Exciting Future Plans for Dr. Cesar Parra and the Piaffe Performance Team

Dr. Cesar Parra speaks at the GK Horses ceremony in Florence, Italy (Photo: GK Horses)

Florence, Italy– Dr. Cesar Parra and the team from Piaffe Performance recently crossed the pond to Italy for the official ceremonious presentation of their partnership with GK Horses. Three years in the making, the relationship and future plans between Nicoletta Ghribi of GK Horses and Parra was revealed in the extravagant ceremony held at the Four Seasons hotel in Florence, Italy, on October 9, 2015. A select group of dressage judges, veterinarians, trainers, riders, Italian equestrian federation officials, and press was invited to the stylish evening event to hear all about what Parra and GK Horses’ future may hold.

The team from Piaffe Performance, owned by internationally renowned Olympic dressage rider Dr. Cesar Parra, was pleased to join friends and colleagues of GK Horses at the event. In addition to live music by internationally acclaimed opera singer Telman Guzhevsky with Elisabetta Sepe on the piano, representatives from the banking industry, Cartier jewelry, and plane manufacturer Bombardier were also present at the celebration. Ghribi and her husband Kamel Ghribi, head of GK Investment Holding, made warm speeches as well as gifted their new sponsored rider, Parra, with Cartier jewelry and the Italian KEP helmet.

Ghribi and Parra signed the exciting partnership pact early this past summer, with the long-term purpose of this enterprise being for Parra to compete in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Ghribi and Parra meticulously took their time in forming the agreement, to make sure that every detail was in order. Parra explains that, “the main purpose of this ceremony was to invite friends of Nicoleta and Kamel and introduce them to this new project, and to the beauty of dressage.”

Also announced at the GK Horses party was the continued support of GK Horses and Piaffe Performance towards the development, coaching, and guidance for a select group of young dressage riders. These up and coming riders are those who embody a passion for horses and the ethical welfare of animals, as well as talent for dressage, work ethics, moral values, and professionalism. Leading this venture as the first young rider to be supported by GK Horses is Piaffe Performance’s Rodrigo Encinas Fuentes. Fuentes plans to compete with his new partner, and longtime Piaffe Performance veteran, KWPN gelding GK Van the Man (Obelisk x Landjoker) in the Under 25 Grand Prix Division at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida, this winter.

Ghribi recounted "Cesar believed in me and Kamel and in a project that could perhaps seem almost impossible to carry out. It is my wish that together we can become an example for the young dressage hopefuls, a responsible and— above all— attainable example."

Dr. Cesar Parra (middle) with wife Marcela Ortiz (left) and daughter Nico Parra (right) at the GK Horses ceremony (Photo: Piaffe Performance)

The collaboration between Parra, Piaffe Performance, and GK Horses enables a strong and passionate focus for Parra on the proper development of his students and horses. Parra explains, “Our goals in this partnership are to focus on high performance competition, and to have the proper amount of time to develop our young horses. Also, a goal of this partnership is to present opportunities, nurture, and develop the young professional riders who work with us into the best riders and trainers that they can be.”

As the ceremony came to a close, Ghribi, a principal force in equestrian sports in Italy, described her views on what it takes athletes make it to the top. "Sport is a very important vehicle for young minds because it teaches sacrifice, self-denial, discipline, and perseverance. It trains the pain threshold and, if expressed in the right way, prepares them for the hardest test there is— that of life," she stated.

With the future objectives of this pact now announced, the team at Piaffe Performance returned to the US with clear positive goals going forward into the winter competition season. Dr. Cesar Para provides top-notch training for both riders and horses at Piaffe Performance. Dr. Parra is a Pan American Games Gold Medalist. Piaffe Performance, which is based out of Jupiter, Florida, and Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, also sponsors the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida. Piaffe Performance specializes in selecting, training, and showing, and also facilitates the sale of top dressage prospects for riders at every level.

For more information on Piaffe Performance, visit www.piaffe-performance.com.