Colombian banned by FEI
Federal dressage trainer condemns horse cruelty case
February 10, 2024, 4:15 p.m
During the week, the German Equestrian Association filed a complaint against two Germans for alleged animal cruelty in the USA. It’s about the case of the US dressage rider Cesar Parra, who has already been banned by the World Equestrian Federation (FEI). The dressage national trainer comments.
The German dressage national trainer Monica Theodorescu has clearly condemned violations of animal welfare and praised the actions of the German Equestrian Association (FN) in the Cesar Parra case. “We strongly condemn such treatment of the horse partner. We welcome the association’s harsh approach and clearly distance ourselves from training methods of this kind,” said Theodorescu in a statement from the association.
The background is the scandal surrounding Cesar Parra, who has now been banned by the world association FEI. The Colombian rider and trainer, who lives in the USA, was filmed torturing horses using questionable training methods. The recordings caused a public stir and were reminiscent of the case of Helgstrand Dressage from Denmark. Last year, TV footage showed how horses were mistreated at the stud farm of former Olympic rider Andreas Helgstrand. The rider was then blocked until 2025.
The FN recently stated about the Parra case that it had “obtained a collection of videos and images from various sources that show shocking treatment of horses” and in this context had also filed a complaint against two people from Germany. The association also implemented the FEI ban against Parra for tournaments in Germany.
“Our legal options as a sports association are not sufficient for such behavior. This is about criminal relevance, so we are turning to the state authorities, who have much greater ability to investigate and impose sanctions,” said FN General Secretary Sönke Lauterbach. The behavior documented in the video recordings was “disgusting.”
Parra faces further consequences. As the specialist website dressage-news.com reported, the FBI has started an investigation against the 60-year-old. It’s about the accusation of human trafficking. Parra is said to have obtained residence permits for employees and thus put pressure on them to work for him at his training centers in New Jersey and Florida. Former employees confirmed this to the portal.