Para Equestrian Joins the 2010 World Equestrian Games
Para Equestrian 09 v2 from evolve. / KMP VIDEO on Vimeo.
Although many may know that 2010 is the first time the World Equestrian Games are being held outside of Europe, the Kentucky Horse Park event will also make history as the first time that the equestrian discipline of Para Dressage is included in the Games.
If you don't know much about Para Equestrian, read on and prepare to be inspired. The Para Equestrian riders headed for the WEG are serious athletes, training and working with support teams to win medals in international competition. They take the horseman's qualities of hard work, dedication, resilience, patience, and focus to entirely new levels.
Originating in Europe, competitive Para-Equestrian sport in both Dressage and Carriage Driving has grown steadily over the last 25 years, demonstrating that disability need not prevent equestrian athletes from competing and achieving their goals. Para-Equestrian was recognized by the International Paralympic Equestrian Committee (IPEC) in 1991.
Para Dressage competition has been held at every Olympic Games since 1996 in Atlanta and Carriage Driving held its fifth world championships in September 2006. Also in 2006, Para Equestrian received a nod of international commitment by officially joining the seven other disciplines represented by the FEI. In doing so, FEI became the first international sporting federation to govern a sport for both able-bodied and disabled athletes.
FEI assigns and classifies Para Equestrian riders by a Grade system, grouping riders into competitive categories based on similar levels of disability. Mobility, strength, and coordination are used to assess and assign riders into one of four Grades, each of which is aligned to a competition test that is suitable for the rider's functional ability level.
As Para Equestrian sport has appeared more regularly at International Paralympic and world championship competitions, so has it quickly developed attention, momentum, and spectator support. At the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, over 30,000 people turned out to watch the Para Dressage events.
Are you headed to the 2010 WEG? One of the joys of spectating at an international competition is the opportunity to unite with horse lovers and equestrian athletes from all over the globe in appreciation of our sport. At the Kentucky Games, why not be a part of history in the making as an incredible global community of disabled equestrian athletes participate in the WEG? Tickets for the Games' Para Dressage events start at $25.
Posted Jul 14, 2009 | Comments (0) |
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