Saturday, 22 April 2023
Today marks 500 days until the para equestrian action gets underway at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. To get you in the mood, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know at this stage.
Para dressage, known at the Paralympic Games as para equestrian, sees athletes classified into five grades, depending on their levels of mobility, strength and coordination. Grade 1 tests are ridden in walk, grade 2 and 3 include walk and trot, and grade 4 and 5 are comprised of walk, trot, canter and lateral work.
To assist them during their tests, riders may use additional aids such as looped reins or callers, and nations can enlist 'friend' horses to stand just outside the arena to help the competing horse stay relaxed. There are five judges marking each test, spread at different points around the arena.
In Paris, the para equestrian competition will run through the second week of the Games period. A total of 78 athlete/horse combinations will take part, with 60 combinations from 15 nations contesting the team competition. There are 33 medals awarded for the team, individual and freestyle competitions across five grades.
Here’s the schedule and a little bit about the competition format…
First up is the competition for individual medals, known as the FEI Para Grand Prix A. Athletes in each grade perform a set routine of movements, which are marked out of 10. Additional marks are given for the general impression of the test, which includes harmony, skill of the athlete and their accuracy. Scores are given as a percentage, with the combination with the highest percentage in each grade receiving the gold medal.
The top eight combinations in each grade will qualify for the freestyle test.
Teams are made up three athletes, at least one of which must be in grades one, two or three. No more than two athletes within a team may be the same grade. Each combination rides the set test for their grade, which is scored as per the individual test – no scores are carried over from the previous test.
The scores of all three team members are combined to produce a team total, and the nation with the highest total takes gold.
Eight combinations from each grade compete for medals by riding their own choreographed floorplan, set to music of their choice. No scores are carried over from the individual test, which acts as the qualifier. Scores are awarded as per the two previous tests, but with additional marks for artistic merit, which includes rhythm, harmony, riding skills, choreography and interpretation of the music. The winner is the combination with the highest percentage score.
Great Britain secured our team place at the FEI World Championship in Herning last summer, along with the Netherlands, Denmark, USA, Belgium, Germany and Italy. As the host nation, France has received a direct qualification.
The highest placed as yet unqualified team from the FEI Para Dressage European Championship 2022 – set to take place in Riesenbeck, Germany – will take another place. Four other slots will be filled with the highest ranked teams from Asia, the Americas, Africa and Oceania, while the final two will go to the two highest ranking nations on the FEI Paralympic Team Ranking List.
In addition to those athletes competing on teams, there are 18 individual slots up for grabs. These will go to the top three ranked athletes from the FEI Paralympic Individual Ranking List for Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Americas and Africa respectively. The final three slots will be allocated by the FEI and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
All equestrian competition across the Olympic and Paralympic Games will take place against the backdrop of the iconic Palace of Versailles, which was constructed in the 1660s and become the home of King Louis XIV’s court in 1682. The former royal residence and its grounds were named a UNESCO world heritage site in 1979 for its status as a centre of power, art and science in France during the 17th and 18th centuries.
A temporary arena and grandstand seating for up to 40,000 spectators will be built in the Etoile Royale, an esplanade that sits west of the Grand Canal in the grounds of the palace. The cross-country course will run through the woods near the Grand Canal.
Tickets for the Paralympic Games haven’t yet gone on sale, but we’ll keep you updated with news from the box office as it becomes available.
Do you want to be part of the Games experience? The Paris 2024 organising committee is looking to recruit 45,000 volunteers to help the Olympic and Paralympic Games run smoothly. If you’d like to apply, the volunteering platform is currently live – you have until 3 May 2023 to submit your application.
In order to volunteer at the Games, you must be…
Those will disabilities are welcome to apply. You’ll be asked to specific any additional needs on the application form, such as needing to bring a carer or helper with you, and these will be factored in when assigning your volunteer duties.
All applications will be reviewed between May and September, and successful applicants will be notified between September and December.
Channel 4 has again secured rights to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The multi-platform offering will build on the offerings for London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and will include live coverage, daily highlight shows, digital clips and additional content.
Thanks to some brilliant results at the FEI World Championships in Herning and Pratoni, we’ve already secured team slots for all three of our Olympic disciplines. Athletes will have from December 2023 and 24 June 2024 to secure the minimum eligibility requirements that will allow them to be selected for the Games.
The FEI European Championships take place this summer and, as well as being a qualification event for nations that haven't already secured a place, offer combinations the chance to demonstrate to the selectors what they’re capable of on the world stage. Here are the all-important dates…