The foundation of trust between horse and rider is the elimination of fear. As long as you and your horse are fearful of certain activities or experiences, it will be almost impossible to reach higher levels of communication and achievement. Of course, eliminating fear entirely is a long process that might take years to accomplish.
To build trust between horse and rider, it is imperative that you focus not only on the horse, but also on yourself. What scares you every time you step into the saddle? What activities have you been avoiding because you are afraid of failure? If you can't trust your horse, you can't possibly expect him to trust you.
Face Your Fear
The best way to build trust between horse and rider is to face your fears head-on. As long as you avoid the things that scare you, the fear of the unknown will continue to limit your progress.
For example, many horses are afraid of crossing bridges or stepping into water. They don't like unfamiliar sensations around their hooves, and they don't trust you well enough to believe that you won't allow harm to come to them. If your horse suffers from that fear, face unfamiliar territory head-on.
An easy way to do this is to spread a bright blue tarpaulin on the ground in the arena. Use cinder blocks to secure the edges so it won't blow away, then walk your horse up to the tarp. Chances are, if he's afraid of water or strange footing, he'll spook or attempt to back away. Show him that you aren't afraid of the tarp by stepping on it yourself, then coax him forward until he is willing to smell it.
The same goes for things that scare you as a rider. If you are afraid of jumping oxers, set up a small one in the arena and jump it as many times as you need to before it doesn't scare you anymore. Then have someone raise the jump cups and go again, jumping it over and over until it feels like old hat.
Conduct Mounted Exercises
Another way to build trust between horse and rider is to place yourselves in uncomfortable or unfamiliar positions. Many horseback riding instructors, for example, encourage their riders to do mounted exercises, such as "Around the World", after every lesson. This not only builds trust, but also confidence.
"Around the World" is an exercise that involves sitting in the saddle with both stirrups dropped, then pulling the right leg over the horse's neck so you are sitting sideways. Then lift the right leg over the horse's rump so you are sitting backward, and continue until you are facing forward again. Then repeat in the other direction.
Take time to lie back on your horse, with your head on his rump, while he stands still in the arena. You can even have someone lead you around while lying on his back. This will increase your awareness of the motion of the horse while building trust.
Try New Things Daily
With each positive experience your horse has, the more he will begin to trust you. Building trust between horse and rider requires new experiences as often as possible to show your horse that you won't hurt him.
For example, maybe your horse is afraid of having water on his face. Most horses don't want water sprayed in their eyes, ears or nostrils, and will throw their heads back if water is sprayed in that direction. To change this, cup your hand over the spray from the hose and let it dribble over your horse's face when you are giving him a bath. Rub his forehead, jaw, nose and ears to show him that it can be enjoyable.
If your horse has a fear of clippers, turn them on every day and rub them over his cheeks and neck without the blade. Show him that the clippers aren't scary, and that it doesn't have to be a stressful experience. Once he realizes that you make everything positive, new things will cease to produce a fear response.
Building trust between horse and rider can take years, but this doesn't mean you can't start today. Approach each new experience as partners, with the goal to make every experience as pleasant as possible. And make sure you don't do anything to shatter that trust.
