| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Colombian | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Colombia, Ibagué | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Boston University | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Marcela Ortiz-Parra | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | https://drcesarparradressagesport.com/ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Equestrian dressage | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Dr. Cesar Parra is an Colombian-American dressage rider and coach.
In February 2024, a number of graphic videos (which were shared from his own Instagram account) were leaked online showing Parra abusing horses with whips, ropes and other devices. [1] These videos sparked a world wide outrage in the equestrian community and beyond. On February 2, Parra was “provisionally suspended” by the FEI for accusations of horse abuse. [2] [3] Investigations into the matter are ongoing. [4] The United States Equestrian Federation banned Parra from national competition after the videos came to light. [4]
Alongside the abuse allegations, some former employees and students have reported allegations of sexual abuse by Parra on social media sites. The USET is investigating the matter, saying it “will pursue disciplinary action to the highest degree” to hold each other accountable. [5]
Later, the German Equestrian Federation and certain German horse breeding associations took disciplinary action against individuals in Europe that were seen in the videos to be linked to Parra’s ill treatment of horses. [2] [6] The Oldenburg and Hanoverian Verband banned Stefan Sandbrink and Dr Kerstin Klieber, two individuals pictured in the Parra videos, from participating in the associations activities until 2028. [7] Parra was banned for life. [8]
In 2012, he appeared in court to answer to two criminal complaints alleging "torture" and "torment" of a living animal, after a horse being trained by Parra fell while being lunged, causing lasting injury. [9] [10] The charges were later dismissed due to a lack of evidence. [11]
In 2021, Cesar Parra and Belle Ami were announced as the winners of the 3-star Intermediate I and I-1 Freestyle at the Dressage at Devon horse show. [12] They were later disqualified when it became evident that Belle Ami tested positive for a prohibited substance benzocaine. At the time, the positive drug test and disqualification was not made public. [13] It took two years for the disqualification to be acknowledged. After Parra's disqualification, the winning horse and rider pair only received their redistributed prize money and ribbons in 2023. [14]
In April 2024, Parra was party to a federal lawsuit for alleged fraud over the ownership of Belle Ami. The suit specifically highlighted the disqualification and its impact on the horses value. [2] Another lawsuit brought by Belle Ami's owners claims Parra cheated her on the buying price of the horse after Parra refused to provide proof of purchase at the time. [15]
Parra is originally from Colombia and a dentist by profession. [16] Parra began training in Germany in after meeting Linda Zang in 1995, who recognized his talent. [16] Since turning his attention to dressage full time, he has competed and medaled in international competitions including the Pan American Games, Central American Games, World Cup finals, World Equestrian Games and the Olympics. Parra has medaled at the Bolivarian Games, the Central American Games, and the 1998 Pan American Games for his native country, Colombia. Riding for Colombia, he participated in the 2004 Olympic Games, in Athens and the 2005 FEI World Cup Finals, in Las Vegas. He competed twice at the World Equestrian games, in Jerez 2002 and Aachen 2006.
Parra moved to the United States permanently in 1999. [17] Since gaining his US citizenship in 2008, [18] Parra was part of the Team Gold Medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. He was USA Intermediare I National Champion in 2010 and the USA Developing Grand Prix National Champion in 2017. Parra represented the US in 2014 at the World Cup Finals, in Lyon, and the Longines FEI World Breeding Championships, in the 7 year old division.
The United States Equestrian Federation is the national governing body for most equestrian sports in the United States. It also recruits, trains, and governs American teams in international equestrian competition at the Olympics and other competitions governed by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI).
Theodora Elisabeth Gerarda "Anky" van Grunsven is a Dutch dressage champion who is the only rider to record three successive Olympic wins in the same event. Along with her Olympic successes, she has won numerous medals at the World Equestrian Games (WEG), and is the only rider to have competed at every WEG since they began in 1990. Between 1990 and 2006, she competed at the Games in dressage, but in 2010 she was named as part of the Dutch reining team, marking a major change in discipline.
Debbie McDonald is an American dressage rider who has competed in the Olympics and many international competitions. She now lives in Hailey, Idaho, with her husband Bob, a hunter/jumper and trainer. Debbie trains and teaches riders on Peggy and E. Parry Thomas's River Grove Farm in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Brentina was an Olympic-level dressage horse ridden by Debbie McDonald. She was owned by E. Parry Thomas.
Robert Jeffrey Dover is an American equestrian who has had international success in the sport of dressage. Riding from the age of 13, he began specializing in dressage at age 19 and competed in his first Olympics in 1984. He competed in every summer Games between 1984 and 2004, winning four team bronze medals. He also took a team bronze at the 1994 World Equestrian Games. Dover is the most honored dressage rider in the United States, and has been inducted to the United States Dressage Federation Hall of Fame. Outside of competition, Dover founded the Equestrian Aid Foundation in 1996 to assist others in the equestrian world, and hosted a TV show that searched for the next dressage star. From late 2009 to early 2011, Dover served as the Technical/Coach Advisor for the Canadian national dressage team. In April 2013, Dover was named Technical Advisor/Chef d'Equipe for the US national dressage team.
Andreas Helgstrand is a Danish dressage rider who gained notoriety for undercover videos of animal abuse. He won four consecutive Danish dressage championships, from 2005 through 2008.
Isabell Werth is a German equestrian and world champion in dressage who competed in the Olympics six times winning twelve medals, seven of them gold. With this she beat Aladar Gerevich, Hungarian fencer and Mark Todd of New Zealand, record for the most years between first and last Olympic medals. She holds the record for the most Olympic medals won by any equestrian athlete.
Nicole Uphoff is a German equestrian who competes in the sport of dressage. She won four gold medals in individual and team competition at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics. Riding her star horse, Rembrandt, Uphoff also won numerous other international competitions, including the World Equestrian Games and the European Dressage Championships.
Edward Gal is a Dutch dressage rider. He and the stallion Totilas, were triple gold medalists at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games, becoming the first horse-rider partnership ever to sweep the three available dressage gold medals at a single FEI World Games. Going into the 2010 Games, they had amassed multiple world-record scores in international competition, leading one American journalist to call them "rock stars in the horse world". After the World Equestrian Games, Totilas was sold to German trainer Paul Schockemöhle. Gal continues to be successful training and competing dressage horses at the international level. Despite the success, he has been criticised to be harsh trainer who creates stressed and fearful horses.
Totilas, also known from 2006 to 2011 as Moorlands Totilas, and nicknamed "Toto", was a Dutch Warmblood stallion standing 17.1 hands high who was considered to be one of the most outstanding competitive dressage horses in the world, the first horse to score above 90 in dressage competition, and the former holder of the world record for the highest dressage score in Grand Prix Freestyle Dressage.
Rembrandt was a dark bay Westphalian gelding ridden for Germany by Nicole Uphoff in dressage competitions. Together, the pair won four Olympic gold medals, three gold and one silver World Equestrian Games medals, and numerous other international championships. Although known as a sensitive horse prone to spookiness, Rembrandt's elegance and expression in the ring allowed him to become one of the top horses in the sport of dressage.
Steffen Peters is a German-born equestrian who competes for the United States in dressage. He has participated in five Olympic Games, winning a team bronze medal on two occasions and a team silver medal once (2020). Peters has been successful in numerous other international competitions, including winning team bronze at the 2006 World Equestrian Games, two individual bronze medals at the 2010 World Equestrian Games and individual and team gold medals at both 2011 and 2015 Pan Am Games. The horse upon which he won many of his titles, Ravel, was retired in 2012. After 2012, his international successes came on Legolas. At the beginning of 2017, Peters handed over the ride on Legolas to his assistant rider Dawn White-O'Connor. Peters is currently working with a new international competition horse, Rosamunde.
Carol Cadwgan Lavell was an American equestrian.
Richard Davison is an Olympic standard dressage rider.
Patrik Kittel is a Swedish horse rider. He was born in Stockholm. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he placed fourth in team dressage. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed in the team dressage events and qualified for the Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle, finishing 14th.
Beatriz Ferrer-Salat Serra de Migui is an equestrian from Spain who competes internationally in the sport of dressage. She won two Olympic medals, a silver and a bronze, at the 2004 Games, and also competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics, 2000 Summer Olympics, 2016 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Olympics. She began riding in international competitions in 1995, and has since competed in the 2002 World Equestrian Games, winning individual silver and team bronze, and in several European Dressage Championships, where she has won several additional individual and team medals. Based in Spain, Ferrer-Salat continues to compete internationally, as well as acting as the chair of the board for the Spanish Dressage Riders Club.
Laura Graves is an American dressage rider. She represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics where she won a bronze medal in the team dressage competition. After winning double silver medals at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, NC, Laura became the first American dressage rider to be ranked No. 1 in FEI World rankings, aboard her longtime partner Verdades.
Kelly Layne is an Australian Dressage rider and trainer. She planned on qualifying to represent her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. However, Layne was unable to compete in the final qualifying event due to an injury suffered by her horse, Udon P, forcing her to withdraw. While born in Australia, Layne is currently based in Wellington, Florida. Layne also helped found her own riding team, "Dream Team Dressage".
Tina Irwin is a Canadian dressage rider and coach. She won silver in team dressage at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. She also won gold in team dressage and a silver in individual dressage at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Richard Rankin Fellers is an American former Olympic equestrian and horse trainer. In 2023 he pled guilty to sexually abusing one of his students when she was 17. According to the Washington County, Oregon district attorney, he will serve 30 months in state prison concurrently with a four year federal sentence.
https://www.peta.org/blog/olympic-dressage-rider-cesar-parra/
https://dressage-news.com/2024/02/13/usef-breaks-silence-to-speak-out-about-cesar-parra-case/
https://eurodressage.com/2024/02/02/fei-provisionally-suspends-cesar-parra-usa-alleged-animal-abuse
https://horsesport.com/horse-news/cesar-parra-suspended-animal-abuse-allegations/amp/
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