This is a sport that is overseen by the FEI and is comprised of two main events. Both of these events are based on the competitors competing in various grades depending on their disability.
Para-equestrian Events
One of the two events that come under this category of sports is Dressage and the other is driving. Both have the same rules applied to it as the traditional games in these events. For those that are interested in this particular sport, there are plenty of resources that can be utilized to keep them up to date as to what is happening in it.
Perception of Par-equestrian Sports
One of the biggest events that take place with this sport like many of the others is the Paralympics. There are still some people who tend to be narrow-minded when it comes to watching those with disabilities participate in various types of sports.
There are many important components of the Paralympics and one that is critically important is that it is changing the way people think about people who have a disability.
Participating in ParaEquestrian Sports
For those who are not familiar with this sport, they don’t know a lot about the athletes that take part in it. Sometimes spectators are not able to see past the disability. What they fail to realize is that an individual with a disability is just the same as everyone else except they are facing an extra challenge in life. Most of them enjoy the same activities that others do. They enjoy fine cuisine.
Disabled people have the same taste in clothes, for example wearing fashionable attire like Adidas Shoes is just as important to them as it is to a non-disabled person. In other words, the majority of the athletes that participate in par-Equestrian sports don’t want to be considered as being any different than anyone else. They want to be recognized for their sports achievement not recognized based on their disability.
Para-equestrian classifications
Not every type of disability is recognized by this sport. Those who have disabilities that create the following may be eligible:
- Impaired muscle power
- Limb deficiency
- Ataxia
- Short stature
- Vision impairment
- Impaired passive range of movement
- Impaired muscle power
- Athetosis
- Hypertonia
Which of these an athlete has determines which classification they are put in which could be one of five classifications. On an international level, the FEI oversees the classifications.
This is a sport that has had to work hard to gain the recognition that it deserves and has today. It has given hope to those around the world that have disabilities. Even those who have no intention of trying to compete in the Paralympics use this as an inspiration for them to become involved in para-equestrian sports on a national or regional level.
