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To know you'll be safe riding your horse, learn to test it in a safe manner. Horses have a startle response to help them survive, but some become anxious due to unreliable situations with humans. As a trainer, the goal is to teach the horse to discriminate between what to get excited about, while maintaining its startle response for survival. To achieve this, one must behave like a good herd leader, which requires education and experience.

The key steps include having consistent yields from the horse in all directions, teaching relaxation cues to help the horse come back to a calm state when worried, and preparing for challenging stimuli by teaching the horse to yield on a circle, bend correctly, and soften its poll. Challenging horses is not difficult, but learning to read them when they get worried and diffusing the situation requires skill and experience.

When a horse shows concern, the leader should position themselves between the horse and the stimulus, remaining calm and confident. It's essential to develop a strategy to help the horse overcome its concerns, often by leading by example and using relaxation methods like endotapping. Building confidence in a horse and leader one step at a time in a safe manner is crucial.

Proper training, including bending, jaw flexions, and poll flexions, can help a horse relax and become more accepting of stimuli. Ultimately, practicing and experimenting with paying attention to the horse, finding a safe place to lead, and being aware of the training process can help people become safe and effective leaders for their horses.