Cesar Torrente Promoted as FEI 5* Level Judge

Dressage

FEI

Colombian Cesar Torrente has successfully passed the exams and will be promoted to FEI 5* Level as judge. He is the first South American dressage judge to ever achieve 5*, which the FEI now calls Level 4.

Examinations

The requirement to be proposed as a 5* judge include proficiency in English; having been FEI Level 3 Judge for a minimum of 3 years, be in good standing with the FEI, having officiating experience within 10 years of application, and having officiated at 30 competitions at Grand Prix Level, CDIs 4* or above six CDIs 3* as President of the Ground Jury or Foreign Judge, and two Championships at different levels (World Cup Finals, Young Horse World Breeding Championships, U25 Continental CH, Youth Continental CHs).

The candidates had to pass the Level 4 Judges blended learning programme, i.e. the online Level 4 Judges examination and an in-person course of three days for those who passed the online examination.

An online interview took place with a commission of five people including the FEI dressage director (Ronan Murphy), the FEI Education director (Frank Spadinger), a course director for Dressage (Hans-Christian Matthiesen), vaulting (Doris Knotter) and eventing (David O‘Connor).

Cesar Torrente

There were four candidates in the running for 5* level during this rotation. Only Cesar Torrente passed. Official are given the opportunity of a re-attempt after one year.

The 65-year old Colombian born Cesar Torrente built a professional career as a corporate and arbitration lawyer while ridingwo Central American Games team gold medals and multiple Bolivarian, Central American, and Caribbean Games gold, silver and bronze medals. He also competed at the 1991 and 1995 Pan American Games.

Torrente was the first judge to be promoted through the new FEI educational system to 4* in 2017 and now 5* level in 2026.

Torrente is a renaissance man, having worked in various roles for the benefit of the sport of dressage. He served as chef d'equipe for the Colombian and Ecuadorean dressage team until 2018. He captained the Ecuadorian Team to its unprecedented first gold medal in the 2017 Bolivarian Games. He was member of the FEI Tribunal.

Torrente lives in Wellington, Florida.