The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has expressed its firm support for the FEI Tribunal’s decision to impose a 15-year suspension on Cesar Parra due to violations related to horse welfare. This suspension, which came into effect provisionally on February 2, 2024, will last until February 1, 2039, and Parra has also been fined CHF 15,000 alongside an obligation to cover legal costs of CHF 10,000.
The USEF’s involvement in this case arose from horse welfare complaints received against Parra in early 2024. At the time, the Federation lacked a specific rule enabling action on welfare issues occurring outside of sanctioned competitions. Consequently, the Federation referred the investigation to the FEI, which had the regulatory framework to address the matter. Following this situation, the USEF board passed a new rule, GR838, expanding the Federation’s authority to address unethical treatment of horses both on and off competition grounds.
Bill Moroney, the Chief Executive Officer of US Equestrian, emphasized the Federation’s commitment to protecting horse welfare: “As a federation, we have strengthened our rules to ensure we are within our jurisdiction to pursue disciplinary action for behavior and actions endangering horse safety and welfare, both on and off competition grounds. Parra’s documented and repeated behavior has no place in our sport, and we will ensure the enforcement of the FEI Tribunal’s decision.”
Looking ahead, further details regarding the reasoning behind the FEI’s decision are expected to be released shortly and will be made available on their official website.
This ruling reinforces the dedication of equestrian governing bodies to maintain high standards of horse welfare, signaling a positive step towards ensuring that the sport not only thrives but also upholds ethical treatment of all its participants.