Horizontal subspace of a vector bundle connection

At $v\in E$, the vertical subspace is $V_{v}E=\ker (d\pi {)}_v$. A horizontal subspace is a complement $H_{v}E$ to $V_{v}E$. A linear connection is equivalently a smooth choice of such complements compatible with the vector-space structure in the fibres.

In a local trivialization, a vector-bundle connection with matrix $A$ defines the displayed complement of the vertical tangent space. The frame-change law makes these complements independent of the trivialization. Their dependence on the fiber coordinate is linear; an arbitrary horizontal complement need not satisfy this condition and need not define a connection on a vector bundle. Horizontal lifts satisfy the ordinary differential equation defining parallel transport.

In a frame of a vector bundle, write a vector bundle covariant derivative as $\nabla (ev)=e(dv+\Gamma v)$. The associated horizontal subspace at $(x,v)$ consists of tangent pairs $(\xi ,-{\Gamma }_x(\xi )v)$. Under a frame change $e^{\prime }=eg$, the connection one-form changes by ${\Gamma }^{\prime }=g^{-1}\Gamma g+g^{-1}dg$, and this horizontal equation changes to the corresponding one in the new frame. Thus the subspaces glue to a unique smooth linear connection on a vector bundle. Its vertical projection gives back the original derivative. The Leibniz rule ensures locality, allowing this construction from an operator initially defined on global sections.