For many adult amateur dressage riders, balancing the demands of a busy competition and training schedule with the responsibilities of life outside of the show ring can be a struggle. That’s why Piaffe Performance chooses to recognize riders who are able to maintain that balancing act with style, riding successfully and contributing to the sport while remaining dedicated in other life pursuits, as well.
The most recent winners of the Piaffe Performance Adult Amateur Achievement Award at the Global Dressage Festival, Dr. Heather Boo and Kelly Parsons, are certainly ideal examples of such extraordinary dedication and drive.
Dr. Heather Boo balances her ambitious riding goals with her full-time career as a neuroradiologist. When asked what inspires her dedication to the sport of dressage, Boo observed that the skills necessary to excel in her career actually branch out into the riding arena. “I think a lot of it has to do with my job, because if you think about it, I spend my job puzzling over tiny details that make a big difference. Sound familiar?” Laughed Boo. “But riding is also very artistic for me, so I choose not to be way too intellectual about it. I like to ride on the edge of my brain, and just do something where it’s all feeling.”
Boo competed her stunning Westphalian gelding Divertimento (by Di Versace out of Fatima) at this year’s Global Dressage Festival, an internationally competitive winter dressage show series in Wellington, Florida. The duo earned first place in their Intermediate II class, with a score of 71.316 percent. “This horse is different on so many levels,” remarked Boo on her fairly new mount. “I felt I was ready to step up a level, and when I got on him, I knew that these were the shoes I was meant to fill.”
For Kelly Parsons, balancing riding with everyday life is a tough but rewarding challenge. Every year, Parsons travels to Wellington all the way from her home near Toronto, Canada to compete in the winter competition series. This year is her fifth season competing at the Global Dressage Festival.
Though her love of the sport of dressage is the driving force behind her achievements, Parsons credits the support of her family and riding team as key factors to her success. “Being away from home for three months is definitely the toughest part,” admitted Parsons. “It takes a whole team to make this happen. I am fortunate to have a great deal of help and support from my husband, Darrell Parsons, as well as my wonderful coach Amy Speck-Kern, my friend Katie Hoog, and my groom Dominique.”
Parsons competed at Fourth Level this season with her new horse, D'Artagnan, and her partner of six years, Canadian-bred Courvoisier, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood sired by Ferrero. “Dressage is a humbling sport, but it’s a good experience here in Wellington. I love the challenge of getting it right,” said Parsons.
Piaffe Performance, an elite dressage facility that sponsors the Global Dressage Festival, enjoys taking time to honor exceptional adult amateur riders who compete at high levels of the sport while putting in the hard work and dedication it takes to turn their riding dreams into reality.
Dr. Cesar Parra and his elite team of riders at Piaffe Performance consistently demonstrate a mix of talent, hard work, and dedication in order to excel at the highest levels of dressage. Dr. Parra is an Olympian and U.S. Pan American Games Team Gold Medalist who has also represented the U.S. in the 2014 World Cup in Lyon, France, and competed twice in the World Equestrian Games. Piaffe Performance, founded in 1999, provides full-service training based on classical German methods. Dr. Cesar Parra and his Piaffe Performance Farm team, with locations in Jupiter, Florida, and Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, invite dressage riders to become part of their winning tradition. To learn more about Parra and Piaffe Performance, visit www.Piaffe-Performance.com.
Text by Johnny Robb
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