Equestrian at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Equestrian at the XV Paralympic Games
Paralympic Equestrian
Venue	Olympic Equestrian Centre, Rio
Dates	September 2016

Equestrian at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
Individual championship	Ia	Ib	II	III	IV
Individual freestyle	Ia	Ib	II	III	IV
Mixed team

Equestrian at the 2016 Summer Paralympics consists of 11 dressage events, ten for individual riders across five classes, and a single mixed team, mixed category event. The competitions will held in the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Rio, in September 2016.

Classification

Riders are given a classification depending on the type and extent of their disability. The classification system allowed riders to compete against others with a similar level of function.

Athletes are classified according to their functional ability when mounted across four grades and five categories (Ia and Ib, II, III and IV). The grading determines the complexity of the movements riders perform with their horses during their tests, ensuring that the tests are judged on the skill of the rider, regardless of their impairment. Riders may use permitted assistive devices such as dressage whips, connecting rein bars looped reins, and the like. Riders who have visual impairments are permitted to use ‘callers’ to help them navigate around the arena.

Riders with recovering or deteriorating conditions such as MS are eligible but must have been reclassified within six months of a World Championships or Paralympic Games to ensure their classification is correct.

Specialised equipment including prostheses is only allowed where it has been specifically approved.

Equestrian at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Classification of events
Classification		Description
I	a	for riders with impaired limb function, or poor balance and good upper limb function Grade Ia riders are usually wheelchair users with impairment of all four limbs. They may be able to walk, but this is usually with an unsteady gait due to difficulties with balance and trunk stability.
	b	for riders with impaired limb function, and/or poor balance and good upper limb function Grade Ib riders are similar to Grade Ia in that they are mainly wheelchair users. They must have poor trunk balance and/or impairment of all four limbs. Some riders will have both, but some will have just one of the two listed impairments.
II		for riders with locomotion impairment Grade II riders are often wheelchair users. Riders in this grade can have severe impairment involving the trunk but with good or mild upper limb function, or can have severe arm impairment and slight leg impairment, or can have severe degree of impairment down one side.
III		for blind riders with moderate locomotion impairment Grade III riders are usually able to walk without support but may require a wheelchair for longer distances. Riders can have moderate unilateral impairment, moderate impairment of all four limbs, or severe arm impairment. Blind riders compete in this category but must wear blacked-out glasses or a blindfold.
IV		for riders with some visual impairment or impaired function in one or two limbs Grade IV riders have an impairment of one of two limbs or a visual impairment at B2 level.

Qualification

The following teams and individuals have attained quota places for the 2016 Summer Paralympics Equestrian event. On 25 March, FEI announced that France and Russia, having achieved multiple quota places for individuals, would be able to field composite teams in the team competition, bringing the total number of teams in that event to 16.

Equestrian at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Qualification
Qualification route	Standard	Qualifiers	Quotas
2014 FEI World Equestrian Games	Top three ranked teams, 4 riders each	Great Britain Netherlands Germany	12
FEI World Para-dressage Rankings as of 31 January 2016	Top seven ranked teams, 4 riders each	Italy Belgium Austria Norway United States Denmark Australia	28
FEI Regional Para-dressage Allocation	Top ranked remaining team, 4 riders each, from following regions : Africa Americas Asia Oceania	- Canada Singapore Russia	12
FEI Para-dressage Individual Ranking as of 31 January 2016	Two qualification slots for NPC(s) not already represented : Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania	South Africa - Mexico Brazil Hong Kong Japan Russia Sweden - -	10
Bipartite Commission	Three qualification slots	Portugal Slovakia Uruguay	3
Host Country Allocation	One team of four	Brazil	4
Completion of Quota Procedure	Five highest ranked athletes (regardless of region) on the FEI Paralympic Individual Ranking List plus any unused quota places	Great Britain Finland Latvia Netherlands Ireland Russia Finland France Czech Republic Switzerland Russia Denmark Switzerland France France France	5+
Total			78

Events

For each of the events below, medals were contested for one or more of the above classifications. After each classification are given the dates that the event was contested. All events were mixed, meaning that men and women competed together.

• Mixed individual championship
  • Grade Ia
  • Grade Ib
  • Grade II
  • Grade III
  • Grade IV
• Mixed individual freestyle
  • Grade Ia
  • Grade Ib
  • Grade II
  • Grade III
  • Grade IV
• Mixed team

External links

• Official website of the 2016 Summer Paralympics
• Official Paralympics website
• FEI:Fédération Equestre Internationale