This lovely and classic sport is nicknamed “the horse ballet” due to its requirements of precise movements performed in the arena. It is not, as some opponents believe, an intricate form of torture.  The fact of the matter is those who believe the latter are painfully misinformed. A responsible equestrian would never inflict pain upon a horse in any way whatsoever.

In the book Training Strategies for Dressage Riders, Charles de Kunffy writes: “Dressage, in general, is horsemanship that is based on love and respect for horses. It is aimed at the improvement of the horse’s natural abilities to fulfill his ultimate potential. It results in a happy horse that usually lives longer, stays healthier, and performs better and for a longer time than one not dressaged. The method of dressage includes only natural means for the development of the horse. It is based on mutual understanding, respect, and trust between horse and rider. It is based on kindness and reward rather than punishment, and it excludes the use of force.”

These words provide an accurate description of the sport of dressage as well as its highly purposeful benefits to horse and rider. Cesar Parra, a competitive dressage rider and trainers, fully believes in this theory. Dressage professionals such as he understand the purpose and benefits of teaching even the most basics of the sport.

Dressage at its very essence is a beautiful art form. Dressage is both safe and enjoyable to horse and rider. Riders approach the sport with respect and understanding for the horses. These individuals love their animals and would never require them to do anything that would result in harm.

Of course, like in any area of life, there are exceptions to the rule. Some individuals are known to neglect their animals. However, it is unfair to judge the entire sport based on the actions of a few bad apples. Indeed, in most cases other riders and trainers step in at the first instance they observe wrongdoing.

Quality dressage training is based upon the tenant that for a horse to work as a happy, healthy and balanced athlete, it must master six techniques. The classical training pyramid consists of rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection. When horse and rider work to master these exercises, they begin the invaluable process of building relationships.

Dressage was developed to transform horses and riders into happier and healthier animals and people. Cesar Parra is an award-winning dressage rider and trainer who hopes individuals will educate themselves on this timeless sport. Build a better relationship with your horse through artful dressage!

Equestrians, like any athlete, learn discipline, focus and dedication. Yet whereas most individuals who compete in sports can focus on themselves, equestrians must learn to care for the animal dependent upon them. An unhealthy or uncared for animal simply will not develop into a prime competitor.

Through their training, young riders gain an understanding of how to communicate with their horse. Because these animals, obviously, cannot verbalize their wants and needs, riders must understand their body language. Only then can they gauge when a horse feels discomfort or is angry or scared.

So, learning about temperament is one key transferrable skill a young rider gains. They also develop responsibility through the ongoing care of their animals. Equestrians must groom, feed and care for their horses in other ways.

The key to finding a good trainer is to look for someone who incorporates these ideals into their methods. Helping young people develop into good citizens by learning responsibility and respect is a privilege of the trainer.  Becoming a winner is important, but it is certainly not the only thing that matters.

Just how does one find the right program and training methods? As discussed, look for a training program that develops young riders into competitors with well-rounded skills. These young riders should eventually master wonderful communication skills and know how to care for their animal and others.

In addition, quality trainers should facilitate a team approach between horse and rider. Working as an interdependent team as opposed to individual components is a key to ongoing success. Trainers should help young students both understand and work well with their horses.

Frankly speaking, it requires a highly unified approach to win dressage competitions. Horses and riders who consistently place and win these competitions forge a unique bond long before they enter the arena. Precision and concentration are developed as feelings of mutual respect develop between the duo of horse and rider.

At the end of the day, the techniques students learn during dressage training are applicable to other areas of their life. Regardless of whether they continue to ride into adulthood, they will have learned how to become better people. That is a wish shared among all parents.

In the sport of dressage, it is paramount that both horse and rider work together as one unit. At the very heart of German training one finds this same viewpoint. The rider and horse are both taught how to understand one another to work as a team.

The training scale upon which German training methods are founded makes use of six traditional pillars. Successfully mastering these elements leads to positive results in the competitive arena. These six elements are:

•  Rhythm
• Suppleness
• Contact
• Impulsion
• Straightness
• Collection

In Europe, competitive dressage is much more widespread and revered than it is in the United States. As such, homegrown competitors tend to fair less well against their peers from across the pond. The use of classical German training methods, in addition to an increasing number of domestic dressage competitions, has helped to level the playing field.

Dressage poses such a challenge as it requires mastery in two broad areas. The most obvious to spectators is the performance of a complex series of movements. Perhaps most important is the requirement of horse and rider to communicate with each other to complete these tasks with accuracy.

During competition, the horse and rider duo is judged on a number of elements. Some of the more common include coordination, technique and precision. Throughout their time in the ring, horse and rider continually strive for perfection as they work with one another to perform.

Training Young Riders

Because a number of different training styles exist, parents can often feel overwhelmed with searching for the best trainer available to teach their child how to ride dressage. When a young person is interested in developing their interest in dressage into a long term passion, choosing the right trainer is paramount.

Today, a number of trainers who hail from Germany have opened training schools in the United States. Yet this is certainly not a prerequisite to a competent trainer. Cesar Parra of Piaffe-Performance Farm is a Columbia native and United States citizen who is very well versed in traditional German training methods.

Over the years, he has experienced success both as a competitor and a trainer. He has helped a number of young riders go on to wonderful competitive careers in the dressage arena. Through the implementation of German training methods, he has seen riders and their mounts realize success year after year.

He recommends parents look for a primary characteristic in their trainer of choice. Select someone who will instill a basic foundation of dressage into the young rider. This will help them improve as they both learn and grow through the support.

Simply stated, training takes time. This is why it is important to master basics from the start. Horse and rider can then move towards perfecting the intricate movements of dressage.

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.

In dressage competition, both a horse and rider are required to demonstrate a defined series of movements in order to progress. The linear tests increase in difficulty through each level, and are judged on an 11-point scale, with zero indicating failure and 10 indicating excellence. A horse and rider should receive minimum scores of six (satisfactory) across the board in order to progress to the next level.

The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) is the ruling body that oversees equestrian sports and sets the rules for dressage competition.FEI Dressage starts with Prix St. Georges before progressing through Intermediare I, Intermediare II, and then the Grand Prix levels.

Horses and their riders compete against each other in an arena, and are judged against common standards rather than by each other’s performances. Predetermined skills, known as tests, are completed by one horse and rider combination in the arena at a time. Each test is made up of a number of progressive blocks of one or more movements, and each block is scored on a zero to ten scale. In addition to a numerical score, judges provide feedback to describe the skills the horse or rider either achieved or missed out on during each progressively difficult test.

Dr. Cesar Parra founded Piaffe-Performance to specialize in the selection, showing, and sale of equestrian sport horses in 1999, and he personally trains and instructs horses and their riders in the art of dressage. An expert resource on classical dressage methods, Dr. Parra is also a highly accomplished and respected rider himself, having brought numerous horses to significant victories in dressage competitions.

Dr. Cesar Parra – Classical Training Methods

Dr. Cesar Parra is an expert on the classical German training methods regarding dressage. The foundation of the style is a six-part scale of relaxation, rhythm, contact, impulsion, straightness, and collection. Dr. Parra has mastered these techniques as a rider and competitor, having begun his study and practice of them early in his career.

This is just one example of a classical dressage training method, as Dr. Cesar Parra is exceptionally-versed in many, believing that a training program needs to be uniquely tailored to each rider/horse combination. Through his Piaffe-Performance, Dr. Cesar Parra takes great care in pairing a horse with its rider, and bringing them both through careful training to dressage mastery. Understanding each horse and the steps that must be necessarily taken in order to make a horse and rider combination dressage champion is an area in which Dr. Cesar Parra knows no peer.

Dressage, sometimes called horse ballet, is an equestrian sport that requires both the horse and its rider to perform a series of predefined movement from memory. The sport enhances the athletic ability of the horse while also encouraging a willingness to perform. The primary goal for any competitive dressage rider is to make it seem as though control over the horse while it performs a requested movement is effortless.

In a dressage competition, a horse and rider are required to demonstrate their skills through a defined series of movements performed in a standard arena. Horses and their riders advance through a linear series of increasingly difficult tests, and are judged on an 11-point scale. Zero indicates complete failure to execute a task, while a score of 10 indicates exceptional excellence. A horse and rider will progress to the next level when they have received a minimum score of six (meaning satisfactory) across the board.

Dr. Cesar Parra is a dentist by trade, but his true lifelong passion is working with horses. He founded Piaffe-Performance to specialize in the selection, showing, and sale of equestrian sport horses in 1999.. Parra’s Piaffe-Performance is also an expert resource on classical dressage methods.

Dr. Cesar Parra – Dressage Recognition

Dr. Cesar Parra is an active member of several professional associations that recognize membersthat make great contributions to the sport of dressage. Dr. Parra is regularly involved with the International Dressage Riders Club, the International Dressage Trainer Club, the Unites States Equestrian Federation, the United States Dressage Federation, and the Colombian National Equestrian Federation. His own Piaffe-Performance riders have won numerous awards, most recently taking home 73 blue ribbons during the 2012 winter season.

Outside of developing horses for dressage, Dr. Cesar Parra is also a winning rider himself. He and his horse Linder earned the Overall High Score at the Wellington Dressage Classic Sunshine Challenge, held in conjunction with the World Dressage Masters. Dr. Cesar Parra also rode away with The Horse of Course High Score Award after earning 80.676 percent in the First Level Test 2 with Lindner. Dr. Cesar Parra is a trainer, rider, and instructor, and has dedicated his life to the sport of dressage.

Dr. Parra and Davis’ Simply Nymphenburg improved on their performance from Friday at the event to take home a top score of 7.86 in the Final Test on their way to Reserve Champion honors. They scored a 7.6, 8.0, and 8.2 for their walk, trot, and canter gaits, and a 7.5 on submission and 8.0 for their general impression.

When Parra first saw the Hanoverian gelding in Germany just after Christmas last year, he knew he had stumbled onto something special. “I love my horse,” Parra said, “he’s absolutely a wonderful horse. I saw him and he was so elastic… we are always working towards FEI.”

He also maintains that programs like the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Programs are very beneficial to US riders and horses. “I really think the programs are fantastic, we are very lucky to have them,” said Dr. Cesar Parra. “It’s the only way we can keep competing against the Europeans.” The pair finished the championships on a final score of 7.796. Parra also complimented the host facility, The Lamplight Equestrian Center, calling it a perfect venue for the championships.

“This is my first time here, and if I knew how wonderful this facility was I would have brought more horses,” said Parra, who drove to Wayne, IL to spend the week at the competition with his family.

Dr. Cesar Parra – Award-Winning Dressage2

Dr. Cesar Parra has dedicated his life to dressage. A dentist by trade, Parra’s true lifelong passion is working with horses. He founded Piaffe-Performance to specialize in the selection, showing and sale of equestrian support horses in 1999. Piaffe-Performance is also an expert resource on classical Dressage methods.

Dr. Cesar Parra continues his involvement in dressage year-round. He lives and works at his New Jersey farm from April through November, spending the winter months at his farm in Florida. Dr. Cesar Parra is an active member of several professional dressage associations, and his Piaffe-Performance riders have earned dozens of accolades over the past several years. Dr. Cesar Parra is also an award-winning rider himself, having earned the Overall High Score with his horse Lindner at the Wellington Dressage Classic Sunshine Challenge, held in conjunction with the World Dressage Masters.

In the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championship, six-year-old division at the USEF National Dressage Championships in Wayne, IL, Dr. Parra won top honors throughout the show which began on August 23, 2012 and ended on August 26 at the Lamplight Equestrian Center.

Dr. Parra of Readington Township and Michael Davis’ Simple Nymphenburg scored a 7.86 in the Final Test on their way to Reserve Championship honors. Scoring a 7.6, 8.0 and 8.2 for their walk, trot, and canter gaits; 7.5 on submission; and 8.0 for their general impression, Dr. Parra and Mr. Davis were among the favorites in the competition.

Having first seen the Hanoverian gelding in Germany just after Christmas last year, Dr. Cesar Parra knew that he was something special. The pair finished the championships on a final score of 7.796.

The Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program (for 4-5 and 6-year-old horses) promotes the importance of selective breeding and the correct training of horses in the US, and encourages the participation of the breeders, riders, and trainers of young horses in dressage competition. The purpose of the program is to encourage the properly structured development of young dressage prospects through the training scale as well as to identify and recognize outstanding talent and the training of international-caliber horses. The program also prepares these horses for future careers at the FEI level and participation on US High Performance teams.

Dr. Cesar Parra – Dressage Awards and Accolades

Originally a dentist by trade, Dr. Cesar Parra is heavily involved in dressage year-round. The equestrian sport of dressage requires both the horse and its rider to perform a series of predefined movements from memory. The goal of a competitive dressage rider is to make the control of the horse, while it willingly performs a requested movement, seem effortless.

Dr. Cesar Parra is a member of a number of professional dressage associations, and has been recognized for his significant contributions to the sport. He founded Piaffe-Performance to specialize in the selection, showing and sale of equestrian support horses in 1999, and during the 2012 winter season, Dr. Cesar Parra’s riders earned 73 blue ribbons. Dr. Cesar Parra is also an award-winning rider himself, having earned the Overall High Score with horse Lindner at the Wellington Dressage Classic Sunshine Challenge, held in conjunction with the World Dressage Masters.

Dressage requires discipline, as rider and horse form an airtight bond allowing them to perform ballet-like movements together in the ring. These motions happen because of rider aides, but to a viewer these aides go unseen and the ballet-esque dance seems flawless and effortless. The horse and rider move as one succinct unit.  Dr. Cesar Parra trains students to perfect this technique.

To some it may appear as though the horse is doing all the work. The rider appears as though he or she is just along for an easy ride. But for a person who practices dressage, it’s overwhelmingly clear that this is not the case. The horse willingly performs tasks assigned by the rider, and the animal accomplishes these tasks with grace and style. Dressage is often described as a “conversation” between animal and human.

Modern dressage still contains many of the elements that existed in classical dressage, an art form founded nearly 2,000 years ago. It’s remarkable that this art has evolved and changed, yet also managed to keep many core fundamental elements the same.

Success in the sport is based on skill level tests, where horse and rider perform a series of different movements. Scores of zero through ten are assigned. A zero means, “not executed” and a ten equals “excellent.” The horse and rider team are not recommended to move to the next level until a score of 60 percent or higher is achieved in all requirements. This is because the sport is based on a “building block” philosophy, so proficiency in one level is demonstrated before the duo is permitted to a more advanced level.

Cesar Parra On the Art of Dressage

Dr. Cesar Parra knows how technical and precise dressage is. Cesar Parra understands that to an untrained person it might look like the animal is doing all the work. In reality, the horse and rider work as a tight unit to create beautiful movements in the ring. Dr. Cesar Parra has spent years perfecting his own technique, and shares his knowledge of this challenging and rewarding sport with others.

• Don’t buy on emotion: It’s easy to instantly fall in love with a horse you’ve gone to check out. Try to put emotions aside and decide whether the horse is actually the perfect fit.
• Ask plenty of questions: You might feel bothersome asking questions as you look at a horse, but it’s worth it to do so. Asking questions is an extremely important way to find out about that horse’s past, potential health issues, and overall temperament. Sometimes the owner will accidentally let information slip as he or she talks to you. This information can clue you to in to potentially expensive medical problems and other issues you might not have heard about otherwise.
• Impulse buying: Buying a horse is exciting, and it’s tempting to purchase the first animal you see so you can begin your training. However, purchasing a horse on impulse can lead to regret and frustration. Dr. Cesar Parra encourages you to fight the urge to buy right away, and instead take a significant amount of time to consider your options.
• Talk first, and then visit:  When you discover a horse that catches your attention, it’s tempting to drive right out to see the animal. This can result in heartbreak, especially if you have a young rider who might get emotionally attached. It’s best to call first and find out more about the horse’s medical history and personality. When you believe you might have a good match, then it’s time to go meet the horse. This will keep you and your child from getting invested in a horse that has medical issues or a personality that won’t fit your rider.

Cesar Parra Shares Must-Know Purchasing Pointers

Dr. Parra is familiar with the ins and outs of buying a horse, and knows that the process can seem daunting for many. He advises all potential buyers to have a veterinarian take a look at the horse you’re considering before you purchase the animal. Even the most beautiful, lovable animals may have unseen medical conditions and it’s important to know this before you buy.

Cesar Parra has decades of experience buying and selling horses. Dr. Cesar Parra uses this experience and knowledge to help his students make the perfect purchase based on riding style and personality. Cesar Parra believes that buying a horse is an important process that requires thought and careful analysis.