The Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida, is in its final weeks and many ribbons have been awarded as riders celebrate their victories. Even after nine weeks of competition, the Piaffe Performance Farm team is still going strong. Its members have much to celebrate after the past weeks of competition, especially at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby.
Cesar Parra, owner of Piaffe Performance, and his students- Barbara (Bebe) Davis, Eduardo Munoz, Roberto Brasil, and Kathryn Mills— secured multiple top placings for Team Piaffe Performance.
Parra, who is the founder of Piaffe Performance, couldn’t have been more proud. “The Palm Beach Derby was another great show for us,” he said. “It is wonderful to see the improvement in all the horses and riders throughout the season. And we had some exciting results.” Parra’s team receives top training and opportunities through Piaffe Performance, based in both Jupiter, Florida and Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. Parra, who is a former Olympian, has the goal of developing the talent of both riders and horses.
Parra rode Van the Man, a 2002 Dutch Warmblood sired by Obelisk and owned by Michael Davis, in the Grand Prix test during the Palm Beach Derby and won with a 71.7 percent against Tracey Amaral Olsen and Lamborghini. He also debuted Davis’s 7-year-old 16.2-hand Oldenburg mare Fiderhit OLD (by Fidertanz out of a Sandro Hit mare) at the Developing Prix St. George level and won with an impressive 74.118 percent against top competitors, such as Dorie Addy-Crow, Michelle Folden, Lauren Knopp, Catherine Haddad-Staller, and others. It was Fiderhit OLD’s first Prix St. George class. The pair also scored over 70 percent in Sunday’s class.
Barbara (Bebe) Davis won the FEI Junior/Young Rider Prix St. George with over 73 percent on the Hanoverian gelding Feivel Mousekewitz (Federweisser x Saninni, by Singular Joter) during the week. Just a few hours after the win, the 17-year-old finished second with Rotano (Rotspon x Bona Dea, by Brentano II), with over 72 percent riding the Junior Team test in a competitive open FEI Test of Choice class. “Mouse,” who was bred by Gabriele Bontemps, and Rotano are both 14 years old and are owned by Bebe’s proud father, Michael Davis.
“Eduardo Munoz (COL) showed his horse, Benji, for the first time this Florida season at Fourth Level and won all three days,” beamed Parra. Munoz and Benji (Baroncelli x Sherly, by Sherwood), an eight-year-old bay Hanoverian gelding imported from Germany, raked in the blue ribbons and earned a 69.459 percent on Friday in the USEF Fourth Level Test 1 test.
“Katt Mills, who flies into Florida only to show and then has to go back to Pennsylvania to run her farm, had another great weekend with over 70 percent at Third Level,” added Parra. Mills rode Fabiano (Florencio I x Estocha, by Ehrentusch), her German-bred Westphalian bay gelding bred by Sigrid Farwick.
Parra and his Piaffe Performance Farm Team are consistently in the ribbons, and Parra is open to new dressage riders becoming a part of his winning team. To learn more about Piaffe Performance training, lessons, and sales services, visit www.piaffe-performance.com.
Text by Johnny Robb - Photo © Sue Stickle
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