Terrible images.
This Monday, American rider Cesar Parra, a former Olympic athlete who participated in the Athens and Beijing Olympics, was singled out by animal protection associations after the broadcast of videos where he mistreats a horse, in particular inflicting on it whip blows to the head.
Other photos depicting the animal's injuries also horrified the equestrian world, which quickly called for sanctions against the rider.
This is not the first time that Cesar Parra has been accused of acts of cruelty towards his animals.
In the 2010s, he was also prosecuted, before being acquitted in 2015.
This time, the rider of Colombian origin was suspended, first by the American Federation, which regretted the “appalling and abject training videos” and assured that it had “provisionally suspended Cesar Parra with immediate effect while the FEI analyzes the disturbing and abominable images and videos relating to his training methods that have recently emerged.
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Seized, the international federation also reacted.
“Equestrian sports are founded on respect for our partners, the horses, with a duty of care that ensures that their mental and physical well-being is always a priority, taking precedence over any competitive and/or training ambitions,” he said. underlined the FEI.
Cesar Parra might not be the only rider affected by these acts of cruelty.
Other videos showing horse abuse have been posted on social media and could lead to suspensions.
The German Federation has also announced that it has received reports concerning some of its riders.