Dressage rider Cesar Parra has filed an appeal to his 15-year suspension with the international Court of Arbitration for Sport, a Fédération Equestre Internationale spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
Parra, 62, was suspended for 15 years, fined approximately $18,600 and ordered to pay $12,400 in legal costs by the FEI, in a decision announced Aug. 6, after a lengthy investigation into claims he abused multiple horses in his care.
A prominent figure in international equestrian sport, Parra has competed at the top level since 1998. He represented his native Colombia at the 1999 Pan American Games, the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2002 and 2006, and the 2005 FEI World Cup Dressage Final. After switching nationalities in 2008, Parra competed for the United States at the 2011 Pan American Games and the 2014 FEI World Cup Final.
He was first provisionally suspended on Feb. 2, 2024, after a video was posted to Parra’s social media showing the trainer engaging in abusive behavior and training methods involving multiple horses.
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“This case is deeply unsettling, not only because of the recurring nature of the abuse, but also because of the number of horses affected,” FEI Legal Director Mikael Rentsch said in the FEI statement announcing Parra’s 15-year suspension. “That such behavior came from a top-level athlete makes it all the more troubling. Our athletes are expected to represent and uphold the highest standards of horsemanship. Horse welfare is the foundation, not an add-on, of equestrian sport.
“The investigation demanded significant time and resources due to the volume and complexity of the evidence, which had to be meticulously verified,” Rentsch continued. “The 15-year suspension sends a clear message that regardless of profile or position, those who violate the principles of horse welfare will face serious consequences.”
Parra was given 21 days to appeal the decision to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, an independent organization that resolves legal disputes in all sporting disciplines, including equestrian.
