10 Reasons Horses and People Love Protector Leadership

Bronzz bushwhacks through the woods with confidence

Protector Leadership is a new name for a very old concept: Show a horse he can trust you to take care of him, and you have a willing partner who takes care of you. In a wild herd, horses form close trusting bonds with family and friends. Those bonds provide security that is far more important to horses than rank. Horses seek that security in their relationships with humans, and gravitate to people who offer it. Protector Leadership is not a training system; it is a relationship in which we engage horses’ innate intelligence, meet their emotional needs, and listen to what they have to tell us. The ability to be a Protector Leader has little to do with your level of horsemanship skill, and everything to do with your willingness to see the horse’s point of view. Ten great things about Protector Leadership. You can:
1. Start earning a horse’s trust the moment you meet him.
2. Catch an uncatchable horse by showing him he will be safe with you.
3. Get reliable ground manners by using body language that invites horses to stay with you and copy you.
4. Have two-way communication, so your horse can tell you what he is thinking and feeling.
5. Turn pressure into clear communication instead of a source of stress.
6. Use groundwork to build confidence and communication.
7. Improve reliability by turning new and potentially scary situations into learning opportunities.
8. Discourage unwanted behavior without punishment.
9. Recognize “misbehavior” that is really your horse thinking like a partner.
10. Improve your relationship and your horse’s mental health by giving him appropriate choices. The result is a horse who looks out for you when something goes wrong, and looks for your guidance when he is frightened or unsure. That is the ultimate measure of the relationship. My book, What Horses Really Want: Unlocking the Secrets to Trust, Cooperation, and Reliability outlines the elements of Protector Leadership, describes the science that supports it, and explains how you can be a Protector Leader starting the moment you first meet a horse.

More articles describing Protector Leadership:
10 Famous Protector Leaders
Protector Leaders Let Horses Be True to Their Instincts
Protector Leadership The Path to Trust, Confidence, and Reliability