The world of dressage is small, and Cesar Torrente believes that all who are a part of it could benefit from remembering that. At ShowChic’s ShopTalk held May 9 in Wellington, Torrente shared the story of how a “Dark Secret” taught the FEI 3* dressage judge the importance of being deeply aware of the connections among everyone involved in the sport.
A native of Bogota, Columbia, Torrente is a triple threat when it comes to dressage — he has proven himself to be an accomplished rider, trainer and judge. He became a part of the dressage world when he was 12 and became a Grand Prix competitor in his teens. A talented equestrian, Torrente won a team gold medal at the 2010 South American Games and another at the 2010 Central American Games. He has won the Colombian National Championship several times. He now spends most of his time as a highly respected international judge.
Torrente shared valuable information with his audience from an “insider’s” perspective as an international dressage judge. His listeners left with new ideas of what judges are looking for in riders and of how each of them fits in to their dressage community.
Every part of the dressage community impacts other parts, and because of this, it’s important for equestrians to be respectful of one another, he said. Some of Torrente’s personal pet peeves as a judge are seeing horses competing in a level that they are not prepared for, or seeing riders attempt a test without first finding out what the test expects of them.
It was a horse that first made Torrente truly realize how interconnected all dressage competitors are. While he was in the United States, he knew a horse called Dark Secret. He was later surprised when the same Dark Secret appeared in Korea while Torrente was there earning his judging license. He realized that the riders and horses he met as a dressage professional were not simply a passing part of his life, but would continuously appear throughout his career.
Showing awareness that the dressage community includes the entire United States, as well as the rest of the world, ShowChic will be traveling from Florida to New Jersey for the United States Dressage Festival of Champions presented by the Dutta Corporation this month.
ShowChic offers stylish riding apparel as well as gifts and accessories. Products include breeches, show coats, stock ties, shirts, helmets, jewelry, and many other items. To learn more, visit www.showchicdressage.com or call (561) 319-2121.
ABOVE: Krystalann Shingler, Cesar Torrente, and Michele Hundt.
