What Makes a Horse Reliable?

Bronzz: 2018 Equagility World Champion at age 24

What makes a horse reliable? Trust, Self-Confidence, and Two-way Communication. My horse Trusts me to be a Protector Leader, who will look out for him no matter what; not a dominant leader focused only on obedience. He has Confidence in himself. Otherwise the world would look too scary for him to cope with, and he would be constantly anxious and primed to spook. Finally, we Communicate clearly. He listens to me. I listen to him. I let him know I’m listening whether I like what he has to say in the moment or not. The result is a reliable partner who looks out for me because he knows I’m looking out for him. Other factors can be relevant, such as personality and previous history, but Trust, Confidence, and Communication are essential.

Trust: Let an anxious horse approach you instead of going into her Personal Space

What does trust mean to a horse? It means he believes you will keep him safe. You cannot “train” a horse to trust you, and you do not earn it by showing him you are boss. You earn it by showing him you will protect him from harm and stress. This kind of horsemanship is centuries-old, and supported by science. It has many names, but I call it Protector Leadership because being your horses’ Protector is the foundation of it. Articles on Protector Leadership Some ways to earn a horse’s trust include:
Respect his Personal Space; Personal Space: Why the Double Standard?
Use your body language to encourage him to stay with you instead of moving away; Body Language: Copying / Synchronizing
Listen to what his body language tells you;
Encourage Investigative Behavior (curiosity);
Do Confidence Building exercises such as Horse Agility; Confidence Building
Avoid using pressure that causes anxiety;
Give appropriate choices. Choices: Why They Matter and How to Make Them Safe

Amidst a collection of agility obstacles, Bronzz waves a cone

Self-Confidence is a horse’s belief that he can cope with whatever comes along, whether we are with him or not. Without confidence, a horse is more fearful and prone to spooking; some blindly obey cues that place themselves or their people at risk. A confident horse can work with his rider as a team, taking appropriate initiative, avoiding danger, and covering for a rider’s mistakes. Many horses have saved me from harm and embarrassment. Typical “confidence-building” advice is to be a strong leader and prove you can move your horse’s feet. This is obedience, not confidence. Trust in a human is not an adequate substitute either, because we are not always there, and we are not always right. Building true self-confidence is a learning process that works with a horse’s instincts and intelligence. Confidence comes from discovering he can successfully meet challenges. Challenges can be planned, like Horse Agility, or they can be situations encountered while riding or taking leadline walks. The nature of the challenge is less important than the horse's feeling of success. Engaging curiosity and encouraging Investigative Behavior help ensure success.
More articles on Building your horse’s Self-Confidence

I can't see, hear, or smell what Brandy does, but I let her know I've noticed her concern

Two-way Communication actually has THREE parts:
(1) Communicate clearly
(2) Listen to your horse
(3) Let him know you heard him.
Examples of letting my horses know I heard them are: When Brandy alerts on something (photo above), I mimic her posture to let her know I’ve noticed and respect her concern; that gives me credibility when I say, “I don’t see anything to worry about.” When Shiloh says her udder needs cleaning, I get out a baby wipe and take care of it. When I’m riding Bronzz and his forward lean or extra energy says he wants to go faster, I remind him gently to stay at the current gait; then I usually ASK for the faster gait within a few strides. This tells him I’m listening, but also reminds him that it is his responsibility to maintain the gait I’ve asked for until further notice.
Related Articles:
Body Language: Copying
Body Language: When It’s Not What You Think

Resources:
What Horses Really Want: Unlocking the Secrets to Trust, Cooperation, and Reliability by Lynn Acton
The Horse Agility Handbook by Vanessa Bee
Connection Training by Hannah Weston and Rachel Bedingfield
Horse Speak by Sharon Wilsie

References:
Horses in Company by Lucy Rees
The Horse Agility Handbook by Vanessa Bee
A. Telatin, “The use of the investigative behavior to improve the training of the jumping horse,” Journal of Veterinary Behavior, April, 2013.
Janne Winther Christensen, “Early-life object exposure with a habituated mother reduces fear reactions in foals”, Animal Cognition, January 2016
Christa Leste-Lasserre, “Foals Follow Dams' Leads When Dealing With Scary Objects”, The Horse Nov 1, 2014
F. Heitor, M. do Mar Oom, L. Vicente, “Social relationships in a herd of Sorraia horses Part I. Correlates of social dominance and contexts of aggression”, Behavior Processes, Sept 2006.