New Article on Cesar Parra Controversy

[BrownDerby]

It seems likely.

[Mardi1]

@Badger

Cesar and his groom Jen Mendecia.

I do not know who Adam Steffens-Smienk is, however he writes about the situation with first hand knowledge, and I have no reason not to believe him. Although it’s odd to me that with this knowledge he is not able to name the head groom correctly in his FB post, perhaps it’s a typo. Again I have no reason to dispute what he describes and his experience.

The groom featured in the Eurodressage article has been a personal friend of mine for 24+ years, ever since she worked for a well known west coast trainer and my horse was in training at that barn. She treated all the horses with compassion and gentleness without exception. The horses always came first, day and night. The owners loved her, the trainer would have been lost without her, and her family thought she spent too much time at the barn. To this day, she is the only groom I would ever hire if I needed one. I trust her implicitly.

When she moved back east - at the invitation of a client in the barn who was following a job offer in New York and going into training with Parra - it was a huge loss for our barn.
Since that time many years ago, I have often wondered how she dealt with the rumors about her new boss and how she could stay in that environment. We’ve never talked about it, as I knew somehow she had made a bargain with herself, that staying with the horses was better for them, than if she left them behind.
I hope this is the beginning of the end, that the horses all land safely, and she can find her way clear.

[Knights_Mom]

@Mardi1

@Badger

Cesar and his groom Jen Mendecia.

I do not know who Adam Steffens-Smienk is, however he writes about the situation with first hand knowledge, and I have no reason not to believe him. Although it’s odd to me that with this knowledge he is not able to name the head groom correctly in his FB post, perhaps it’s a typo. Again I have no reason to dispute what he describes and his experience.

The groom featured in the Eurodressage article has been a personal friend of mine for 24+ years, ever since she worked for a well known west coast trainer and my horse was in training at that barn. She treated all the horses with compassion and gentleness without exception. The horses always came first, day and night. The owners loved her, the trainer would have been lost without her, and her family thought she spent too much time at the barn. To this day, she is the only groom I would ever hire if I needed one. I trust her implicitly.

When she moved back east - at the invitation of a client in the barn who was following a job offer in New York and going into training with Parra - it was a huge loss for our barn.
Since that time many years ago, I have often wondered how she dealt with the rumors about her new boss and how she could stay in that environment. We’ve never talked about it, as I knew somehow she had made a bargain with herself, that staying with the horses was better for them, than if she left them behind.
I hope this is the beginning of the end, that the horses all land safely, and she can find her way clear.

She’s a friggin’ HERO.

[Zevida]

@Knights_Mom

@Mardi1

@Badger

Cesar and his groom Jen Mendecia.

I do not know who Adam Steffens-Smienk is, however he writes about the situation with first hand knowledge, and I have no reason not to believe him. Although it’s odd to me that with this knowledge he is not able to name the head groom correctly in his FB post, perhaps it’s a typo. Again I have no reason to dispute what he describes and his experience.

The groom featured in the Eurodressage article has been a personal friend of mine for 24+ years, ever since she worked for a well known west coast trainer and my horse was in training at that barn. She treated all the horses with compassion and gentleness without exception. The horses always came first, day and night. The owners loved her, the trainer would have been lost without her, and her family thought she spent too much time at the barn. To this day, she is the only groom I would ever hire if I needed one. I trust her implicitly.

When she moved back east - at the invitation of a client in the barn who was following a job offer in New York and going into training with Parra - it was a huge loss for our barn.
Since that time many years ago, I have often wondered how she dealt with the rumors about her new boss and how she could stay in that environment. We’ve never talked about it, as I knew somehow she had made a bargain with herself, that staying with the horses was better for them, than if she left them behind.
I hope this is the beginning of the end, that the horses all land safely, and she can find her way clear.

She’s a friggin’ HERO.

What is she a hero for? Sounds like she stood by for 20 years while he abused horses and said and did nothing.

[DutchSonofBell]

That is William’s owner. She was in shock seeing what CP had done. She was at another area of arena talking to some people and was not directly observing what he was doing and missed him changing the equipment on William.

[Bogey2]

Anything with his name attached to FB has the comments shut off. I am not FB friends with him but have 44 mutual friends with him. I wonder if they will unfriend now? I know I would.

[Bogey2]

Maybe she had Stockhome Syndrome or something but she should have made these videos years ago and exposed him.

[Knights_Mom]

@Zevida

@Knights_Mom

@Mardi1

@Badger

Cesar and his groom Jen Mendecia.

I do not know who Adam Steffens-Smienk is, however he writes about the situation with first hand knowledge, and I have no reason not to believe him. Although it’s odd to me that with this knowledge he is not able to name the head groom correctly in his FB post, perhaps it’s a typo. Again I have no reason to dispute what he describes and his experience.

The groom featured in the Eurodressage article has been a personal friend of mine for 24+ years, ever since she worked for a well known west coast trainer and my horse was in training at that barn. She treated all the horses with compassion and gentleness without exception. The horses always came first, day and night. The owners loved her, the trainer would have been lost without her, and her family thought she spent too much time at the barn. To this day, she is the only groom I would ever hire if I needed one. I trust her implicitly.

When she moved back east - at the invitation of a client in the barn who was following a job offer in New York and going into training with Parra - it was a huge loss for our barn.
Since that time many years ago, I have often wondered how she dealt with the rumors about her new boss and how she could stay in that environment. We’ve never talked about it, as I knew somehow she had made a bargain with herself, that staying with the horses was better for them, than if she left them behind.
I hope this is the beginning of the end, that the horses all land safely, and she can find her way clear.

She’s a friggin’ HERO.

What is she a hero for? Sounds like she stood by for 20 years while he abused horses and said and did nothing.

The horse culture is a rigid one and any up and coming trainer/working student would believe that standing up against a Cesar Parra type means the industry might shun them and they’ll never become a trainer. And then the day comes when you can’t take it any more and no longer care if you’re shunned or blacklisted.

So yeah, if you reach that point and finally do the right thing you have to be rewarded. If not, then no one might come forward in the future.

Because there’s always another abuser.

[Angela_Freda]

@Mardi1

I do not know who Adam Steffens-Smienk is, however he writes about the situation with first hand knowledge, and I have no reason not to believe him. Although it’s odd to me that with this knowledge he is not able to name the head groom correctly in his FB post

It appears to me English may not be his native language and he misspelled it. Or yes, it’s a typo.

[Mersidoats]

I don’t want to point fingers at the groom. It seems like she is also a victim of Parra’s abuse. I want to applaud Sven and his husband Adam for their incredible coordinated campaign to shed a giant spotlight on the abuse and viscous treatment of horses by Parra. I hope he is reduced to nothing after this. Rubble. Dust.

And cheese on rice - I want to see officials and judges and other trainers SPEAK OUT. PEOPLE! This is not okay! The sport is not okay!

[Angela_Freda]

@Knights_Mom

The horse culture is a rigid one and any up and coming trainer/working student would believe that standing up against a Cesar Parra type means the industry might shun them and they’ll never become a trainer. And then the day comes when you can’t take it any more and no longer care if you’re shunned or blacklisted.

So yeah, if you reach that point and finally do the right thing you have to be rewarded. If not, then no one might come forward in the future.

Because there’s always another abuser.

Ok I didn’t understand the groom was involved in exposing this horrific abuse.

[Virginia_Horse_Mom]

I think a former student who has since left posted some of the video on Instagram, and Sven (Adam’s husband) used to work for Parra on an athlete visa, and they have also released information.

The accusation of a coercive work environment as a result of the visa is also a serious one. If SafeSport is not set up to investigate and address this… I hope the situation leads to a discussion about how to better support people who end up in this position. It’s awful.

[sheltona01]

Adam grew up in Minnesota.

[DownYonder]

@Virginia_Horse_Mom

The accusation of a coercive work environment as a result of the visa is also a serious one.

The work visa angle sheds a lot of light on my personal observations from being at his farm some years back. He had a plethora of young people working and riding there - and the great majority of them were foreigners (German, Dutch, Spanish, and Latin American).

I also wonder what Kevin Kohmann’s thoughts are on this. He originally came from Germany to work for Parra and stayed with him for 5-6(?) years, so I imagine he saw plenty of stuff go down while he was there.

[kt]

I think it’s right to ask what type of person comes into this barn/training situation and more importantly, why do they stay? And I think the answers can be so complex.

I will be intentionally vague here. I have known someone for a very long time, used to be close with her and now only from a distance. She is a professional but does not have the best reputation in the industry and has a history of making poor life choices. Lately she has been posting training videos of working with CP. Sadly, this did not surprise me. I think she is one example of the type of person who rides with him— someone who knows better, doesn’t care and stays anyway.

I think there are others who, for a lack of kinder language, are possibly too ignorant to know better— with more resources (money) than knowledge. And by the time they figure it out, it’s too late. They are sucked into the system and unfortunately, complicit in the abuse.

Which leads to the last and most heartbreaking scenario, at least in my mind. Well-intentioned, kindhearted individuals who for one reason or another find themselves in barns like these and are somehow convinced they cannot leave— whether it’s by gaslighting, being abused themselves or feeling if they stay, maybe it will help protect the horses in some small way. As someone who was verbally, emotionally and mentally abused by my trainer for years as a child/teen, I know firsthand there is a terror and power they have over you. It can be absolutely paralyzing.

All that said, the true victims of all this are the horses. I watched the videos last night and wept. Yes, they NEVER should have happened in the first place, but thank God these things are coming to light.

[floppyammy]

That video of William is one of the most horrifying and sickening things I have ever seen. I am speechless. There are no words for that level of horror.

[lorilu]

@barnesthenoble

your concern is name-calling.

Yes. Because it leaks out into all other areas of our social life. Name calling is never appropriate. It diminishes the power of the argument.

[Paint_Party]

@floppyammy

That video of William is one of the most horrifying and sickening things I have ever seen. I am speechless. There are no words for that level of horror.

Same here. I had heard a little about CP and something about the abuse of a horse named William, but not the entire story nor had I ever seen video of it. Absolutely horrifying. And the manner in which buckets of water are tossed on the horse so matter-of-factly. That poor, suffering creature.

That video and the other images are a glimpse into CP’s soul. What a cruel, wretched human being.

[Angela_Freda]

@Paint_Party

And the manner in which buckets of water are tossed on the horse so matter-of-factly.

Someone help me here, why pour buckets of water on a horse who just suffered what sounds like a fall/smash into something type injury and trauma and was likely in shock?
It wasn’t that he was overheating and collapsed, from what I’ve read, so what exactly was the point of the water?

[Zevida]

There is something mixed up or confused somewhere, not sure if it is me or others, but I don’t think the groom had anything to do with the videos or the exposure.