In their first international competition of 2021, Dr. Cesar Parra and Mr Bumblebee made it a triple victory at the 2021 CDI Wellington on 28 – 31 January. It is a new season of the Global Dressage Festival in Florida, but  Parra and the Danish warmblood gelding Mr Bumblebee (by Sting x Welt Hit II) are picking up right where they left at the end of last year’s shortened season as they dominated the Small Tour CDI 3* with three convincing wins.

Photos – © susanjstickle.com

The pair impressed the panel of five judges from the beginning, scoring 71.00% in the Prix St Georges class on Thursday, followed by a 71.441% in the Intermediaire I class on Friday. Their weekend was capped off with an impressive 75.600% and a win in the Intermediate I Freestyle on Sunday.

“There’s no words to describe how pleased I am with our first weekend here at Global 2021,” said Parra.

2020 Challenges Created A New Approach

The corona pandemic, which swept over the globe less than a year ago, forced riders to stay home with the majority of competitions cancelled in 2020. Making the best out of a difficult situation, Cesar savored the time the extend his stay in the sunshine in Jupiter, Florida, for more training, before returning to the flagship Performance Stable in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. 

In many way Parra and his team benefitted from the conditions the corona pandemic forced upon them. A more relaxed approach to training, not having to constantly be preparing for shows, and campaigning horses created new opportunities to try different ideas.

Parra has been taking a different approach to his training in recent years, diversifying the training with more hacks, hill work and long lining, so the horses retain their mental freshness and eagerness to work.