Tag Archives: Cesar Parra

Competitions, FEI, Show Jumping

Konyot and Parra Produce Determined Efforts in Grand Prix at FEI World Cup Dressage Final

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Tina Konyot and Calecto V (MA Brakenridge/PSdressage.com)

Lyon, France – The highly anticipated 2014 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final got underway Saturday afternoon at the Lyon Eurexpo. As 17 of the world’s best horse-and-rider combinations performed the FEI Grand Prix Test before the Ground Jury of Eduard de Wolff van Westerrode, Dr. Jean-Michel Roudier, Thomas Lang, Dr. Evi Eisenhardt, Gary Rockwell, Jacques van Daele, and Leif Tornblad. The U.S. combinations of Tina Konyot with Calecto V and Cesar Parra on Van the Man produced determined efforts to overcame mistakes in their performances on Friday and look forward to Sunday’s Freestyle.

Konyot (Palm City, Fla.) and her 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and 2012 London Olympic Games partner once again demonstrated an impressive trot-tour to score 70.443% for their Grand Prix test. However, a few mistakes including in the one-time changes and over-anticipation on final centerline kept the pair from scoring even higher. Additionally, they overcame an unenviable starting position, number one in the order, to finish the day in 11th place.

“I was very happy with my horse; I made some mistakes that cost me. But I am very pleased and it is an honor to be here,” said Konyot who did not let her pathfinder status on Saturday deter her from the task at hand. “It is always disappointing but someone has to go first. But I’ve been doing this awhile, so it didn’t affect me.”

Parra (Whitehouse Station, N.J.) and Michael and Sarah Davis’ Van the Man showed impressive work in their test on Friday but moments of tension kept them from landing higher up the leaderboard as they finished in 16th place with a score of 65.543%. After breaking to the canter in the first extended trot they rebounded with a solid finish to their trot work. However, following the walk tour the 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding became nervous in the corner by M resulting in a disobedience and backing up.

Nevertheless, Parra was still pleased with the progress his horse has made in the last year and is excited about competing in Lyon.

“I’m very excited to be here; this is a beautiful venue,” said Parra. “At the beginning and going around the ring the feeling was very good and he was feeling very well. He’s grown up a lot and he feels more and more confident.”

As expected it was the world first and second ranked combinations battling it out for top honors on Saturday. Collecting second-place honors was the World number two combination and 2013 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final champions Germany’s Helen Langehanenberg and Damon Hill NRW on a score of 83.343%. Finishing almost four points ahead of the field, and setting a new World Record as well, were the World’s number one combination and reigning Olympic and European Champions Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro of Great Britain. In their first ever Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final start they claimed the Grand Prix victory on a score of 87.129%.

All eyes will be on Dujardin in Saturday’s Freestyle as she debuts new music and tries to top her current Freestyle World Record of 93.975%.

“I can’t believe it; he never lets me down. Each year there’s a bit more and a bit more,” said Dujardin. “I’m very excited (for tomorrow). It will be a full house and it’s the music; it’s fun. I’m looking forward to it.”

By Helen Murray

To find a full list of orders of go and results from the 2014 FEI World Cup Finals, visit: http://eventcontent.hippoonline.de/890/index.html.

Learn more about the 2014 FEI World Cup Finals here.

To watch the 2014 FEI World Cup Finals live, visit feitv.org.

Follow the U.S. Jumpers here.

Dressage, JRPR

Piaffe Performance Delivers Success from the World Cup Level to Young Horses and Juniors

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Fiderhit OLD competing at the 2014 Adequan Global Dressage Festival. (Photo courtesy of SusanJStickle.com)

Wellington, FL (April 9, 2014) – The riders and trainers of Piaffe Performance have just rounded out a successful season that has left them leading the nation across the divisions.  From the international Grand Prix level to the Young Horse and Junior classes, every member of the Piaffe Performance team is at the top of their game and preparing for a successful spring and summer.

Two rising stars who have received international attention for their incredible performances are Fashion Designer OLD, an Oldenburg gelding ridden by Nadine Buberl and Fiderhit OLD, an Oldenburg mare owned by Michael and Sarah Davis and ridden by Dr. Cesar Parra.  The two competed in the FEI 6-Year-Old divisions during the Global Dressage Festival, and their collective scores have them currently ranked as the top two 6-year-olds in the United States.  The team at Piaffe Performance is thrilled that the two are now qualified to compete at the 2014 Young Horse Championships this summer, where they will vie for top honors in the 6-year-old division.

And Fiderhit and Fashion Designer aren’t the only ones dominating the youth divisions. Sixteen-year-old dressage rider Bebe Davis won both first and second place at the CDI Florida Youth Championships Junior competition this year on Fievel Mousekewitz and Rotano, horses owned by her parents Michael and Sarah Davis. Bebe Davis and Fievel Mousekewitz also received an impressive score of 73.333% in FEI Junior Freestyle at the 2014 AGDF Week 10 CDI on March 16. Davis and Fievel Mousekewitz were also invited to perform their Freestyle at the Celebration of the Horse, which will be held in Central Park this fall. The young rider’s next step will be heading to the USEF Festival of Champions and North American Junior Young Rider Championships this summer, where she will defend her title as 2013 Junior National Champion.

In keeping with the winning ways of Piaffe Performance and his daughter Bebe, Mike Davis also stepped into the winner’s circle with his mount, Weekend Pleasure.  The pair had dual first place finishes in the Fourth Level Test 1 class on both Saturday and Sunday during the final week of competition of the Global Dressage Festival.  The adult amateur rider and his wife, Sarah, also own the World Cup bound Van the Man and top ranked 6-year-old Fashion Designer OLD, proving they not only win the blue ribbons but also support and contribute to the sport on multiple levels.

Yet another winning contributor on the Piaffe Performance team is Martin Sosnoff, an extremely successful businessman who took up dressage later in life.  His 80+ years don’t stop him from competing at the FEI level; in fact he showed his Danish bred Scirocco in both the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I during the final week of Global, and also competed his Dutch bred Amigo at Third Level.

While Piaffe Performance’s students continue to score and rank in the top in the nation, Piaffe Performance’s assistant trainer, Katie Riley, has mastered the double role of coach rider; in addition to helping Piaffe Performance’s students prosper in the arena, she has been successfully campaigning her own horse, the Dutch Warmblood gelding Zanzibar on the Florida circuit.  The pair had first and second place finishes in the Developing Horse Grand Prix division at the CDIO 3* Nations Cup, and Riley is currently a leading competitor in Developing Horse Grand Prix in the United States.  She is currently working with Parra to prepare Zanzibar for the 2014 Young Horse Championships.

To find out more about Piaffe Performances and the services it provides, visit www.piaffe-performance.com, or call the New Jersey facility at (908) 534-4700 or the Florida facility at (561) 748-1472.

Contact: Dr. Cesar Parra
Piaffe-Performance Farm
(410) 977-8352
www.piaffe-performance.com

Awards, Dressage, JRPR

Cesar Parra Closes AGDF CDI5*/3* with Custom Saddlery Most Valuable Rider Award

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Custom Saddlery’s final MVR winner of the 2014 season, Dr. Cesar Parra, is presented with his award by Cora Causemann. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Aiken, SC (April 7, 2014) – It was as easy as 1-2-3 for Dr. Cesar Parra of Piaffe-Performance to close the twelfth and final week of the 2014 Adequan Global Dressage Festival CDI5*/3* with performances — on two different yet exceptional horses – noteworthy enough to also earn the Custom Saddlery Most Valuable Rider Award.

Cary Wallace, Master Saddlefitter for Aiken, SC-based Custom Saddlery, congratulated Parra, who was presented with his MVR award an embroidered Custom Saddlery saddle pad and grey and maroon ribbon.  The Custom Most Valuable Rider award has been presented at every Adequan Global Dressage Festival since its inception in 2012 to recognize riders who, ‘through exceptional performance, horsemanship or teamwork,’ brought something special to the dressage show experience.

For Parra, it was his effortless prowess handling two superb athletes at different points in their careers that won his Most Valuable Rider status. On Thursday and Friday, astride Michael and Sarah Davis’s 17-hand, black Dutch (Obelisk-bred) gelding, Van the Man, he earned a 70.920% in the FEI Grand Prix, and on Friday, third-place honors (69.078%) in the FEI Grand Prix Special.

The Wellington weekend then saw the Custom Saddlery MVR mount up with Fiderhit OLD, a black, 16.2-hand mare owned by Michael and Sarah Davis and a star in Parra’s training program. Only two weeks earlier at AGDF10, they rode to the win in the FEI Six Year Old Test Final (Markel/USEF) with an 86.20% finish that also brought her to the top of the US national rankings.

Campaigned on Global Dressage Festival’s final Saturday, in the FEI Preliminary Test for Six-Year-Olds, the pair scored 84% to finish reserve, and on Sunday, in the FEI Young Horse Final for Six-Year-Olds, Parra let the cream rise to the top and brought her down centerline to a victorious 86.400% finish.

“Believe me,” Parra had said at the start of the winter season, “we have not seen the best yet.”  But thanks to this Custom Saddlery MVR’s relationship with this very special mare, the dressage world is catching spectacular glimpses of what’s still ahead.

Custom Saddlery is a proud sponsor of Most Valuable Riders throughout the dressage community. For more information on Custom Saddlery, visit their website at www.mysaddle.com.

For more information contact:
Custom Saddlery, Cary Wallace
www.mysaddle.com
cary@mysaddle.com
1-800-235-3865

Awards, Dressage, JRPR

Lily Zilo, Winner of Piaffe-Performance Adult Amateur Award, Welcomes the ‘Challenge’ of Riding for Hong Kong

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Dr. Cesar Parra and Lily Zilo. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (April 7, 2014) – Piaffe-Performance Adult Amateur Award winner Lily Zilo dreams big and her award-winning success during the final week of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington is fueling her determination to carry out her goal: riding for Hong Kong in September at the 17th Asian Games in South Korea.

Zilo, who trains with Shannon Dueck and Sahar Daniel Hirosh, stepped up her game against the professionals in Wellington, competing in her first season at the Prix St Georges level with her partner of the last 18 months, the 16.1-hand, nine-year-old bay KWPN (Rhodium x Larcona) gelding, Windsor’s Aron.  Their first test on Friday earned a fifth-place score of 62.105%, inspiring Zilo to return on Saturday having fine-tuned their ride for a second-place clinching 64.474% effort.

Competing at Wellington has meant riding against peers from the highest levels of the sport, which is exactly where the Piaffe-Performance Adult Amateur Award winner wanted to be in order to hone her skills before facing off against seasoned international veterans at the Asian Games.

“I know that I will compete with professionals, but as an adult amateur, I feel very proud to face the challenge of representing the Chinese people, and to let young Chinese children know that you can have a big goal and ride for your country,” Zilo remarked.  “You need to be a partner to your horse, to reward them when they are good, and to use patience and consistency when asking them to step up.”

“Adult amateur riders like Lily, who focus on the horse and challenge themselves to keep improving, are what keeps our sport growing around the world. I hope the silver picture frame that comes with Lily’s award will hold the photo of her on the medal podium in September,” said Parra.

Throughout the 2014 Adequan Global Dressage Festival series, Piaffe Performance Adult Amateur Awards recognized the exceptional successes of adult amateur riders, through their outstanding sportsmanship or horsemanship.

Cesar Parra, DDS, MScD, operates Piaffe Performance in Jupiter, FL and Whitehouse Station, NJ and has worked with such masters of dressage as Herbert Rehbein, Siegfried “Bimbo” Peilicke, Hans Rueben, Herbert Kuckluck and Hubertus Schmidt.  Learn more about training and sales prospects at www.piaffe-performance.com.

Contact: Dr. Cesar Parra
Piaffe-Performance Farm
(410) 977-8352
www.piaffe-performance.com

Dressage, FEI, USEF

USEF Announces Riders for the 2014 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final

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Lexington, Ky. – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will be represented by two combinations at the 2014 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final in Lyon, France April 17-21, both having qualified from the North American League.

The following combinations qualified during World Cup Qualifying Events held throughout the 2013-2014 season:

Tina Konyot (Palm City, Fla.) will ride her own Calecto V.
Calecto V is a 1998 Danish Warmblood stallion.

Konyot was first named to the U.S. team short list in 2004 Olympic Games and has become a fixture in team competitions. In 2010, Konyot and Calecto V represented the U.S. at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky., helping the team to a fourth-place finish. The pair maintained its form and traveled to London for the 2012 Olympic Games, earning a sixth-place finish with the U.S. team. In February, they helped the U.S. to a top podium finish at the Wellington CDIO3* presented by Stillpoint Farm in addition to earning a third-place finish in the Freestyle.

Cesar Parra (Whitehouse Station, N.J.) will ride Michael and Sarah Davis’ Van the Man.
Van the Man is a 2002 Dutch Warmblood gelding.

Originally from Colombia, Parra represented in his native country at the Olympic Games, FEI World Equestrian Games, Pan American Games, and FEI World Cup Finals. In 2009, he began riding as an American and went on to represent the U.S. at the 2011 Pan American Games, where the United States took home Team Gold. Parra and Van the Man have gained a strong partnership over the years and recently sixth in the Freestyle at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival CDI-W sponsored by Today’s Equestrian and GF Enterprises, LLC.

As the Official Shipper for the U.S. Dressage Team, The Dutta Corp will provide travel to the 2014 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final for Calecto V and Van the Man.

“The Dutta Corp is proud to support our dressage team’s quest to achieve International excellence at this year World Cup, the World Equestrian Games and the championships beyond,” said Tim Dutta, President and CEO of The Dutta Corp.

To learn more about The Dutta Corp, visit: http://timdutta.com/.

To learn more about the 2014 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final, visit: http://www.feiworldcupfinals-lyon.com/homepage.

Follow the U.S. Dressage Team here.

Breeds, Dressage, JRPR

Piaffe Performance’s Oldenburgs Rank First in the Nation

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Dr. Cesar Parra and Fiderhit OLD. (Photo courtesy of SusanJStickle.com)

Wellington, FL (March 25, 2014) – “Believe me; we have not seen the best from these horses yet.” That was the comment Dr. Cesar Parra, founder of Piaffe Performance, made in 2013 about two of Piaffe Performance’s talented horses — Fiderhit OLD and Fashion Designer OLD. Parra was right. At the 2014 Adequan Global Dressage Festival Week 10 National Show, the two Oldenburgs came in first and second in their class. This currently places them first and second in the United States national rankings.

The 2014 AGDF Week 10 National Show was held on March 13-16 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Piaffe Performance’s Fiderhit OLD and Fashion Designer OLD proved to be unbeatable in the FEI 6 Year Old Test Final (Markel/USEF) on Sunday March 16. Riding for the USA, Dr. Cesar Parra of Piaffe Performance presented Fiderhit OLD, a 17.1-hand black Oldenburg mare owned by Michael and Sarah Davis. The mare scored 86.2% in the open division of the class, earning her first place.

Nadine Buberl of Germany showed Fashion Designer OLD, a 16.2-hand bay Oldenburg gelding owned by Martin Sosnoff and Dr. Cesar Parra. Buberl and Fashion Designer OLD scored 79.6% in the open division of the FEI 6 Year Old Test Final (Markel/USEF). This put them in second place in the class.

After the AGDF Week 10 National Show, senior trainer at Piaffe Performance, Katie Riley, stated, “Our young horses made quite a splash at their first show of the season; we were very proud of them.” A “splash” is certainly an understatement. Fiderhit OLD’s and Fashion Designer OLD’s outstanding show results granted Piaffe Performance the accomplishment of having not only one, but two, horses in the top dressage rankings in the United States.

Training horses to perform as well as these two Oldenburg six-year-olds is a constant goal of Piaffe Performance.  With two facilities operating out of both Whitehouse Station, New Jersey and Jupiter, Florida, the staff focuses on training horses and riders in classical dressage methods, as well as choosing, showing, and selling high-quality sport horses. Dr. Parra and his team of trainers and riders at Piaffe Performance base their training on the six-part Training Scale: Rhythm, Suppleness, Contact, Impulsion, Straightness, and Collection. Besides training, Piaffe Performance also offers lessons and assistance with selling horses in Germany and the United States.

To find out more about Piaffe Performances and the services it provides, visit www.piaffe-performance.com, or call the New Jersey facility at (908) 534-4700 or the Florida facility at (561) 748-1472.

For more information contact:
Dr. Cesar Parra
drcesarparra@msn.com
www.piaffe-performance.com
410-977-8352

Dressage, Training/Clinics

Cesar Parra and Piaffe Performance Grateful for Historic USEF/USET Pipeline Clinic Experience

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Dr. Cesar Parra and Van the Man. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (February 11, 2014) – Cesar Parra and Piaffe Performance horses were among the dozen selected for the inaugural USEF/USET Pipeline Clinic, January 28-29, during the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, FL.

The USEF and USET Foundation, through the generosity of USET Foundation Trustee Betsy Juliano and Havensafe Farm, presented a two day clinic showcasing a “dressage pipeline” of American athletes and horses who worked with USEF Dressage Coaches Robert Dover, USEF Chef d’Equipe/Technical Advisor; Debbie McDonald, USEF Developing Coach; Scott Hassler, USEF Young Horse Coach; and Jeremy Steinberg, USEF Youth Coach.

“The Performance Farm team was honored to have three horses invited to this historic clinic,” said Parra. Invited were: Van the Man, in the Grand Prix; Rotano, ridden by Bebe Davis in the Junior Division; and Fashion Designer OLD, ridden by Katie Riley and owned by Martin Sosnoff and Parra, in the Six-Year-Old Division.

“We were grateful to have our young horse, Fashion Designer, and our Junior rider, Bebe, there. I rode Van the Man with Robert Dover and Scott Hassler. It was excellent for us to be in the stadium and focus on total relaxation and confidence. I could not have been more proud as we walked on the buckle with Van happy in an environment that has overwhelmed him in the past.

“Robert and Scott did a great job knowing what was important for Van, so we did not school Grand Prix but rather, did exactly what the horse needed to become confident and listening,” Parra said.

Piaffe Performance’s Katie Riley rode Fashion Designer OLD under the guidance of clinicians Scott Hassler and Debbie McDonald: “We worked on making Fashion’s huge gaits adjustable while keeping him attentive and relaxed.

“This was too good an experience to pass up and we are so grateful to everyone who made this happen. We really believe that Fashion has a tremendous future and keeping USEF coaching involved in his development keeps everyone on the same page and makes every training session more productive. I loved the well-rounded approach that the clinic took. It wasn’t just riding; it was sports psychology and fitness training as well as talks on media and sponsor relations and score analysis. The topics were all very pertinent for a rider that wants to be successful at the top so I enjoyed it all – even my sore legs from the workouts.”

Parra also saw the benefits: “We saw this clinic as a great opportunity and believe, through the continuity of training the coaches are putting together, we will see improvement in ourselves and in our sport. To have riders and trainers on the same page, from Pony level to Grand Prix, is exciting. We wanted to be a part of it.  Thank you to Betsy Juliano for making this possible and hope it is the first of many clinics.”

Bebe Davis and Rotano taking direction from Jeremy Steinberg. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)
Bebe Davis and Rotano taking direction from Jeremy Steinberg. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Bebe Davis, who had a brilliant start to her CDI season the week before with a 68.90% win in her FEI Test of Choice, called the clinic “excellent.”

“I worked with Jeremy and Robert on keeping Rotano in front of my leg and good self-carriage at all three gaits. We did a lot of going forward and collecting to get him listening to my aids. It was an opportunity not only to work with amazing coaches but amazing people on the ground. I loved every aspect, from the lessons to the seminars to the morning workouts.”

Davis said, “I think this event was important to our industry because it helped riders understand not only riding but our personal well-being. It taught how to handle relations between ourselves and potential sponsors or clients.

“It’s important for us to realize it is not only about how we handle ourselves while riding but how we are on the ground. We tend to take better care of horses than ourselves and this helped us realize how important that is too. I took so many important things away from this event.”

USEF Chef d’Equipe Robert Dover praised the participants and clinic for demonstrating — through the use of “world-class Young Riders, Young Horses, Developing and Elite International combinations” — the federation’s commitment to excellence in training from the bottom to the top of the sport. “I am certain every trainer, amateur and child who attended went home having had no less than one ‘Aha’ moment.”

Coaches worked in pairs with riders from their respective programs. Each day started with rider fitness sessions, followed by individual mounted sessions, and afternoon sessions on Sports Psychology. Riders, owners and trainers participated in the evening discussion on media, owner, and sponsor relations.

The clinic underscored an already great start for Performance Farm this season. At AGDF, Parra and Michael and Sarah Davis’ Van the Man were top US horse and rider in the Grand Prix Freestyle. Bebe Davis and Rotano, also owned by the Davis family, earned reserve and third in her CDI Junior division, and Katie Riley and Leo continue to show “real promise,” Parra reported, for their Grand Prix tests.

Cesar Parra, DDS, MScD, operates Piaffe Performance in Jupiter, FL and Whitehouse Station, NJ. He was born in Colombia, where he began riding cattle horses in the Andes Mountains of his grandparents’ farm. He has studied dressage with Herbert Rehbein, Siegfried “Bimbo” Peilicke, Hans Rueben, Herbert Kuckluck and Hubertus Schmidt.  Learn more about training and sales prospects at www.piaffe-performance.com.

For more information contact:
Dr. Cesar Parra
drcesarparra@msn.com
www.piaffe-performance.com
410-977-8352

Dressage, JRPR

Piaffe Performance Puts Global Dressage Festival Adult Amateurs in a Frame

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Adult Amateur Jill Irving and Dr. Cesar Parra during the 2013 Adequan Global Dressage Festival.  (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (January 3, 2013) – Getting one’s horse ‘in a frame’ is a foundation for good riding but when the 2014 Adequan Global Dressage Festival (GDF) opens January 8 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, it’s adult amateur riders going in to frames – and silver ones at that – thanks to a the Piaffe Performance Adult Amateur Achievement Award, sponsored by Dr. Cesar Parra and Piaffe Performance Farm.

Now in its second year at the GDF, the Piaffe Performance Adult Amateur Award will be presented throughout the GDF CDI series, recognizing exceptional adult amateurs for either their success in the arena or their contribution to the sport through outstanding sportsmanship or horsemanship.

Each award-winning rider will receive a Piaffe Performance rosette commemorating their achievement, as well as an engraved silver picture frame to hold a lasting memory of their ride and horse.

“I have learned so much from my adult amateur riders about perseverance and commitment,” said Parra who was on the US Team during the past CDIO Nations Cup show at the Global Dressage Festival, and won the Freestyle last year with Van the Man.  “Through this award, I hope Piaffe Performance can play a role in encouraging such riders.  They are the heart of our sport.”

The 2014 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, one of the world’s largest international and national dressage circuits, will feature six CDIs, the only non-championship CDIO Nations Cup in the Western Hemisphere, and five national title events before its conclusion in March.

Cesar Parra, DDS, MScD, operates Piaffe Performance in Jupiter, FL and Whitehouse Station, NJ and was born in Colombia.  Now a US citizen, he was a member of the Gold Medal winning US Team at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara.  He also competed in the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, 2003 Pan American Games, 2004 Athens Olympic Games, 2005 Las Vegas Dressage World Cup and 2006 Aachen World Equestrian Games.

Learn more about training and sales prospects at www.piaffe-performance.com.

For more information contact:
Dr. Cesar Parra
drcesarparra@msn.com
www.piaffe-performance.com
410-977-8352

Championships, Dressage, JRPR, USEF

Piaffe Performance’s Markel/USEF Champions Make Chicago Their Kind of Town

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Nadine Burberl and Fashion Designer OLD, owned by Martin Sosnoff, at the 2013 Young Horse Championships. (Photo courtesy of PhelpsPhoto.com)

Whitehouse Station, NJ (September 5, 2013) – “What a week in Chicago! I could not be more proud of my horses and riders,” said Cesar Parra, after judges Lilo Fore, Anne Gribbons and Sandy Osborne awarded some of the most prestigious titles and scores of the 2013 Markel/USEF Young & Developing Horse Dressage National Championships presented by HorseShow.com to Piaffe Performance horses and riders.

On August 24, facing 13 entries in the last of two qualifying classes towards the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Five-Year-Old Championship, Nadine Burberl knew that a strong ride with Parra and Martin T. Sosnoff’s Fashion Designer OLD (Faustinus x Forst-Design/DeNiro) would account for 60% of their final score and likely make or break their chance at their first national title.

The Oldenburg gelding rose to the occasion in the Lamplight Equestrian Center’s Championship Arena, earning a perfect “10” for his trot work from the impressed panel of judges and a 9.60 score overall to win the class. He also earned a 9.0 for his walk, 8.5 for his canter, and high marks (8.5 and 9.3) for submission and general impression. “I had goose-bumps every circle, every canter stride,” said Burberl, “and his trot was just amazing.”  Parra agreed: “It was really poetry in motion.”

Burberl also rode Michael and Sarah Davis’s Oldenburg, Fiderhit OLD (Fidertanz x Sandro Hit) to third (87.0) in the same class, finishing ahead of an impressive field of entries including two ridden by U.S. Pan American Games team Gold medalist Chris Hickey.

“Both Oldenburg superstars showed their fantastic quality,” said Parra, “but believe me, you have not seen the best from these horses yet. The future is exciting.”

In the Markel/USEF Developing Grand Prix Horse Championship test, the Piaffe Performance team of Katie Riley and Zanzibar (aka ‘Leo’) finished as reserve champion in the final test with a 66.583 score from the judges and a very close 3rd place finish in the Championships.

“It has been so fun to watch this horse mature,” said Parra.  All the more so because Leo’s path to Grand Prix potential has been an unusual one:  “We bought him as a four-year-old stallion that had been started as a hunter. Now, as a nine-year-old, he is doing Grand Prix dressage! Katie and Leo were less than a point out of first place. They will be fun to watch in the next year.”

Next on the Piaffe Performance schedule is preparing its new national  champions and rising stars for Dressage at Devon, September 24-29, in Pennsylvania.  But not before pausing to acknowledge the supportive network of  riders, friends and family who are with Piaffe Performance stride for stride.

“Thank you,” said Parra, “to all of the people who made these championships possible for us. Many people have taught me so much in the past years, I am always grateful for their continued support.”

Follow the progress of Piaffe Performance’s rising stars at the Devon Horse Show and beyond, visit the farm, or meet more of its talented sale and dressage prospects at www.piaffe-performance.com.

For more information contact:
Dr. Cesar Parra
drcesarparra@msn.com
www.piaffe-performance.com
410-977-8352

Dressage, JRPR

Parra and Piaffe Performance Celebrate 13 Consecutive Medals at NAJYRC

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Dr. Cesar Parra and Barbara “Bebe” Davis. (Photo courtesy of Piaffe-Performance)

Whitehouse Station, NJ (August 16, 2013) – Cesar Parra counted 13 as his lucky number during the 2013 Adequan FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, presented this year by Gotham North, July 17-21, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.  With the success of Junior Bebe Davis in 2013, Parra has now coached riders to 13 top finishes at the NAJYRC, the premier equestrian competition for riders ages 14 to 21.

Junior Freestyle Bronze medalist, Bebe Davis, has ridden with Parra in the FEI pony divisions, and made the move to the Junior division earlier this season in Florida.  “Having the honor of competing at the NAJYRC was truly an incredible experience. The opportunity alone was amazing, but the fact that I came home with all Top Ten finishes and a Bronze Medal in the Freestyle makes it even more memorable,” Davis, 15, said.  “I could not be more grateful to my trainers, Cesar Parra and Kathleen Riley, as well as Krista Schrager for all of her help and support. I also thank my sponsors Cavalleria Toscana and Kep Italia Helmets who kept me looking my best and, of course, all of this would not be possible without the love and support of my parents, Michael and Sarah Davis.”

The other past Piaffe Performance Juniors and Young Riders who have medaled over the years at NAJYRC include Nikki Levy (Team Bronze); Michael Shondel (2003 Team Gold, Silver individual test); Julie McKean (2006 Junior Team Gold, Individual Silver, Freestyle Gold; YR 2008, 2009); Dominique Cassavetis (2011 Junior Team Gold); Chase Hickok (2011 YR Freestyle Individual Silver, Bronze individual test); and Nicolas Torres (2012 Top finisher across all three division classes).

Bringing out the best in riders is the mark of a true teacher, whose lessons extend beyond the dressage ring: Respect, discipline and self-control are concepts that bring success in life.  “I love teaching young riders; it is a great feeling to know that you can shape a young person’s life in a positive way,” says Parra. “I believe I am really at my best as a trainer when there is a definite goal, such as a medal.  Then it is easy to make a plan to reach that goal. With the Junior and Young Rider Championships, the requirements are well-defined so it’s a matter of making a specific plan for that horse and rider.”

Competing as a Junior or Young Rider, Parra notes, “is about the journey. Congratulations and thank you to Bebe for riding so well at these past Championships, to her parents for their trust, and to our whole Piaffe Performance team for working so hard at home.

“It is the team that has made it possible for me to coach so successfully at the North American Junior Young Rider Championships,” said Parra.  “The whole team helps with the preparation of the horse and rider, then they keep things running brilliantly at home when I am not there.”

Follow the progress of Piaffe Performance’s rising stars and meet more of its sale and dressage prospects at www.piaffe-performance.com.

For more information contact:
Dr. Cesar Parra
drcesarparra@msn.com
www.piaffe-performance.com
410-977-8352