Para-Equestrian and Para-Dressage: Equestrian Sport for People with Disabilities

What is para-equestrian?‍

Para-equestrian is the term used to describe equestrian sport for the disabled, i.e. equestrian sport for people with disabilities or handicaps. The English term para-equestrian or para-dressage has established itself as the most common equestrian discipline for disabled riders.

Para-equestrian is not to be equated with equestrian therapy, as these are equestrian athletes who practise the sport both recreationally and competitively. With para-equestrian, the actual disability, regardless of its degree, fades into the background and what is possible in sport is emphasized. Equestrian sport gives people with disabilities a sense of freedom, autonomy and independence on their partner horse. The horse also serves as a link between people with different conditions, meaning that para-equestrian sport also contributes a great deal to social integration and inclusion.

‍Disciplines of the Para-Equestrian

As in regular equestrian sport, there are several disciplines in para-equestrian sport that a para-athlete can take part in:

• Para-Dressage
• Para jumping
• Para-driving
• Para-Vaulting
• Para-Reining

Para-dressage is the most frequently practiced equestrian discipline among para-riders. It is also the only discipline that made it into the Paralympics, the Olympic Games for people with physical disabilities, in 1996 and into the World Equestrian Games in 2010. Para-dressage has its own set of rules, which differ from regular dressage due to the competition classes and aids permitted. In principle, however, the same requirements for the execution of the lessons apply as at regular competitions. The training scale and its sub-items also form the basis for training and assessment in para-dressage.

Athletes with intellectual or multiple disabilities, on the other hand, do not compete in para-equestrian. Equestrian sport for people with intellectual disabilities is organized differently and also includes other disciplines.

The sports health pass as a prerequisite for tournament participation

As with regular equestrian sport, para-equestrian is subdivided into recreational sport, broad sport and competitive sport. While recreational sport focuses on leisure activities with the horse as a partner, competitive sport is about taking part in tournaments. Depending on the degree of disability, participation in regular competitions is also possible, although the para-athlete is then judged in the same way as their regular competitors.

Para riders are divided into competition classes, so-called grades from I to V, depending on their degree of disability. The basis for this is a sports health pass, which facilitates classification into the respective competition class. The rider must present himself to his family doctor, who will first determine his fitness for sport. If this is the case, they then go to a team doctor or classifier who acts on behalf of the International Paralympic Equestrian Committee (I.P.E.C.). He classifies the riders and assigns them a competition class. This is intended to make disabled equestrian sport fairer so that equal impairments can lead to equal performances.

The sports health pass that has now been issued is limited to two years, after which a new application must be submitted and re-examined to determine whether the para-athlete's condition remains unchanged.

Classification is only possible if the physical restriction differs by at least 15% compared to regular riders. Muscle strength, joint mobility and coordination are assessed for this. 

The sports health pass allows the use of compensatory aids in the test, which are specified in the pass. These aids are intended to replace, i.e. compensate for, physical deficiencies. Only those aids may be used in the test that are also entered in the passport, all others are not permitted. A para-rider can also take part in regular competitions without a sports health pass, but is then also prohibited from using compensatory aids.

Compensatory aids for para-riders can include

• Voice
• Side saddle
• Handle on the front of the saddle
• Special saddle with knee rolls
• Raised saddle rim
• Rein guidance on the stirrup
• Stirrup straps or stirrup leathers to the saddle girth
• Leg fixations
• 2 crops
• and others

Grade I to V: Competition classes in para-dressage

Since 2017, the competition classes (grades) in their current form have divided para-athletes into classes according to their impairment in order to create a level playing field. The classification points are:

• Normal function or minor impairment
• Incomplete paralysis of the muscles
• Missing limb
• Coordination disorder
• Severe coordination disorder
• Deformation
• Wheelchair users

Grade I

In competition class I, riders with the most severe disabilities compete against each other. They are mainly wheelchair users with poor trunk balance and limited arm and leg function. They ride exclusively at a walk.

Grade II

Class II also often includes wheelchair users with severely restricted leg function. They also have little trunk balance. However, in this class, small trot sequences are added to the walk.

Grade III

In addition to wheelchair riders, para-riders with good to slightly impaired arm function or severely restricted function on one side are also represented in competition class III. In Grade III competitions, canter and individual flying changes are possible in addition to walk-trot tasks in the freestyle.

Grade IV

Grade IV tests are seen as the "catch-all" for various restrictions in para-dressage. Grade IV tests are the most common in para-dressage. Many athletes in this class can usually go without support, have a moderate disability or a visual impairment of B1 (blind, black glasses are mandatory).

In competition class IV, riders compete up to L level and the basic gaits of walk, trot and canter are required.

Grade V

Athletes with a disability in one or two limbs or impaired vision compete against each other in competition class V. The level of riding here ranges from L to M, with all lessons except passage and piaffe required in the freestyle.

Regardless of the disability, the judges want to see that the horses are not ridden with force, but with sensitivity and know-how in para-dressage. Although each rider is judged according to their limitations, they should be able to finely convey the aids to the horse according to their abilities.

Requirements for a horse for para-dressage

With regard to para-equestrian, the question arises as to whether the horses used require special prerequisites or specific training. This is not necessarily the case, as horses can adapt very quickly to the different way of giving aids. Unlike us humans, they have no fear of contact, but react sensitively to the rider and are always willing to perform. 

The combination of horse and rider must be harmonious - this is no different from regular sport. All that is needed is to introduce the horse to compensatory aids and the rider's own form of aids. This makes para-dressage an absolute team sport that can only be successful with support in training and everyday life.

Ultimately, a horse that competes in disabled riding must also be trained according to the training scale. The rider's rideability and influence are therefore assessed in the tests in the same way as in regular equestrian sport.

History and organization of para-dressage

Para-dressage has been part of the Paralympic Summer Games since 1996. Until the Paralympics in Sydney in 2000, the horses were allocated to the para-athletes. This changed from 2002 at the European Championships in Portugal, when the riders competed on their own horses for the first time.

As a pioneer for inclusive sport, the equestrian scene has included para-dressage in its program since the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

The number of participants over the years shows us that the world of para-dressage continues to grow. While 60 riders from 16 nations took part in the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta, there were 77 riders from a total of 27 nations at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.

Since 2006, the organization of international para-equestrian sport has been under the wing of the FEI, the World Equestrian Federation, which has included para-dressage and para-driving as the 8th equestrian discipline and has supported them from now on.

In Germany, competitive para equestrian sport is organized by the DKThR (Deutsches Kuratorium für Therapeutisches Reiten e. V.) based in Warendorf. This is an affiliated association of the FN and also works closely with the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS). Since 2013, para-equestrian has had its own advisory board within the DOKR (German Olympic Committee for Equestrian Sports) and is now the 8th discipline to be represented by it.

Nationally and internationally successful para-dressage riders

Unfortunately, the spotlight for the para dressage riders is often small; the big spotlights are still directed at the dressage tests of the regular riders. This means that many spectators and those interested in dressage sport miss out on the outstanding performances of the para-athletes. Especially as their performances are admirable due to their physical limitations.

The FEI world rankings (as of 2024) are currently headed by the following para-dressage riders:

• Grade I led by Mari Durward-Akhurst (GBR): Born with cerebral palsy, the rider was Grade I Silver and Grade I Gold National Champion for two years before taking silver with her team at the European Championships in 2019.
• Grade II led by Josef "Pepo" Puch (AUT): Puch competed in eventing until 2008, but had to leave this sport behind him due to a serious fall. After being completely paralyzed, he fought his way back onto the horse and has been successful in para-dressage with his self-trained gelding The Who ever since.
• Grade IV led by Kate Shoemaker (USA): Shoemaker made her debut in para-dressage at the 2018 World Equestrian Games and won bronze in the freestyle. At the 2021 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo, she went home with silver in the individual freestyle. Together with Rebecca Hart and Roxanne Trunnell, she won the bronze medal in the team competition.
• Grade V led by Sophie Wells (GBR), closely followed by Regine Mispelkamp (DE)

The most successful German para-dressage riders include:

Regine Mispelkamp was successful in both dressage and show jumping up to advanced (S) level. Despite having multiple sclerosis, she remained loyal to equestrian sport but switched to Grade V para-dressage in 2018. At that time, she won three victories and two second places straight away, became German champion in the same year and took home bronze in individual and team at the World Championships. In 2021, Regine Mispelkamp took part in the Paralympics for the first time and was the only German to win a medal (bronze). At the European Championships in Riesenbeck in 2023, Mispelkamp won bronze in the individual and silver with the team.

The anaesthetist Dr. Angelika Trabert competes in Grade III and can look back on a long riding career in para-dressage. The para-rider, who was born without legs, won her first medals back in 1999. Through her participation in 5 Paralympics, 5 World Championships and 5 European Championships, Dr. Angelika Trabert has taken home 20 precious metals, including 2x gold, 15x silver and 3x bronze. In 2015, she was European champion in the individual rider category and German runner-up in 2017 and 2018. But Trabert is not only successful in para-dressage, she also competes successfully in regular sport up to medium (M) level.

Gianna Regenbrecht is a rising star in para-dressage. The medical student suffered a serious riding accident in 2014, which confined her to a wheelchair from then on. But just one year later, she and her Norwegian competed in the German Para-Dressage Championships. Gianna gained her first experience in international competition in 2019. In 2019 and 2022, the para-rider took the German runner-up title in Grade II. Due to a teammate dropping out, Gianna Regenbrecht moved up for the 2022 World Championships, where she took 6th place straight away.

You can read her inspiring story in the article about Gianna Regenbrecht: Gianna Regenbrecht - Back in the saddle with courage and fighting spirit

In other countries, such as Great Britain, many para-riders are professional riders who have turned competition sport into a career. In Germany, however, it is mainly amateurs who compete in para-dressage. The German para-dressage squad in 2024 includes

• Paralympic squad: Heidemarie Dresing (Grade II) and Regine Mispelkamp (Grade V)
• Prospective squad: Martina Benzinger (Grade I), Anna-Lena Niehues (Grade IV), Isabell Nowak (Grade V), Gianna Regenbrecht (Grade II)
• Junior squad: Saskia Deutz (Grade IV), Noah Kuhlmann (Grade IV), Julia Porzelt (Grade II), Angelika Trabert (Grade III), Melanie Wienand (Grade III)

Silke Fütterer-Sommer has been the national coach of the para-dressage riders since 2023, replacing Bernhard Fliegel. Rolf Grebe is the co-trainer for para-dressage.

We are looking forward to the Paralympics in Paris 2024, where a successful potpourri of the world's best para dressage riders will meet.

You can find more para equestrian and para dressage videos on ClipMyHorse.TV. For example, you can find the broadcast of the FEI Dressage & Para Dressage European Championships.