At Trilogy Saddles, President Debbie Witty hand-selects each Ambassador. These riders represent the very best in equestrian sport, with an emphasis on the welfare of the horse and the epitome of horse/rider partnership that our equipment stands for. We hope you enjoy reading about our Trilogy Ambassadors!

Trilogy Saddles Ambassador
Saddle: Verago

At Dr. Cesar Parra’s Piaffe Performance Farms, teamwork and excellence are the guiding principles. “For me, the only way to success is with a team. It means everyone works as an equal, everyone is important; you can’t achieve success without the rider, the vet, the groom. We all keep working, and we reinforce each other so things become better. And, everyone’s working for the welfare of the horse, who’s the only one that can’t say anything,” says Cesar.

Trilogy President Debbie Witty says that Cesar’s focus on team-building, and his commitment to constant improvement and learning, are what attracted her to a relationship with him. “I love how he invests himself in the whole process. He’s always taking time to engage people, and I like how he’s always educating his group and getting them to think about things, such as how they conduct themselves despite having a bad day or a poor ride,” says Debbie. “When people look at the professionals we choose, they sometimes try to poke holes in their demeanor, or find their faults. I admire the fact that Cesar thinks about that.”

Cesar’s concentration on professional deportment and achieving success is something he says he learned early on. “I think it comes from my family. My dad is going to be 80 years old in November, but I never heard him complain,” says Cesar. “He’d wake up and go to work, even on Sundays. He always gave me the best he could. When you have parents like that, it’s impossible to give up!”

Now living and working in both New Jersey and Florida as a U.S. citizen, Cesar’s never-say-die attitude sustained him in the transition between the Americas. While he was a successful dentist and professor as well as an accomplished rider in his native Columbia, coming to the States meant finding a way to make everything work despite possibly starting over.

“When I moved to America in 1999, I had the option to go back to school so that I could practice dentistry here, but not being paid for three years with a wife, kids, and horses didn’t make sense. During the time I was trying to decide what to do, I was able to win some CDIs,” says Cesar. The sale of his two horses turned the tide for him. “In Columbia, the riding was my hobby; with the sale of those two horses, I was able to make the transition to professional.”

Cesar believes that for both pros and amateur riders, having the right equipment is crucial to getting the best results, and that the saddle is the most important communication tool we have with the horse. “For me, it should be the best thing you can have, for the horse and for you,” he says, pointing out that a good rider might get good results with a lower-quality saddle, but why sacrifice comfort and enjoyment?

“Most of the time when I use somebody’s saddle, they say ‘you have to give it time to get used to it’ or ‘it has to break in,’ but by that time, you’re sore and you have blisters! With a Trilogy, I sit on it the first time and I feel at home. They’re easy to ride in all day, and I ride six or seven hours. The horses like them very much, and it helps my clients keep their legs in place and enjoy the ride,” says Cesar. He also enjoys the aesthetics of his Trilogy saddles, much like good food and fine wine during a dinner with friends. “The saddle is like my Jaguar or Mercedes. Why not have the best you can have?”

Although Cesar has a dream of being the best he can be in the horse world, and getting the best that each horse can give to him, Debbie says he still pays attention to the daily details, and that’s one of the reasons they get along so well.

“Cesar thinks about his sponsors and staff, and his pride and commitment to the people that support him are clear,” says Debbie. “For example, when he walks past my booth at a show, if there’s someone there he’ll pause and engage them. He’ll have no idea who they are; they might be competing professionals from another part of the country. But, he’s thought about how helpful that support is to me, and about how to represent our products and make them really shine.”

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