Au revoir Olympics et Bienvenue Paralympics!

Some spectacular days of Olympic Dressage have come to an end at the breath-taking venue located in the gardens of Chateau de Versailles. But there is no need to catch the Olympic blues just yet, because there is so much to look forward to, as the Olympic riders pass over the reins and the arena to the Para Dressage superstars.

Spectacular is indeed the word that best describes the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Olympic Games kicked off with the spectacular opening ceremony where the Eiffel tower served as the main prop. The Paralympic opening ceremony is promised to be no less spectacular, as the format of bringing the ceremony outside a stadium and into the streets will be the same. However, instead of being centred around the Eiffel Tower, the Paralympic opening ceremony will be centred around the famous avenue, Champs-Elysées. On Champs-Elysée, we find iconic Paris trademarks such as the Arc De Triomphe and Place de la Concorde. It is at the latter where the ceremony itself will take place, after the parade of athletes has made its way down the Champs-Elysées. It will surely be an unforgettable experience for athletes and spectators alike.  

The Essence of Para Dressage 
Para Dressage matches the Paris 2024 spirit when it comes to bringing the spectacular element to the Games. The partnerships that are displayed between rider and horse can soften even the most cynical of hearts and leave us all in awe. Through the unique bond the riders with disability share with their horses, they show the world that great riding is not based on force, but on love and understanding – and a lot of hard work. 

Para Dressage is top sport, with beautiful riding and top-quality horses. Here, disability is no excuse, as the correctness of the riding is expected to be the same as in able-bodied Dressage. Therefore, riders with disabilities have to find solutions to work with and around their challenges to perform high level Dressage, raising the bar for what we consider possible.  

Equestrian Paralympic History
Para Dressage has come a long way since it became part of the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta. Back then, the riders would borrow a horse provided by the host country, riding it just a few times before competing. A scenario that is unimaginable today, where the riders spend months and years training to establish the special bond with their horse that is needed to perform to the perfection that is expected to win medals.  

Paris 2024 
Paris will see a total of 78 riders across the five grades* I, II, III, IV and V. Grade I is the grade for the riders who have the least body function and will be ridden in walk only. Grade II and III, will be ridden in walk and trot, and grade IV and V will be ridden in both walk, trot and canter, being the grades where the riders have the highest body function. 

Common for all grades this year is the high the level of competition. As we see a mix of defending Paralympic champion combinations, such as Danish superstar Tobias Thorning Jørgensen on Jolene (grade III), Michele George on Best of 8 (grade V) and Sanne Voets on her charming Demantur (grade IV), mixed with a high number of new horse and rider combinations. 

Debutants and new combinations 
Since Tokyo, many of the nations have done all they can to improve their chances of winning Paralympic medals in Paris. This means that the teams have been evolving and improving on several aspects, and a part of that, has been changing both horses and riders. These new riders, horses and combinations, have raised the over-all level and opens up for a lot of excitement - and for a harder fight for the medals. It also means that nothing can be predicted. 

One of these new and interesting combinations, is the American Paralympic champion from Tokyo 2020, Roxanne Trunnell. Since Tokyo, she has retired her golden mount Dalton, and has instead teamed up with another black gelding, Fan Tastico H. The new combination has had a great season and it will be interesting to follow in Tokyo. 

The rise in the competition level in the last years, and the new combinations entering the scene, has meant that Tokyo Paralympic medallist combinations such as Frank Hosmar and Alphaville, as well as Ann Cathrin Lübbe and La Costa Majlund, have not even been selected for the Paris 2024 team.

Some of the interesting new riders, that will make their Paralympic debut in Paris are Dutch Demi Haerkens on Daula (grade IV), who made a memorable entrance to the para scene last year, winning the Europeans Championships in Riesenbeck, and British Mari Durward-Akhurst on Athene Lindebjerg (grade 1). Athene Lindebjerg is not a Paralympic debutant, however. The impressive black mare will be bringing a lot of experience to the games, as she is a gold medal champion from the Rio 2016 Games with Sophie Christiansen in the saddle.   

Sold out venue 
Both spectators and riders, are guaranteed a memorable experience, when the Para Dressage riders turn down the centreline with the great Chateau de Versailles in the background. And the riders will not lack support; the equestrian venue at Versailles were one of the first two Paralympic venues to sell out this year. The full stadium at the Paris 2024 will be a sharp contrast to the Tokyo Paralympic games, where the whole stadium was left empty due to covid restrictions. 
With full support on the spectator stands to set the atmosphere and great riders in the arena, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games promises to be one to go down in history.

Full Entries here

Photo Caption:  Rodolpho Riskalla (BRA), Sanne Voets (NED) and Manon Claeys (BEL) on the podium during the medal ceremony for Individual Grade IV at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020 © FEI/Liz Gregg

*CORRECTION: It was initially noted that there were 75 horses, but the number has since been corrected to 78