Ep 87: Using “Triggers” to Your Advantage
One of the most important understandings to develop about horsemanship is the concept of “triggers.”
“Triggers” are certain occurrences or exercises that dictate which state of mind your horse is in. Triggers can work two different ways -- they can either trigger a reactive response, or they can trigger a horse to engage the “thinking” side of its brain.
Reactive responses such as throwing their head up, running off, rearing, biting, pulling back, or bucking can be caused by past traumas or by situations that make the horse feel uncomfortable. By natural instinct, horses are wired to protect themselves from situations where they feel unsafe or threatened. So, it should come as no surprise that reactive responses can be triggered easily, especially with colts and younger horses who have not had as much life experience.
Once that horse has established a trigger that causes a reactive response, you have to be very mindful of that trigger. Horses have excellent memories, so it is somewhat unrealistic for us to expect that animal to completely forget or “get over” all of those negative triggers. While those reactive triggers may never be completely eliminated, they can be supported by a different type of trigger that stimulates the “thinking” side of that horse’s brain.
Triggers that engage a thoughtful state of mind help that horse feel confident in uncertain situations, and they also help that horse to understand the responses you are asking for as a rider.
Triggers become increasingly important in the speed events. Most horses can perform fundamental movements and exercises well at slower speeds. The caveat with speed events is that we expect horses to maintain these fundamentals while we simultaneously ask them for a reactive response (running as fast as they can).
When a horse is being chased or feels threatened, its natural instinct is to run away. That is a horse’s best line of defense. In a sense, when we ask a horse to run as fast as they can, we are triggering that reactive response. If we want to maintain control of that animal’s speed and direction at faster speeds, it is essential to establish a trigger that counteracts that reactive response.
This trigger is your feel--the signal before the signal--that alerts your horse that you are about to ask them for a change in speed or direction.
Lateral flexion and one rein stops are my go-to trigger exercises. These simple, fundamental exercises are great confidence-building exercises that help the horse fall back into a “safe space” or a familiar drill that engages that “thinking” mechanism in their brains.
When we reinforce positive triggers, we help our horses develop a deeper awareness of our hand and body position so that they can pick up on the responses we are asking for (even at faster speeds.)
To see more detailed demonstrations of these fundamental exercises mentioned in this episode, enroll in our Foundation to Finish online training program.
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