with your horse... is this Tara's riding hall? I just watched her videos and... I'm a bit in shock o.o

[@george.6556]

Hmmmm. I dont see this behavior in the Hunter/Jumper world. Am I missing something?

[@carolineoja6243]

Are you a dressage , trainer , competition rider yourself . Thank you

[@pathequestrian]

Hi! I was a competitive rider up until about 6 years ago. Over the last few years I stopped competing and started focusing on equine behaviour and equine body language. I am now a studying equine behaviour consultant as well as a R+ horse trainer. I’ve been training horses for around 14 years now.

[@carolineoja6243]

@@pathequestrian Did you show Grand Prix dressage ?What is an R+ horse trainer ? Sorry I don’t know what that is !

[@pathequestrian]

@@carolineoja6243 No I did not. Nor do I know a ton about the competition itself. But regardless of discipline or level thresholds and triggers exist. That’s just how horses work. It’s how humans work as well. There are base things that are a part of all horse training that some people choose to ignore. Thresholds and trigger stacking are some of those things. A horse is a horse regardless of the level of competition. They are prey animals and have flight instincts, even the best ones do. So it’s up to us as people who love horses, regardless of how we ride, to be aware of our horses emotions, triggers and stress signs. R+ stands for positive reinforcement, if you’d like to reach out to my page I would be more then happy to discuss any questions you have. I’m very passionate about equine behaviour and love to educate :)

[@carolineoja6243]

@@pathequestrian thanks interesting ! Are there courses on line one might take ! I would be interested in learning more about trigger stacking ! Thanks fr your reply ! Most of us only want what is best for the horse ! We know there is good and bad in all equestrian Disciplines! For the love ❤️ of horses

[@carolineoja6243]

I just looked it up .. trigger stacking thanks

[@bloomingaccents]

Great analysis but it is the "para- sympathetic" nervous system and brady-cardia which is slow heartbeat!.

[@goelenelissen]

People are so frustrating in the comments on your other videos .. your dressage disaster videos, it’s all excuses .. excuses .. excuses for bad riding, negligence, a sport instead of an art.

[@trppro7640]

What has happened to Ashley? I guess winning means riding with the horse behind the bit and harsh spurring. The Canadian team needs new coaches and new team members, some that actually ride with sensitive hands. Maybe that’s impossible these days. 😢

[@greethanegreefs1758]

Begin met normale bits. Sluit je paard niet op. Bouw vertouwen op.

[@graciemac6303]

I'd love to see All In being ridden by Carl Hester.... Hoping that this Brittany chick hasn't ruined the poor thing

[@betsysmall3576]

She did really well in the Olympics!

[@hallelujah7304]

I am so glad that there is a mute button so I do not have to listen to this nonsense!!!!!!

[@epona9166]

If you think trigger stacking is nonsense, I hope you don't have a horse.

[@kattheneeko]

You can also just... not watch the video lmao. This information is scientifically proven, but you're entitled to your own beliefs. Humans, too, experience trigger stacking and break down when we can't take anymore or "reach breaking point".