The Sport of
Para Dressage
Dressage is a horse sport which provides the foundation for all equestrian sports. It is the precise training of a horse's movement through obedience, balance and flexibility.
​
When riding at the most advanced level, dressage horse and rider pairs are considered the highest expressions of horse training by the International Equestrian Federation.
​
Para Dressage is the sport of Dressage for Athletes with a physical impairment. Conducted under the same basic rules, but with Athletes classified according to the level of their impairment, the horse has to perform at a walk, trot and canter. All tests are ridden from memory and follow a prescribed pattern of movements.
​
At the pinnacle of competition - the International Paralympic Games, which in 2024 are being held in Paris - the Para Dressage competition program includes the individual championship test (contested by grade, Grades 1 through 5), the team test (in which riders perform a set routine, again contested by grade) and the individual freestyle test (which is unique to each rider, as they choose their own routine and music). Individual freestyle is open to the top eight athletes from each class based on the results of the individual test. 
The Paralympic Games
Para Dressage is the only Equestrian discipline included in the Paralympic Games, where it has been a regular fixture since 1996. The Paralympic Games are the second largest sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games, and are contested immediately after the Olympic Games in the same city and at the same venue.
​
Australian Para Dressage athletes have competed at every Paralympics Games since 1996, and have won a total of 9 medals in that time.
The video below, from the Australia Paralympic Committee, offers insights into Australian Para Dressage, and showcases rides by just a few of the many talented Australian Para Dressage riders.