Horse Illustrated Magazine

Olympic equestrian competition ended on August 9 when the final dressage medals were awarded, but Greenwich Park will be a center of international horse sports again on August 30 with the first day of Paralympic equestrian.

In the Paralympics, equestrians compete in dressage. The athletes are divided into grades based on the type and degree of their physical disabilities. In grade 1a, riders will perform a walk-only dressage test. The requirements increase through the grades up to Grade IV in which riders compete at all three gaits and may include half-pirouettes and lateral work.

The U.S. Paralympic Equestrian Team is:

• Rebecca Hart (Unionville, PA) and Lord Ludger, Holsteiner gelding
• Jonathan Wentz (Richardson, TX) and NTEC Richter Scale, Shire cross gelding
• Donna Ponessa (New Windsor, NY) and Western Rose, Oldenburg mare
• Dale Dedrick (Ann Arbor, MI) and Bonifatius, Hanoverian gelding

Learn more about the team horses and riders at USEFNetwork.com.

Live video coverage of the Paralympics will be available at Paralympic.org.

According to the United States Olympic Committee, video highlights of the Paralympics will also be broadcast online at YouTube.com/USParalympics. NBC Sports Network will also broadcast highlights on Sept. 4, 5, 6, and 11 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. The only network coverage planned is a 90 minute highlights show on NBC which is scheduled for Sept. 16 at 2:00 p.m., a week after the end of the games.