Top Marks – Trust is a Must
Top Marks – Trust is a Must
Featuring Kelly Marks & IH Team
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This episode of Top Marks, titled “Trust Is A Must,” delves into the core principles of building trust with horses and overcoming various training obstacles. Featuring insights from Kelly Marks and other equine professionals, the programme highlights the importance of clear communication and patient techniques in achieving positive outcomes.
The episode documents a horse training tour, showcasing the progress made with a range of horses. This includes a “tricky” starter horse, a “remedial ridden cob,” and a horse named Banksy, who is learning to manage spookiness. A central focus of the episode is the work with Louise and her horse Vienna, who struggles with a severe phobia of horse trailers and fear of loading. The programme demonstrates the methods used to address this phobia, as well as the challenges of working with Jack, a horse who is distrustful of humans due to past mishandling. The episode also includes preparations for an evening demonstration, including a pre-demonstration check by an equine physiotherapist Sue Plamer MSc.
Viewers will see demonstrations of key training techniques, including Join-Up to establish trust with Jack. The episode emphasises the importance of gradual acceptance training (desensitisation), positive reinforcement, and building a “line of communication” with horses. This is particularly evident in the work with Vienna, where patient and consistent training leads to her successful loading into a horsebox.
