If you ask people what they mean when they say they want to build a partnership with their horse, you will hear things like, “I want to feel that my horse and I are working together,” and “I want my horse to enjoy being with me as much as I enjoy being with him.”
These are important and worthwhile aspirations, and if we can achieve them they definitely make training and riding more enjoyable for both horse and human. However, I would add that a true partnership with a horse requires that you make a constant and sincere effort to meet your horse’s needs, not just to fulfill your own. Meeting a horse’s needs allows you to add value to his life instead of just placing demands on him, and that’s when you discover the tremendous heart and willingness that a horse will give freely if he is inspired to do so.