Paris 2024: Introduction to Para equestrian

The sport that epitomises harmony between riders and horses will be contested for the ninth time at the Paris 2024 Paralympics 15 Apr 2024

A female Para equestrian athlete rides a horse

Para equestrian has been part of the Paralympic programme since Atlanta 1996

ⒸJoe Toth/OIS

By IPC

Welcome to Week 8 of Paris 2024 Sport Weeks. This week, everything you need to know about Para equestrian. It is the only artistic sport at the Paralympic Games and was first contested at Atlanta 1996. Para equestrian promises to excite spectators when athletes and horses perform in complete harmony in Paris.

Brief history of Para equestrian

In August 1996, the first Para equestrian competition at a Paralympic Games was held at the Georgia International Horse Park in the USA. Around 60 riders from 16 countries competed in nine events on borrowed horses.

Great Britain topped the medals table in Atlanta with eight medals, including gold in the Mixed Team Open, followed by the USA and Norway.

Rider on her horse at Atlanta 1996 Games — Para equestrian made its Paralympic debut at Atlanta 1996 © Lieven Coudenys

Twenty-five years later at Tokyo 2020, 77 athletes from 27 National Paralympic Committees competed at the Equestrian Park in the Japanese capital. At Paris, there will be up to 78 athletes from around the world.

Great Britain remains the most successful country in the sport with 34 gold, 20 silver and 10 bronze medals.

What to watch in Para equestrian

Para dressage is the discipline contested at the Paralympics. In the sport, the rider prompts his or her horse to perform movements.

The sport is about demonstrating the relationship between horse and human through movement around the competition arena. Athletes communicate the movements to their horses by subtle movements and slight weight shifts. The riders need to be physically strong to maintain balance.

Female Para rider Sara Morganti riding her horse — Para dressage demonstrates the relationship between rider and horse © Koki Nagahama/Getty Images

Adaptive equipment such as connecting rein bars and the use of voice can help reinforce communication.

At the Paralympics, fans will see three different events: the Individual Championship, the Team Championship and the Individual Freestyle Championship. While athletes perform a pre-determined series of movements in the Individual and Team medal events, they can choose both the routine and the music in the Freestyle competition.

There are five classes in Para equestrian, known as Grades, with the numbers indicating a different impact of impairment and activity limitation on the athlete’s ability to ride. Competition within the same class includes all genders.

Female Para rider Rebecca Hart using the reins to direct her horse — There are five classes, known as grades, in Para equestrian © Alex Pantling/Getty Images

In Grade I to III, athletes ride in smaller dressage arenas compared to Grade IV to V, and the difficulty of tests increases with the Grade. Grade I athletes perform tests at a walk, while Grades II and III can walk and trot. In Grades IV and V, they perform tests at a walk, trot, cantor and do lateral work.

Athletes are judged on the accuracy, quality and the artistic expression of their riding.

Memorable Paralympic moments

At Atlanta 1996, the USA’s Vicki Sweigart, Norway’s Anne Cecilie Ore, and Great Britain’s Joanna Jackson picked up two golds each in the individual events. Ore went on to capture three more medals at Sydney 2000 and returned to the Paralympic Games at London 2012.

Philippa Johnson claimed South Africa’s first gold medals in the sport at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics. Riding her horse Benedict, Johnson pulled off stunning performances in both the Mixed Dressage – Championship Grade IV and Freestyle Grade IV competitions.

At London 2012, In her debut Games, the host nation’s Natasha Baker took both Grade II titles, while teammate Sophie Christiansen fulfilled her potential by winning both Grade Ia titles and being part of the, once again, winning Team.

Nathan Baker at London 2012 — Great Britain's Natasha Baker won double gold at her home Games, London 2012 © Getty Images

Brazil’s Sergio Oliva came into Rio 2016 as his country’s best shot at a medal in the sport and fulfilled his promise, picking up two wildly popular bronze medals in his grade’s Individual and Freestyle contests.

He dropped to his knees in front of his home audience on picking up his second. “I don’t have any words,” the athlete said. “I love this. I love this moment. This is a dream.”

At Tokyo 2020, Denmark’s Tobias Thorning Jorgensen cemented his rising star status with stunning performances in the Individual and Individual Freestyle tests, beating Baker to the gold medal twice in Tokyo.

Tobias Jorgensen, a Para equestrian athlete from Denmark, rides a white horse at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. — Tobias Jorgensen won double gold on his Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020 © Koki Nagahama/Getty Images

Roxanne Trunnell lived up to her reputation by claiming golds in the Grade I Individual and Individual Freestyle tests, bringing home the USA’s first Paralympic equestrian golds in a quarter of a century.

Paris 2024 programme

There will be 11 medal events taking place between 3 and 7 September:

Individual Championship
Individual – Grade I
Individual – Grade II
Individual – Grade III
Individual Grade IV
Individual Grade V

Team Championship
Team – Open

Individual Freestyle Championship
Individual – Grade I
Individual – Grade II
Individual – Grade III
Individual – Grade IV
Individual – Grade V

Paris 2024 venue

The world’s best riders and their horses will perform at the Chateau de Versailles, an historic symbol of French royalty. Home to the court of Louis XIV in 1682, the Chateau de Versailles opened to the public as a national museum in 1883 and became the first French site to be listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1979.