The U.S. Equestrian Federation Monday came out with a new and stronger statement on the suspension of dressage trainer Cesar Parra, as videos that showed him whipping horses and other problematic actions continued to spark outraged comments on social media and led to an FEI investigation.
“The training practices documented in the videos cannot be tolerated in our sport. USEF is steadfast in its commitment to horse well-being and has committed its resources to supporting the FEI in bringing this matter to resolution as expediently as possible,” the federation emphasized.
Noting the clips depicted “abhorrent abusive training techniques by FEI dressage athlete and trainer Cesar Parra (USA) at his private training facility in Florida,” the statement continued, “USEF immediately coordinated with the FEI. The following day, the FEI imposed a temporary suspension against Cesar Parra, which is being enforced by USEF at the national level, prohibiting him and his horses’ participation in competition.
Among other things, the videos show Parra whipping a horse in front of the saddle while he is riding, and whipping another that he is longeing with its head cranked down to its chest.
Cesar Parra in competition. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
The FEI offered no comment on the specifics of the situation while its investigation is ongoing, but it issued a statement saying, “Equestrian sport is built on a foundation of respect for our equine partners, with a duty of care to ensure their mental and physical well-being comes first, ahead of all competition and/or training ambitions.
“Through the FEI’s Rules and Regulations, the welfare of the horse, and any action or omission which causes or is likely to cause pain or unnecessary discomfort to a horse constitutes a violation of our rules and will be sanctioned. The FEI remains resolute in its commitment to upholding the highest standards of equine welfare and sanctioning behaviour which deviates from these principles, and will be actively investigating this case as a matter of urgency.”
A native of Colombia who rode in the Olympics for that nation, then was part of the U.S. team at the 2011 Pan American Games after getting his American citizenship, Parra did not respond to two requests for comment.
Germany’s professional riders group issued a statement in German saying, “We also saw the terrible videos and images from the USA over the weekend in which horses were mistreated and subjected to massive violence.”
The Parra situation comes on the heels of last year’s scandal involving an undercover television documentary on mistreatment of horses at a Helgstrand Dressage training facility in Denmark. As a result, Olympian Andreas Helgstrand was suspended from the Danish team until at least January 2025.