Introducing Anna Marek! Nations Cup Gold Medalist
Athlete, Trainer, Mom and Our Friend
HS: A couple of weeks ago, we discussed crafting your personal vision and goals for a successful career. The idea of that blog was borne upon discussions about trainers and coaches that we highly admire. Our personal trainer, Anna Marek, exemplifies everything we value in a trainer…integrity, caring, and highly qualified. We are proud to introduce you to her.
ANNA MAREK: My story...
I’m so excited to be able to write a few articles for The Home and Stable! I love Renee and Karson’s vision of bringing horse articles and goodies together for the home. (HS: You can shop these goodies in our store here!)
I would like to start with Renee’s idea of telling my story, journey and critical steps that have impacted my life. When I was 7 years old, my mom and I started group riding lessons together at the stable she had horses at when she was in high school. My mom mucked stalls on the weekends and did barn work to pay for her horses Ice Cream and Dean. Like any young kid, I thought I was going to be a jumper since that’s what my friends did. However, my first horse hated to jump and I fell off a lot. Needless to say, I became increasingly scared and you can imagine my horse became increasingly disagreeable about jumping. So, I went to a schooling dressage show and ended up winning a blue ribbon. I decided it was more fun to win ribbons than to fall off trying to jump. I loved my horse Zak very much so that’s what I decided to do! Zak was a throw away at one point in his life, but he was my everything. After a lot of work, I got my bronze medal.
At one of the boarding barns where we kept Zak, a very tiny amateur lady had this gorgeous, young, black Dutch Warmblood gelding. This was Unico G (Nico), and he needed a rider that was as stubborn as he was. So I became Nico's rider, and he was literally my first of everything up the dressage ladder. Nico was the first horse I won a regional championship on (second level), the first horse I trained to PSG, I-1 and then Grand Prix, and the first horse I won Grand Prix regionals on (twice). Also , he was the first horse I won Nationals on. We also won a GP CDI freestyle under the lights in Wellington. Nico's owner cut me a break, and I agreed to purchase
Nico for a very reasonable price (for him) within two years. This very reasonable price that I agreed to was more money than I had ever seen or known, so I was taking a leap. I already owned an unbroken gelding that I ended up starting, selling, and paying for Nico within that time.
Around the time that Nico and I had started showing at PSG, I received an invite from Belinda Nairn to come ride her horses, and she would train me on Nico and the horses that I rode for her. Over the years, I rode with Belinda. It was my fast track of learning. I rode anything and everything, and had coaching on all of these very different horses. I was working with new horses all of the time, and I needed to learn them quickly. They were all either for sale or I needed to show them. Between Belinda and Frank Barnett, I didn’t just learn to ride. I learned to handle horses, and I learned horse behavior. I had the freedom to experiment and learn from my own mistakes. I learned about care and management, and have tweaked my own style as time goes on.
When I first moved to Belinda, I generously became sponsored by Renee Isler who has helped countless young riders and professionals over the years. She has a great passion for helping juniors and young riders. Anyone who needs the help, works hard, and will give back to the sport. She had seen me ride and took an interest in Nico and I. She told me that Anne Gribbons needed to see us, and she paid for me to have a lesson with Anne once a month. I believe this was within a year of when I moved to Florida, which would mean I have worked with Anne for nearly 11 years!
The styles of the two major coaches in my life are quite different, but they are both equally important. I wouldn’t be able to ride and understand young horses like I do if it weren’t for Belinda and Frank. Still to this day, I send video clips to Frank for his advice and he sends very long, detailed paragraphs of which I have to read and reread to absorb. I wouldn’t have had the success and push to ride in the CDIs if Anne wasn’t behind me pushing me and telling me what to do and when...all the time (lol).
AJ, though not a trainer, believed in me at a young age and taught me a lot. As a kid with so many doubts that I could do this, I just kept my head down and kept going. I would tell myself, "If I can prove myself in the arena then I can do this". I thought that I would never sell my horse Nico. Then one day AJ said, “You have no money....what are you going to do, retire him and that be it?” He shook his head like it was so simple to him. “He needs to help you now to continue on.” At the time, Holiday came to me for training. He was 4 years old. I remember one day after riding Holiday I said to AJ, “What do you think about me trading Nico for Holiday?” His response was that if we found Holiday in Europe, we would not be able to afford him. I contacted Wendy (Holiday’s owner) and we arranged the exchange.
,So I sold Nico, and that opened up so many opportunities for me. And to this day, I am still so thankful for my friendship and partnership with Holiday’s old owner, Wendy. The whole experience taught me so much. Down the road, I ended up selling another heart horse of mine, Einstein, and again more opportunities arose.
Great opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. Working for Belinda introduced me to Diane Morrison, who bought Dee Clair from AJ and Belinda as a 4yr old. I had already ridden her for a little while right after Frank started her. Clair was the first of many horses that I have ridden that were started by him. Over the years, Clair completely amazed us all with her kind soul. She climbed the ladder to Grand Prix level very quickly, winning a regional championship at Grand Prix and going on to numerous years at the CDI Grand Prix level. She ended up making a Nations Cup Team and winning reserve national Grand Prix champion at Lamplight in 2019. The whole journey with Diane and Clair was amazing. We did it together, trusted each other, and enjoyed so much success together.
So then, Renee asked, where am I in my journey? And where do I see myself going? That question is so simple to me. I don’t know! My favorite thing about my job and my life is that I get to train horses. I get to ride so many nice horses and I get to have so many wonderful people in my life because of it. I love training horses more than I love showing. As time goes on, and I look for young horses, I try to improve on the horses that I’m currently riding. A very difficult thing to do. However, that is the future! Also, as I’ve tweaked my training style over time, I’ve learned my strengths and weaknesses. Certain horses over the years have pointed this out to me. In my next blog, I will talk about some of the horses I ride right now, why I like them, and what I look for in young horses.
Anna Marek Fun Facts:
- What horsey item can you not live without?
"The Soless Helmet Visor!"
2.
If someone enters your house, can they tell you are a horse person?
"Yes! The first thing you will see is an oil painting of a headshot of Nico"
3. What is your favorite horse gift you have received?
"I have a halter that I won in my first Grand Prix CDI Freestyle on Nico.
HS: Thanks Anna for sharing your story! We are truly looking forward to your next blog on young horses. For our readers, Anna has a strong background in assessment and development of young horses for numerous top owners and herself. She is unique in her capabilities and will provide valuable insights we think you will appreciate!
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