Dr. Cesar Parra – Dressage Training
Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, often regarded as the highest expression of horse training, in which the horse and the rider are expected to perform from memory a series of predetermined movements. Dr. Cesar Parra has dedicated his life to the sport of dressage, and as a trainer, instructor, and rider himself, he has received much professional praise and numerous accolades.
Dressage, a French word meaning “training,” boasts a rigorous preparation routine that only a studied and seasoned teacher intimately understands. The dressage training scale is arranged in a pyramid or sequential fashion, and serves as the basis for the training of any horse. The sequence begins with rhythm, in which a horse’s gait and regularity should be the same on straight and bending lines, through lateral work, and through transitions.
Focusing on the sequence of footfalls, rhythm includes the pure walk, pure trot, and pure canter. The second level is relaxation, or “suppleness” of a horse. Examples of the relaxation level include the swinging of the tail (like a pendulum), the looseness at the poll, a soft-chewing of the bit, and relaxed blowing through the nose.
Contact is the third level of the pyramid, and is the result of a horse’s pushing power. Contact should never be achieved by the pulling of the rider’s hands, but merely encouraged with an air of effortlessness. The fourth level of the training pyramid, impulsion, focuses on the thrust or airtime of a horse, and is generally achieved by the rider’s correct use of driving aids and the relaxation of the horse.
Straightness is the fifth level of the pyramid. A horse is straight when the hind legs follow the path of the front legs, on both straight lines and on bending lines, and the body follows the line of travel. The final level is collection, which involves the horse’s ability to carry his weight on his hind legs, collection is necessary for the advanced movements in upper level dressage. To get a horse to this level of competition, you would need an experienced trainer and instructor.
Dr. Cesar Parra has trained numerous horses through his Piaffe-Performance, and is an experienced and accomplished rider himself. Using classic and proven training methods, and demonstrating an intimate understanding of the relationship between a horse and rider, Dr. Parra has helped numerous horses and horse/rider combinations receive a multitude of awards and accolades.
Dr. Cesar Parra – Advanced Dressage Techniques
Dr. Cesar Parra has dedicated his life to the sport of dressage. He knows exactly what it takes to master the full training scale, from rider preparation and instruction in the initial stages, through the mid-stages of impulsion and straightness, and ending with the phase of collection, which brings a dressage horse and rider combination to its fullest potential.
Though there is some disagreement about certain elements having been left out of the classic training scale, Dr. Cesar Parra is versed in a variety of methods to get the maximum amount of relaxation, rhythm, balance, relaxation, impulsion, and straightness out of a dressage horse, helping each team reach their fullest potential. Dr. Cesar Parra is an expert on Equestrian dressage, and will continue to receive the awards and recognition afforded to him, his riders, and his horses thanks to his intimate understanding of the sport. When it comes to the knowledge and understanding of such a rigorous sport, Dr. Cesar Parra is unmatched.