Kelly Marks

This video demonstrates initial groundwork exercises designed to build a connection with your horse and encourage them to willingly follow your lead. The focus is on gentle communication and establishing a partnership, not on scaring the horse.

You’ll see how the presenter approaches the horse calmly, establishes eye contact, and uses gentle movements to encourage the horse to move off and change direction. The importance of the handler’s confident body language is emphasized, ensuring the horse can see and follow them. Maintaining visual connection in these early stages is key.

In this video, I’m going to show you exactly how to fit your Dually Halter correctly. It’s so important to get this right to make sure it works effectively and is comfortable for your horse.

Dually Halters come in different colours, and these colours actually indicate the size, so you can get the perfect fit for your horse, whatever their breed or size. For example, the green one is the smallest, great for those lovely Welsh Mountain ponies. Red is a really versatile size that fits loads of horses, while black is ideal for your medium Thoroughbreds and smaller Warmbloods. And for the big lads, like extra-large draught horses, we’ve got the blue.

This video gives you a taste of the time I decided to enter Pie and myself into a TREC competition! Easy, right? 😉

You’ll see a session where I’m getting more than a few pointers on my technique for the tricky ‘low branches’ obstacle, followed by some exciting TREC competition footage and a bit of get-up-and-go inspiration!

This video captures my (very!) early experiences with Western riding – I think it was only my second time ever in public! So, you get to see me learning the ropes, which is always fun. We start with a bit of instruction on how to mount a Western saddle properly. There’s a specific way to hold the reins and place your hands, using the saddle horn for support. Then, we move on to using leg cues to get the horse moving, and the all-important “Whoa” command to stop.

In this video, I’m sharing some of the gentle stretching exercises I do with my amazing now 30 year old veteran horse, Pie. We’ve been together for almost two decades now, and just like us as we get a bit older, keeping Pie mobile and flexible is important for his well-being so he can continue to enjoy life (and maybe even a fun ride or two!).

In This video I show you how to make worming a much less stressful experience with a “cunning plan” to get Blondie used to the worming syringe. You’ll see how I initially let her sniff it and even seemingly lick it a bit. It’s all about letting her investigate and get familiar with it.

This video demonstrates techniques and principles for teaching your horse to stand still reliably in a variety of situations. Whether it’s for TREC competitions, farrier visits, veterinary procedures, grooming, or even tolerating applause, standing still is a skill your horse simply must master. You’ll see examples with Pie, who’s already pretty good at it, though the presence of a rather distracting donkey in the arena is noted!

This episode of “Horsemanship Essentials” demonstrates techniques for helping horses overcome their fear of clippers. Monty Roberts and Kelly Marks guide viewers through a step-by-step process using horses with real fears of clipping.

Horsemanship Essentials – Phobia Of Cows Featuring Kelly Marks, Monty Roberts and Team This episode documents Monty Roberts and Kelly Marks works with Calypso, a Thoroughbred cross Irish sports horse […]

Horsemanship Essentials – Control Of Emotions Featuring Kelly Marks, Monty Roberts and Team This episode of “Horsemanship Essentials” focuses on the crucial role of emotional control for humans when working […]

This episode of “Top Marks” features a live demonstration addressing common horse behavioural issues. The programme showcases gentle, step-by-step techniques aimed at building horses’ confidence and trust to help them overcome specific anxieties.

This episode details the efforts to train horses to be brave for different purposes. The programme focuses on acceptance training (desensitisation) with horses to various stimuli and helping them overcome specific phobias through gradual training techniques.

This episode of “Top Marks on the Road” features a loading clinic in Gloucester, where the host works with three horse owners and their horses to address loading difficulties. The programme details the initial challenges, the techniques used to overcome them, and the importance of understanding the root cause of each horse’s reluctance to load.

This episode of “Top Marks on the Road” focuses on a nappy horse ‘crash course’ where Kelly works with horses exhibiting reluctance to move forward or leave other horses. The programme documents the assessment and training interventions used to address this challenging behaviour.

This episode of “Top Marks on the Road” focuses on mounting issues experienced by three different horses and their owners in Somerset. The programme demonstrates initial training interventions aimed at helping these horses stand still and accept being mounted calmly.

This episode of Top Marks documents the initial activities and challenges faced by a team preparing for a horse demonstration event in Dorset. The programme focuses on assessing horses for suitability, addressing behavioural issues, and introducing young horses to the demonstration environment.

Addressing Equine Fears and Building Trust Through Understanding and Patience. This episode of “Top Marks – Facing Fears” focuses on addressing various behavioural challenges in horses through understanding, patience, and positive training techniques. The programme features demonstrations and discussions around horses with specific fears and anxieties.

Discover essential techniques for caring for older horses and effectively managing anxieties around vets and injections in this insightful Top Marks episode. Featuring renowned horse trainer and Intelligent Horsemanship founder Kelly Marks, alongside researcher Dr. Veronica Fowler, this programme offers practical, welfare-focused horse training strategies to enhance the well-being of veteran equines.

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