The final dressage show of 2024 at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) opened on Thursday, December 12, at the December Dressage CDI-W presented by Hampton Green Farms. Three CDI classes were featured on the day’s schedule with familiar faces leading the victory gallops. U.S. Olympic team silver medalist Adrienne Lyle (USA) led the 15-entry strong Grand Prix for Freestyle CDI-W class riding Helix, owned by Zen Elite Equestrian, while Anna Marek (USA) and Fayvel, owned by Cynthia Davila, topped the Grand Prix for Special CDI3*. The Prix St. Georges CDI1* victory went to Pablo Gómez Molina (ESP) and Aurelius Ymas, owned by Yeguada de Ymas S.L.

(Above Photo:  Anna Marek praised the piaffe and passage work with Fayvel in their victorious test in the Grand Prix for Special CDI3. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography)

Marek and Fayvel scored 70.022% as the only pair to break the 70% mark to win the Grand Prix for Special CDI3*. Tina Konyot (USA) and Grover, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Everdale x United she owns with Earle I. Mack LLC, scored 69.478% for second place. Kevin Kohmann (USA) and Giulietta scored 66.522% for third place. The 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare by Bordeaux (NLD) x Olivi is owned by Diamante Farms.

After competing in the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final in April and a long summer of travel in Europe on the U.S. Dressage Olympic team short list, Marek has been able to take a break from CDI competitions, having only shown in two classes at the previous WEC Dressage show in November with Holiday since CHIO Aachen in July. The time has given her a chance to consider how to spend her time with her two top horses, Fayvel and Fire Fly, in the coming year with no major team championships.

Anna Marek and Fayvel in their winning presentation with judge Maria Colliander and Jennifer Glass of World Equestrian Center. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

That Time Goes By So Fast

“What I’ve realized in doing the big championships is how much time you actually need, how long it takes to prepare,” she remarked. “You think that you have all this time, and then by the time you have the horses where you want them and fit – but also you’ve gone to enough shows, you’ve practiced enough – that time goes by so fast.”

For 2025, Marek is riding Fire Fly in the CDI-W classes to see what happens for the upcoming World Cup Final but also looking at qualifying for the U.S. Equestrian Open Dressage Final. WEC – Ocala has four qualifying dates, which is attractive for Marek in order to stay close to home and compete.

“If I could qualify for that I would absolutely love to do that,” she said. “It’s in the United States, and I could qualify at home. With Fayvel, I could practice the Specials.”

Practicing in the Special started in Thursday’s class, where she worked on piaffe and passage. Marek has only competed with Fayvel, a 14-year-old KWPN gelding by Zizi Top x Houston, at the CDI level for a year; owner Davila competed the horse at grand prix level prior to Marek taking the reins.

He Is Getting Really Trained And Relaxed

“It just takes time to go in there and make it feel like it’s easy,” said Marek. “He’s so talented with the piaffe and passage, but he’s just a little bit green at it. In schooling and at home I was like, ‘Oh wow, we can do this amazingly well,’ and today I felt like I started to show that where I didn’t have to work so hard to get it. He is getting really trained and relaxed and confirmed so that I could just steer him through it and ask him quietly for things.

“Today I came out thinking, ‘Everything that I’ve been working on, it worked today in this test.’ We had a clean ride. I know that the one-tempis can be bigger and little things like that, but overall, his way of going was what I was really happy with.”

Grand Prix for Special Results

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