Pan Am Team Gold Medalist Dr. Cesar Parra Cleared of All Charges after Thorough Investigation

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A vindicated Dr. Cesar Parra stands tall with Sara and Michal Davis’ horse, Van The Man, who he hopes to earn a spot with on the US Olympic team with in June at Gladstone. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Whitehouse Station, NJ (May 26, 2012) – It has been a year of triumphs and tribulations for American rider, Dr. Cesar Parra.  In the last 12 months, Parra has enjoyed winning a Team Gold Medal at the Pan Games and the excitement of a new Grand Prix mount with his sights set on making the U.S. team for the 2012 London Olympics. In the same time frame a sad accident that occurred on Parra’s farm in June of 2009 came back into focus in the form of a heinous allegation.

The owner of the horse involved in the 2009 accident and a fellow cohort filed for severe criminal charges against Parra in the Hunterdon County Court.  Parra was shocked and saddened by the allegations but he and the Piaffe Performance team that struggled desperately to help the horse after the accident, stood tall in their convictions that they did everything in their power to help the horse. “I was profoundly saddened by the tragic accident, which solely resulted from circumstances unrelated to my conduct and beyond my control. While working on the lunge line, this horse reared, fell, and hit his head.  Lunging a horse is a very common procedure and on that day in June three years ago, there was no action on my or my staff’s part that could possibly be considered atypical or detrimental to the horse.  Regardless of a trainer’s best efforts to ensure an animal’s safety, accidents of this type can and do occur.”

At one point during the investigation there was conversation about dismissing the case on technicality involving the filing, at which point Dr. Parra asked his representatives to insist on a thorough investigation. “I welcomed the investigators to come my farm at any time, unannounced and see our day to day practices.  I am very proud of our training and the care and consideration my team gives to each and every horse. I was deeply pained by these claims forth against me regarding the “alleged torture and abuse” of a horse.  I wanted a full investigation to clear my name and set the record straight,” Parra explained.

On May 23, 2012 Parra got the vindication he was seeking. The prosecutor for Hunterdon County dismissed the charges after the investigation conducted concluded that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the charges.  The ruling came just in time for Parra to focus his full attention on the USEF Festival of Champions and the US Olympic selection trials that begin on June 8, in Gladstone New Jersey.

Parra became one of Colombia’s top international dressage riders and was named the Colombian National Champion multiple times. He competed in the 2004 Olympic Games and the 2006 World Equestrian Games for Colombia. In 2008 he became an Untied States citizen and has achieved great success on American soil, highlighted by the Pan Am U.S. Team Gold Medal last year.

“I would love to represent the United States as a member of the Olympic team. I am hopeful that with Sara and Michal Davis’ horse, Van The Man we can earn a spot on the U.S. team,” Parra said, adding, “ I am grateful for the continued trust and support so many of my fellow equestrians bestowed on me during the difficult times of the allegations. And I am proud of the entire Piaffe Performance team. We have proved that together we can weather any storm and stay focused on the horses we love and the camaraderie that makes our team feel like a family”. So with 100-pecent focus, Parra prepares himself and his riders for the task ahead of them at Gladstone in June.

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

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