Martin Sosnoff rides with Dr. Cesar Parra and Sosnoff is still showing younger riders exactly how it’s done. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Cesar Parra)
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.”
Dr. Cesar Parra with Nicolas Torres and Silver Label at the 2012 Palm Beach Dressage Derby. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Cesar Parra)
Wellington, FL (March 23, 2012) – Piaffe Performance’s team of riders, headed by Dr. Cesar Parra, has already had many successes on Florida’s winter dressage circuit, and the group of riders and horses recently added a list of wins to their resumes during the 2012 Palm Beach Dressage Derby, held at Equestrian Estates. Piaffe Performance always has a large group of supporters wearing their colors, and during this year’s Derby the fan club had plenty to cheer about as Parra’s team took home blue ribbons in most of the major divisions, from Young Riders to Pony Tests to the FEI level classes.
Parra debuted a number of new horses during the prestigious CDI competition, including his new Grand Prix mount Van the Man and Simply Nymphenburg, a young prospect from Europe. Van the Man, who is owned by Michael and Sarah Davis, handily won the Open Grand Prix class and FEI Test of Choice with scores over 70%, while Simply Nymphenburg scored an 81% in the FEI 6-year-old test and won his 2nd Level class with a 74%. “Van the Man has such potential and our success at the Derby proves he is a horse to watch,” said Parra. “Simply Nymphenburg is one of the best young prospects I’ve ever seen, and I am thrilled to have the chance to bring him along in his dressage career.”
Dr. Cesar Parra rode Lindner, owned by Michael Davis and his family, to the highest score at the Wellington Classic Dressage Sunshine Challenge. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)
Wellington, FL (February 7, 2012) – Dr. Cesar Parra turned in another stunning ride aboard Lindner, owned by Michael and Sarah Davis, when the duo rode away with the Overall High Score at the Wellington Dressage Classic Sunshine Challenge, held in conjunction with the World Dressage Masters. Lindner, a six-year-old Westfalen gelding, showed off his brilliance to earn a winning score of 80.676% in the First Level Test 2.
Thanks to their high score, Parra and Lindner also captured The Horse of Course High Score Award, sponsored by The Horse of Course, Inc, one of the nation’s premier tack shops specializing in dressage tack, clothing and supplies. Parra was thrilled with Lindner’s performance and compared the young horse to a racecar. “Lindner is half Thoroughbred and very typey. If you compared him to a racecar he would be a Formula One. He’s very fast, modern and sporty,” Parra said.
Steffen Peters and Weltino's Magic. Photos: www.stockimageservices .com
After scoring Team Gold Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Dressage riders went to task again, this time in the first half of the Individual Final. Riding the Intermediaire I test, all four U.S. riders kept the level of their Game high, and continued to thrive in the main arena at the Guadalajara Country Club. They swept the top three places, and head to the freestyle on Wednesday in Medal position.
Steffen Peters (San Diego, CA) topped the scoreboard again on Weltino’s Magic, this time scoring 78.079% in another valiant effort. Heather Blitz (Wellington, FL) is second on Paragon with a score of 77.184% and Marisa Festerling went one better than in the Team competition, finishing third on Big Tyme on a score of 74.316%. Cesar Parra (Whitehouse Station, NJ) rounded out the U.S. effort with a sixth place finish on Grandioso on a score of 72.000%.
Weltino’s Magic continues to rise to the occasion for Peters, despite one mistake early in the test, Peters was pleased with Jen and Bruce Hlavacek’s 9-year-old Westphalian gelding. Weltino’s Magic nearly broke to canter in the first trot extension across the diagonal.
The Gold Medal-Winning U.S. Dressage Team. Anthony Trollope/ Stockimageservices.com
The U.S. Dressage Team’s Gold medal never looked in doubt today at the 2011 Pan American Games. They started off confidently and with each ride, the margin improved. They stormed to victory and won their fourth consecutive Pan American Games Team Gold medal – a first in the sport of Dressage. Their combined average score of 74.421% left them well clear of the Canadians who won Silver with a combined average of 70.413%. Colombia put in a valiant late effort to surge into the top three with 69.632%.
Led by Olympic veteran Steffen Peters (San Diego, CA) on Weltino’s Magic – the only combination to score over 80% – the U.S. Team put on an exhibition. Peters’s score of 80.132% is a Pan American Games record. A strong anchor rider, Peters had the luxury today of a little less pressure due to the fact that the entire team put in top 10 performances.
“It was one of the best tests this horse has done,” said Peters. “I have to say a big thank you to my teammates because they gave me a very relaxed position to start in today. Over the past few years I have always had to carry a lot of weight on my shoulders as the very last rider but the team did an awesome job, every single horse, every single rider.”
Cesar Parra and Grandioso at the Jog. Anthony Trollope/ stockimageservices.com
Dressage, the first equestrian discipline of the 2011 Pan American Games, begins Sunday, October 16, at the Guadalajara Country Club. The four American dressage horses were presented this morning to the Ground Jury and looked spectacular in the Mexican sunshine. All were accepted without incident. The U.S. has drawn sixth out of the 12 teams vying for Team medals. They will ride the Prix St. Georges test in the following order (unconfirmed times):
1. Cesar Parra and Grandioso (9:12 am)
2. Marisa Festerling and Big Tyme (11:18 am)
3. Heather Blitz and Paragon (2:36 pm)
4. Steffen Peters and Weltino’s Magic (5:00 pm)
Riding for the first time as an American, Colombian ex-patriate Cesar Parra (Whitehouse Station, NJ) is first up for the American team riding Michael and Sarah Davis’ Grandioso. Fourth in the 2003 Pan American Games for Colombia, Parra is also a licensed dentist. The 2010 National Champion at the Intermediaire I level at the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions, he has had considerable national success so far as an American.
Dr. Cesar Parra and Grandioso during the awards ceremony at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions at Gladstone. (Photo courtesy of Sue Stickle)
Gladstone, NJ (September 19, 2011) – Dr. Cesar Parra, the international dressage rider who has made no secret about his love for the United States of America, realized a dream come true during the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions when he was named as a member of the 2011 United States Dressage Team headed to the Pan American Games in Mexico. Parra also made history with his Pan Am goal, becoming the first Latin American rider to compete on a United States Dressage Team. The Intermediaire I Championship served as the USEF Selection Trials for the upcoming Games, and Parra rode Michael and Sarah Davis’s Grandioso to third place in the division and to a spot on the team.
Parra, a former dentist from South America who went on to become one of Colombia’s top international riders, moved his family to the United States in 1999 and became an American citizen in 2008. Last year at Gladstone Parra recognized his first dream of becoming an American champion when he rode Lori Washton’s Olympia to the National Intermediaire I Championship. Parra’s second dream, to represent the United States by being a member of the U.S. Dressage Team, has now also become a reality.
“This past weekend was very emotional and exciting for all of us. We had set as a goal to make the USA team for the Pan Am Games, so to accomplish that is wonderful. I feel very blessed to be representing the country that has given my family and I such a wonderful new life,” Parra said. Parra is no stranger to the Pan Am Games as he placed fourth individually at the 2003 Pan Am Games riding for Colombia. As a Colombian rider he also competed in the Olympics, the World Equestrian Games and was named the Colombian National Champion multiple times.
Barbara “Bebe” Davis and her pony Bohdjan are presented with their award by Jim Wolfe and Lois Yunkins. (Photo courtesy of Sue Stickle)
Gladstone, NJ (September 14, 2011) – The inaugural USEF National Pony Rider Championships may have been a small division at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions in Gladstone, New Jersey, but for Massachusetts resident Barbara “Bebe” Davis it was a big experience and one she will remember the rest of her life. Competing on her pony Bohdjan, Davis captured the Reserve Championship in the new National Pony division, but also experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in one single weekend.
Riders in the USEF Pony Rider Championship are the future of dressage riders for our country, and Davis said she would use her experience at Gladstone to grow and as a stepping-stone for future national competitions. Davis grew up in Cohasset, Massachusetts, and her family bought a home in New Jersey to be close to their trainer, Dr. Cesar Parra, and his Piaffe Performance Farm. “Bohdjan did really well the first day. We came in second with a score of 63.611% while Allison Cyprus came in first with a 63.944%, so I felt confident with such a close race,” Davis said. “During the awards ceremony my pony got scared and he never settled down the rest of the weekend and was certainly nervous during our second test and didn’t perform well. I was disappointed, to say the least, because I didn’t want to let my trainer Dr. Cesar Parra down.”
Parra, who trains Davis out of his Piaffe-Performance farm in New Jersey, praised the 13-year-old rider and said disappointment was the furthest thing from his mind. “I was really proud of Bebe. It’s very special to ride at Gladstone and coming up the hill to the arena, knowing there is a crowd of people on both sides can be intimidating,” Parra said. “Bebe handled it really well and it was a great and growing experience for her. A show like the Festival of Champions makes you a better and stronger rider mentally and no one can ever take the experience, and what you gain from it, away from you.”
Dr. Cesar Parra (center) stands with his team of riders from Piaffe-Performance at the CDI Saugerties. (Photo courtesy of Piaffe-Performance Farm)
Whitehouse Station, NJ (September 5, 2011) – Dressed in their navy blazers and khaki pants when they weren’t riding, the riders from Piaffe-Performance, led by international dressage rider and trainer Dr. Cesar Parra, were easy to spot at the CDI Saugerties show. The Piaffe-Performance team was on fire, burning up the scoreboard with phenomenal wins, excellent scores and personal bests.
Parra set the pace for his riders by making a clean sweep of the Small Tour classes aboard Grandioso, owned by Michael and Sarah Davis. “For Piaffe-Performance this was probably our most successful show ever. What an amazing weekend,” Para said. “Grandioso and I scored a CDI personal best of 75.614% in the Intermediaire I class. Our team also had the highest two scores of the show with multiple wins in the 3rd and 4th level classes.”
Kevin Kohmann and Federleicht rode away with the highest score of the show with a 78.9% while Nadine Buberl earned a 77.8% on Lindner. “Bebe Davis won the Pony test and showed her Rotano for the first time ever with a really nice score, showing what a bright future they have,” Parra said. “In the Junior CDI our riders placed first and second with Nicholas Torres Rodriguez and Silver Label winning both classes, with a score of over 70% on the second day. It was their first show together so I am very proud of them. I am also proud of Piaffe-Performance student Dominique Cassavetis who placed second in the same classes.”
The wins didn’t end there, as Chase Hickok and Krista Schrager rode away with first and second in the Young Riders. “John McGinty won his division of 4th level with Windsor, Susie won with Manny, Katie with Leo, Nadine did super with Superman and Aga showed off his new moves schooling through the weekend,” Parra said.
Piaffe-Performance Young Riders Medal on the Home Front
Dr. Cesar Parra and Grandioso, along with groom Jen Mandraccia, lined up during an awards ceremony in Germany. (Photo courtesy of Jose Alvarez)
Whitehouse Station, NJ (August 15, 2011) – International dressage rider and trainer Dr. Cesar Parra recently wrapped up his very successful European tour, returning to his Piaffe-Performance Farm in New Jersey with Michael and Sara Davis’s Grandioso and Dave and Taunia Reed’s Agastrofos. Parra’s goal overseas was to prep himself and his horses for the show arena and gain training advice from the masters in Germany. While Agastrofos’ time overseas was more focused on training than competition, there can be no doubt that Dr. Parra met his goal; he and Grandioso won four major competitions during their stay in Germany. At Balve and Helmer Edelburg, the pair competed in the Prix St. Georges and S3, topping the field in classes of over 40 horses.
“I am so happy with Grandioso’s success here in Europe. I have always said, and known, that Grandioso is a very special horse,” Parra said. “Having shown in Germany for many years, I know how difficult it is to win a class here. Our time there was fantastic from a training perspective of course, but it has also given us more confidence in the ring.”
While Parra was winning overseas, the students at his Piaffe-Performance Farm were racking up the wins in Kentucky. Chase Hickok and Dominique Cassavetis both medaled at the 2011 USDF/Platinum Performance North American Junior and Young Rider Championships in Lexington. Hickok took home the Individual Silver in the Young Rider Freestyle and the Individual Bronze in the Young Rider Team Test, while Cassavetis rode away as part of the Junior Gold Medal winning team from Region 1. “Chase and Dominique did a fantastic job of representing Performance Farm,” said Parra. “And senior trainer Katie Riley did an exemplary job of coaching them in my absence. I could not have asked for a better outcome.”
