Wellington, FL (April 11, 2012) – When New York dressage rider Martin Sosnoff met international dressage rider and trainer Dr. Cesar Parra he said he was immediately impressed with Parra’s passion for the sport as well as his incredible level of sportsmanship. Parra, who recently represented the United States at the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, discovered that he had much to learn from his experienced student. Sosnoff, who is an octogenarian, is still showing younger riders exactly how it’s done.
“Cesar is a world class rider with many young students competing and winning, but when he met Martin he was very interested in helping him achieve his goals. He liked that he was an older man who wanted to ride, learn and compete,” said Toni Sosnoff, Martin’s wife. “Cesar is not only an incredible rider and trainer but he is an incredible resource in the world of dressage.”
The Sosnoffs met Parra when they visited Parra’s Piaffe-Performance Farm in Florida to look at a horse. “I was impressed because Martin tried one horse first and Cesar said they weren’t a good match so he had Martin try a less expensive horse because he knew they would be better suited,” Toni said. “Cesar cares deeply about his horses and his riders. Cesar always makes an attempt to stay involved with horse that he sells. He has an incredible demeanor and is wonderful to work with.”
The Sosnoffs began riding about 40 years ago, dabbling in dressage, eventing and jumping. Toni took one too many spills and decided to end her riding career, but Martin has continued to ride and now has three dressage horses that they keep at their own farm in Rhinebeck, New York. At home Martin trains and rides with Wes Dunham but said he values every opportunity he has to train with Parra. In addition to being dedicated to his riding career, Martin is still actively involved in the world of finance. He is still involved in running his internationally successful finance company and writes weekly articles for Forbes magazine.
Sosnoff’s horses include Libertino, an upper level horse he purchased from Parra, as well as Cambridge and Sirocco. “My goal is to be able to show all three horses at the Prix St. Georges level and get scores of 60% or better,” Sosnoff said. Like Parra, Sosnoff is passionate about his horses and although he likes all three of his mounts he said he and Sirocco are very bonded. “I love him and he loves me.”
Age hasn’t slowed Sosnoff down, which he proved when he became a member of the Century Club through The Dressage Foundation. The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 or more. Sosnoff completed his Centurion test a few years ago on his 24-year-old Fourth Level horse named Big Red.
Sosnoff is quite eager to keep up with Parra and the other students and riders at Piaffe-Performance. “Martin shows all of us at Piaffe-Performance how it’s done. Martin purchased Libertino from me and we are thrilled with Martin’s continued success,” Parra said. “Martin has discovered that dressage is his fountain of youth, which is wonderful. I think every dressage rider hopes to be still going strong after eight decades on this earth, I know I do. I am thankful for Martin and Toni and certainly count it as a blessing in my life to know them.”
While Sosnoff’s goals are to compete his team of horses in the Prix St. Georges classes, Parra has his sights set on the 2012 London Olympics. “I would love to represent the United States as a member of the Olympic team. I am hopeful that with Van The Man, a new horse owned by the Davis Family, we can earn a spot on the U.S. team,” Parra said. “I am very appreciative and thankful to all the owners who have helped me get to where I am today. I hope to bring home top honors for the United States.”
For more information on Parra or Piaffe-Performance visit their website at www.piaffe-performance.com.
For more information contact:
Dr. Cesar Parra
drcesarparra@msn.com
www.piaffe-performance.com
410-977-8352