Key facts

Venue: Greenwich Park
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Tuesday 4 September 2012
Medal events: 11
Athletes: 78

Athletes with a disability have long taken part in Equestrian activities, originally as a means of rehabilitation and recreation. Para-Equestrian Dressage developed in the 1970s, with the first events held in Great Britain and Scandinavia. The multi-disability sport has since spread around the world, and athletes from more than 40 countries now compete on a regular basis.

The basics

At the Paralympic Games, athletes compete in three Dressage tests: a Team Test (with three to four riders per team), an Individual Championship Test, and a Freestyle Test, for which athletes choose their own movements and music. Through the tests, horse and rider must be in harmony, and the overall picture must be of lightness and rhythm.

The results of the Team and Individual Championship Tests are then added together to make the Team score, with the best three scores of a team of four counting. Individual medals are also awarded on the merit of both the Individual Championship Test and the Freestyle Test. All riders, whether competing in a team or not, may ride in the Team Test.

The athletes are classified across five grades, which determine the complexity of the movements that the riders perform with their horses.

Paralympic Equestrian, past and present

Equestrian events first appeared on the Paralympic programme at the 1984 Games held in Stoke Mandeville (UK) and New York (US), and have featured at every Games since Atlanta 1996.

For London 2012, the Equestrian competition will be held in the beautiful surroundings of Greenwich Park. Dating back to 1433, it is the oldest Royal Park in London, part of the Maritime Greenwich area that has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Jargon buster

- Canter: A steady controlled gait for which three of the horse’s legs are off the ground at once.
- Full-pass: When a horse moves sideways, bent in the direction of movement.
- Half-pass: When a horse moves forwards and sideways at the same time, bent in the direction of movement.
- Self-carriage: When a horse moves in balance without support from the reins.

See the London 2012 Paralympic Games competition schedule

Get involved

If you are new to the sport and want to find out more, the British Equestrian Federation website is a good place to start. Learn more about how to get involved on the Parasport website and at the Riding for Disabled Association website. You’ll also find plenty of information on the website of the International Equestrian Federation.

See also