Photo: Dr. Cesar Parra (right) of Piaffe Performance presents Jill Irving (left) with the Piaffe Performance Adult Amateur Achievement Award

Wellington, FL (January 10, 2015)— “The heart of our sport is with our adult amateur riders,” says Dr. Cesar Parra, owner of Piaffe Performance Farms. “Every day I learn something from my students that makes me a better rider.” The Pan American Gold Medalist is known for his ability to coach his dressage students, as well as for his ability to perform beautifully in the show ring. Piaffe Performance Farms is excited to support its dressage community by returning as a sponsor of the 2015 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, and awarding the Piaffe Performance Adult Amateur Achievement Award during the show series.

The Piaffe Performance Adult Amateur Achievement Award will be presented throughout the 2015 Adequan Global Dressage Festival CDI series, recognizing exceptional adult amateurs for their success in the arena or their contribution to the sport through outstanding sportsmanship and horsemanship. Each award-winning rider will receive a Piaffe Performance rosette commemorating their achievement, as well as an engraved silver picture frame to hold a lasting memory of their ride and horse. “I have learned so much from my adult amateur riders about perseverance and commitment,” explains Parra, who has achieved several successes himself at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in previous years. “Through this award, I hope Piaffe Performance can play a role in encouraging such riders. They are the backbone of our sport.”

The 2015 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, held in Wellington, Florida, features ten weeks of world-class dressage competition. The show series runs from January 8, 2015 to March 29, 2015. Throughout this fourth annual AGDF, three national weeks and seven international weeks of competition take place. This includes eight CDIs (including five CDI-Ws, one 4*, and one 5*), the only non-championship CDIO Nations Cup in the Western Hemisphere, weekly U.S. National events, and a total of over $650,000 in prize money.

For the first time, the Adequan Global Dressage Festival presents a CDI Amateur international division, which will be offered throughout the season in every CDI. Riders in this division must be at least twenty-six years of age and will compete at the Small or Medium Tour level. Sponsors like Piaffe Performance and dedicated equestrians like those who will receive the Piaffe Performance Adult Amateur Achievement Award make this 2015 Adequan Global Dressage Festival possible.

Dr. Cesar Parra operates Piaffe Performance in both Jupiter, Florida and Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. The dressage professional specializes in the selection, training, showing, and sales of top-quality dressage horses. Piaffe-Performance offers a wide selection of horses for sale, and training for all levels of riders. For more information on Parra and Piaffe Performance, visit www.piaffe-performance.com.