Para Dressage
Para dressage is a sport for riders with permanent physical impairments who compete in dressage, the highest form of horse training for athletes with disabilities. The sport is designed to provide a structured, competitive environment for riders with even severe disabilities. Riders are judged on the quality and accuracy of their riding, their horse’s behavior, and artistic finesse.
Para dressage was originally a leisure activity and a means of therapy, with participants benefiting from interacting with horses. The first competitions were held in the 1970s, and dressage has been a regular fixture of the Paralympic Games since 1996. All events are mixed, with all riders competing together across the five classes.
Riders are classified according to their functional ability, with five grades of competition ranging from Grade 1, which is for athletes whose impairment has the greatest impact on their ability to ride, through to Grade 5, for athletes whose impairment has the least impact.
Para dressage is built into what some people call ballet for horses and riders, and riders are held to the same high standards as the able-bodied riders.
Unicorn Therapeutic Riding has been named as a USEF Para Dressage Centers of Excellence (COE).