Wellington, FL (April 9, 2013) – When the United States fields two dressage teams for the Wellington Nations Cup CIO3*, April 11-14, at the 2013 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, among its Grand Prix combinations will be Piaffe-Performance Farm’s Dr. Cesar Parra, who will ride 11 year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Van The Man, and join Susan Dutta of Wellington, on Tim Dutta Inc’s 13 year-old Oldenburg gelding, Currency DC, on USA II Team at the Grand Prix level. USA II Team’s Prix St. Georges riders will be Chris Hickey with Witness Hilltop and Justin Hardin with Wyatt Star. USA I Team will constitute Heather Blitz on Paragon and Shelly Francis on Doktor for the Grand Prix, and Caroline Roffman aboard Her Highness O and Kimberly Herslow aboard Rosmarin at the Prix St Georges.

“It is always an honor to represent the United States,” said the 2011 U.S. Pan American Games Dressage Team Gold medalist, whose international resume as a rider and trainer includes more than 300 FEI wins, as well as having competed in the 2004 Olympics, 2005 Las Vegas Dressage World Cup, and 2006 Aachen World Equestrian Games.

Parra, known to sport a dash of red, white and blue color on the occasional browband, is ready to ride: “Van The Man is an exceptional horse, and I always try to live up to the trust that his owners show putting their beautiful horse in my hands. We will be proud to ride for America together.”

The 2013 Adequan Global Dressage Festival is offering more than $275,000 in prize money for five international competitions, making it among the richest circuits in the world. The Adequan Global Dressage Festival (Adequan GDF) is one of the world’s largest international and national dressage circuits featuring five CDIs, including a 5*, the first non-championship CDIO Nations’ Cup in the Western Hemisphere, and nine U.S. national events.

Cesar Parra, DDS, MScD, operates Piaffe Performance in Jupiter, FL and Whitehouse Station, NJ and was born in Colombia, where he began riding cattle horses in the Andes Mountains of his grandparents’ farm. Dr. Parra has worked with the best in dressage, including Herbert Rehbein, Siegfried “Bimbo” Peilicke, Hans Rueben, Herbert Kuckluck and Hubertus Schmidt.

Photo: Dr. Cesar Parra and Van the Man will represent the United States during the 2013 Adequan Global Dressage Festival’s Nations Cup CDI 3*. (Photo courtesy of SusanJStickle.com)