Wellington, FL (January 6, 2011) – International Dressage Rider Cesar Parra has returned from a rewarding training period in Europe with a new horse in tow and his sights set on a successful winter show season with the horses and students of Piaffe-Performance Farm. Parra is looking forward to 2011 and hopes to build on a fantastic 2010 show year, which included breaking in his status as a new American citizen by winning his first National Championship at the USEF Dressage Festival of Champions.
“We just returned from training with Hubertus Schmidt in Europe, and it was amazing,” Parra said. “It is great to be there at Hubertus’, to watch him ride and get his help. It is really a wonderful riding environment and exactly what I needed — to be challenged every day and do the work I needed.”
Parra said the time spent in Europe was not only beneficial for him, but also for Grandioso, a nine-year-old Westfalen gelding owned by Michael and Sarah Davis. “Grandioso is doing awesome and is constantly improving, especially after our time spent in Europe with Hubertus. He is a huge horse, so strength is very important in order to carry himself and maintain his expressive gaits. We worked a lot on Grandioso’s piaffe with Hubertus and it is improving daily,” Parra said, adding that his goal with Grandioso is to continue his training with their sights set on the 2012 Olympics in London.