PrintAugust 8, Gladstone, N.J.
Cesar Parra had a dream, an American dream, and that dream came true today at the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival Of Champions when he scored a commanding lead in the Intermediaire freestyle to win the National Intermediaire I Championship with Olympia.
Although Parra was leading the small tour championship after his Intermediaire I win yesterday, he didn’t plan to take it easy in the freestyle. The Colombian dentist, who just gained his U.S. citizenship last year, wanted to be sure there was no question about his first American championship.
“I wanted to go for it. I had very good competitors in the class. It’s an honor to compete with them. I took nothing for granted,” he said. “I gave lessons all morning to keep my mind busy. I got to the showgrounds at 2:30, and I started reviewing my music. I was just thinking of doing my very best.”
Riding to the strains of Earth, Wind & Fire, Parra, Whitehouse Station, N.J., and Jupiter, Fla., highlighted Olympia’s canter pirouettes and extravagant trot work for a big score of 74.80 percent. Chris Hickey placed second in the freestyle with 72.50 percent over Kassandra Barteau on Toscano (71.65%).
However, the freestyle only counts for 25 percent of the overall score in the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Intermediaire I Championship, so Barteau’s previous first- and second-placed finishes in the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I classes respectively were enough to earn her the reserve championship.
“It’s a pretty amazing feeling. I’m so happy to be at this table [at the press conference],” said Barteau, Maple Park, Ill., of being the reserve national champion in her first year showing in the open division.
“My horse was really great this weekend. I was really proud of him because he was really on my aids all weekend,” she continued. “It’s fun how things work out when a horse feels like they do at home or actually even better because the competition pumps them up a little bit. I couldn’t have asked for more from him.”
Barteau’s mother Yvonne, who also competed in the small tour championship aboard GP Raymeister, choreographed Toscano’s music. He showed off his power to tunes from the movies Shrek, Driving Miss Daisy and Madagascar.
Although Hickey, Colora, Md., finished in third place, he was nothing but enthusiastic about Cabana Boy’s bright future.
“He’s still very young; he’s only 8 years old. He needs to continue to get strong and be able to stay consistent in that work,” said Hickey. ”I have no doubt that he will get better and better with age and more time to get strong. We will hold this horse back. This is a super Pan Am potential horse, and we will go in that direction.”
All of the top three riders were looking towards the Pan American Games in Mexico next year.
