Dr. Cesar Parra

Building an International Reputation

The highly enthusiastic Cesar grew up in Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia in South America. He earned his Doctor of Science of Dentistry degree with a specialty in Pediatric Dentistry and came to the United States in 1983 to attend Continuing Education classes at Harvard. The following year he attended Boston University. From 1985 to 1987, he taught Pediatric Dentistry at Boston University. Cesar returned to Bogotá in 1987 to continue his practice as a dentist. As a stress relief from his work, he started riding again, a sport he had participated in as a child. He initially was drawn to show jumping, but when he discovered dressage, he never looked back, and since 1995 he has been a popular and successful competitor and trainer on the international scene. He is a member of the International Dressage Trainers Club, one of a small group of trainers in this prestigious group

Over the years, Cesar steadily gained a name on the international scene, helping to lead the way for a growing number of dressage competitors from South America. Riding for his native Colombia, he was the sole South American representative at the 2005 CDIO Aachen. It was a great responsibility representing his native country Colombia in the international field of competitors competing at the world’s most prestigious equestrian show in Aachen, Germany. But he held his own, placing 4th in the Kur of the small tour and 10th in the CDI tour Grand Prix.

"If there is one place to prove yourself, it's Aachen ," Cesar said. "I felt honored to ride among the best riders in the world. Being around them teaches me more and will ultimately make me a better rider." He made a return trip to Aachen in the summer of 2006 when he earned the right to compete in the highly-competitive World Equestrian Games.