Cesar Parra on Van the Man (Photo courtesy of Sharon Packer)
Dr. Cesar Parra is officially cleared — as declared by a Hunterdon County Superior Court jury— of charges of negligence. Parra, who was accused in 2009 with being at-fault for lunging injuries to a Hanoverian stallion is now cleared of alleged negligence with the formal finding of “no cause.”
During the four years of lawsuits revolving around this accident, Parra continued to be active in the dressage industry. When Parra’s eligibility to compete in the World Cup Dressage Finals last year was questioned, the United States Equestrian Federation conveyed its support of Parra, who had not been convicted of any charges.
Parra’s name has been known in the equestrian world for years, as he competed for his native Colombia in the Cesar Parra, helped the United States team earn the gold medal in the 2011 Pan American Games after becoming a U.S. citizen in 2008, and competed in two World Equestrian Games. Most recently, Parra competed in the 2015 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, where he enjoyed multiple FEI class wins with his equine partners. Parra also coached several students of Piaffe Performance to top finishes during the winter dressage circuit and supported the show as a sponsor. Parra operates his Piaffe Peformance training, showing, and sales business in both Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, and Jupiter, Florida.
Now that Parra has the case behind him, he plans to double his focus on his passion for dressage. “I am so grateful that an impartial jury unanimously was able to see the truth in this matter. I am looking forward to now focusing on what I love— my family, the horses, the riding, and training,” Parra stated after the case.
“I am very grateful for all of the support I have received through the past years from friends, my clients, and even strangers from all over who contacted me in response to these allegations. None of us who work with animals are happy when any horse gets injured. For years I was told by my attorney not to comment about this case but the jury can now speak for me: They heard the evidence, they had no bias, and they found no cause.”
