Para equestrian words · Intermediate
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I · Intermediate · 37 words · Step 2 of 2General terms
CPEDI
An international para dressage event, ranked CPEDI1, CPEDI2 and CPEDI3*. The other international events are the FEI Championships, Regional Games and the Paralympic Games. A national event is a CPEDN.
See also: Para dressage
Events and tests
Para dressage competitions by level
A CPEDI1* has two Individual Competitions (Para Novice A and B) and an optional Para Novice Freestyle. A CPEDI2* has Para Intermediate A and B and an optional Freestyle. A CPEDI3* has Para Grand Prix A and B, a Para Grand Prix Freestyle for qualified athletes, and a Team Competition. Individual results are produced for each competition.
See also: CPEDI
Para dressage tests
The official tests, published by the FEI and never modified, in a separate series for each Grade. Movements are in walk for Grade I; walk and trot for Grades II and III; walk, trot with lateral work and canter for Grade IV; and walk, trot with lateral work and canter with lateral work for Grade V. Only official FEI tests may be used at an FEI para dressage competition.
See also: Para dressage
The ruleHow big is a para dressage arena?Ten minutes arena
The last practice arena before the competition arena, with the same footing as the main arena. It must be available at the Paralympic Games and FEI Championships and is recommended elsewhere. Only one athlete may be in it at a time unless decided otherwise, and using it is not obligatory.
Starting order draw (para dressage)
A separate draw for each Grade. National federations with three entries in a Grade enter first, then two, then one. Two athletes from the same federation are kept at least two entries apart where possible. In a Freestyle the order is drawn in groups of four from the qualifying results, with the four lowest-scoring combinations first and the four highest last.
Freestyle qualification (para dressage)
At CPEDI1* and 2* an athlete declares at entry and needs an average of at least 60 per cent over the two tests of that level. At CPEDI3* the best third of combinations per Grade qualify (at least eight, if a third is fewer) and all need 60 per cent over Para Grand Prix A and B. At FEI Championships the best eight per Grade, including ties, qualify, with the same 60 per cent minimum. The 60 per cent rule for CPEDI1* and 2* is new for 2026.
See also: CPEDI
Freestyle tests (para dressage)
Grades I to III last 4 minutes to 4 minutes 30 seconds in the 20 m by 40 m arena, and Grades IV and V last 4 minutes 30 seconds to 5 minutes in the 20 m by 60 m arena. Grades I and II may not show canter, piaffe or passage. Grade III may not show piaffe, passage, or canter with lateral work, flying changes or pirouettes. Grade IV may not show piaffe, passage, sequence changes or canter pirouettes. Grade V may not show piaffe, passage, one-time or two-time sequence changes, or full pirouettes. A disallowed movement costs eight marks per judge each time and a choreography mark of five or below, but not elimination.
Team competition (para dressage)
A national federation enters one team of three or four athletes and horses. One member must be Grade I, II or III, and no more than two may come from any one Grade. In a team of four, the best three scores count. At a CPEDI3* the team result is the combined percentage of its three best athletes over Para Grand Prix A and B; at Championships it is the three highest percentages in Para Grand Prix B.
See also: CPEDI
Championship medals (para dressage)
At FEI World and Continental Championships, individual medals in each Grade go to the first competition (Para Grand Prix A), team medals to Para Grand Prix B, and individual medals in each Grade to the Freestyle. The Paralympic Games follow separate FEI regulations.
Classification
Functional profile
The numbered profile that decides an athlete's Grade, for example Profiles 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 12a and 13 in Grade I. Profile 36 is totally blind and Profile 37 is visually impaired; visually impaired athletes (Profiles 36 and 37) are classified by a panel of IBSA classifiers. Some profiles (29, 30, 37b, 38, 42, 48 and 39) are Not Eligible.
Minimum impairment criteria (para equestrian)
An athlete must have a permanent, verifiable and measurable physical or visual impairment, supported by medical evidence, that meets the criteria. For physical impairments the FEI standard is a loss of more than 15 per cent of power, range of movement or coordination in at least one upper or lower limb, depending on the type: impaired muscle power, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis or impaired passive range of movement. For physical impairments the criteria do not consider the effect of compensating aids; for vision they do.
See also: Compensating aids
Athlete evaluation (para dressage)
Every athlete must be evaluated by two FEI accredited para equestrian classifiers before taking part, and is allocated a Grade from the functional profile. The athlete gets a status: Observation Assessment (OA), Review (R), Review with a Fixed Review Date (FRD) or Confirmed (C). All of it is published on the FEI Classification Master List. New athletes, and those whose review is due, are evaluated before the draw.
See also: Para equestrian, Functional profile
Not Eligible (para equestrian)
The Grade for an athlete who does not meet the minimum impairment criteria. An athlete with borderline scores between profiles may be evaluated by a second panel and meanwhile is allocated the higher Grade with Review status.
Competing in a different Grade
An athlete whose Grade changes must ride in the new Grade from when it appears on the Master List. If the new Grade is allocated at a competition, the athlete may ride the new or the entered Grade, but if the entered Grade is lower than the new one, the final percentage of each test is reduced by 10 percentage points. At Championships and the Paralympic Games the athlete must ride the new Grade if qualified.
Compensating aids
Standard compensating aids
Salute with the head only, sitting or rising trot, gloves, spurs, any saddle, a soft hand hold, a deep saddle, elastic bands on stirrups, enclosed stirrups, magnetic stirrups, one whip, a breast plate or neck strap, joined reins on a double bridle, elastic inserts in the reins, a safety vest, and knotted reins or rein stops.
The ruleWhat aids can para dressage riders use?Hand holds
All athletes may use a soft hand hold, no more than 10 cm above the top of the pommel, or a neck strap with a breast plate. Nominated profiles may use a hard hand hold no more than 10 cm high and 30 cm wide; anything larger is a non-standard aid.
Whips (para dressage)
All athletes may use one whip up to 120 cm long, measured tip to point and not along any curve. Nominated profiles may use two whips, listed on the Master List. Any alteration to a whip is a non-standard aid.
Reins (para dressage)
Joined reins and elastic rein inserts are standard; joined reins must have at least 30 cm from the curb bit to the join. Knotted reins may have one knot of one twist per rein. Looped reins have up to four loops of no more than 30 cm, or six fixed finger loops of no more than 10 cm, and ladder reins up to three soft rungs on a single rein. Nominated profiles may use a connecting rein bar of up to 30 cm, or reins through a ring on the saddle 10 to 12 cm from the withers, which must not give leverage.
Foot reins
Reins controlled by the feet, allowed for nominated profiles when no other rein can be controlled by the arms or hands. They are listed on the Master List. If foot reins are used, neither the hands nor the arms may be used.
Strapping and Velcro
No mechanism may hold an athlete in position unless it releases automatically in a fall. Velcro may be used on the lower limbs above the knee where the profile and Grade show a need, and is recorded as an aid. Total overlapping Velcro must not exceed 50 square centimetres, with each overlap no more than 3 cm by 6 cm. Nominated profiles may use a strap of at least 5 cm from the girth to the stirrup leather or iron.
Stirrups (para dressage)
An athlete with one leg may ride with one stirrup, but an athlete with a prosthesis must use two. Nominated profiles may ride without stirrups. Elastic bands, magnetic stirrups and enclosed stirrups are standard aids.
Commander and caller
A commander reads out the test, and callers, human or electronic, call out the letters for athletes with a classified visual impairment who need this. Permission must be sought from the Para Equestrian Head Classifier and is stated on the Master List. There may be one commander, standing at E or B, who reads each movement once or twice from the official text. Callers only name the letter: up to four human callers around the arena and one at X, or electronic callers at every letter. Athletes using them may wear a headset with an extra receiver for the steward. Radio communication is otherwise not allowed.
See also: Para equestrian
Penalty for incorrect aids
Competing with incorrect compensating aids costs 10 percentage points off the final total percentage. For incorrect equipment in general the rules give elimination of the combination. The athlete is responsible for making sure all equipment is compliant.
See also: Compensating aids
Riding the test
Voice and hands (para dressage)
Athletes in Grades I to III may use the voice in moderation, and those in Grades IV and V may not use it at all. A voice fault costs each judge at least two marks for that movement. Athletes ride with both hands where possible. Taking the reins into one hand on purpose, to produce impulsion or draw applause, is a fault; a discreet pat on the neck is acceptable.
Entering the arena (para dressage)
An athlete must enter within 60 seconds of the bell. In a Freestyle there are 60 seconds to signal for the music and 30 seconds after it starts to enter. Entering after 60 but within 120 seconds is a technical fault of 0.5 per cent, and not entering within 120 seconds is elimination. Athletes with a classified visual impairment may start from inside the arena. Test content is ridden from memory unless commanded as a listed aid.
Helpers and companion horse
For safety, athletes in Grades I to III and Profile 36 may be led around the outside of the arena by the trainer or a representative before and after the test, but not schooled. Up to four helpers in total may stand in the corners outside the arena for Grades I to III, placed by the Steward, and may give physical help only in an emergency. A companion horse may stand next to the arena. Outside assistance other than in an emergency means elimination.
Visually impaired athletes' warm-up and dress
An athlete with a classified visual impairment may ask to train and warm up alone. A white armband, supplied by the athlete, is worn while mounted outside the Field of Play, and a light blue armband by an athlete with a classified hearing impairment. A trainer wears a yellow armband when mounted. The 2026 changes page lists these armband rules among its updates.
Yellow warning card (para dressage)
A warning given for riding movements not allowed for the athlete's Grade and level while within the Field of Play, and for careless or irresponsible behaviour when horses are grouped together, as at a prize-giving.
Scoring and penalties
Percentage score (para dressage)
The total points are converted to a percentage of the maximum shown on the test sheet (for example 280 points for the Para Grand Prix, and 150 technical plus 150 artistic for its Freestyle). Penalty percentage points are deducted from the total. Results are published to three decimal places. The word classification means the functional classification of athletes and is not used for scoring and results.
Ties (para dressage)
If percentages tie for the first three places, the highest total median score of the judges decides, and the other places share. In a Freestyle the higher artistic mark decides, then the higher harmony mark, then the higher choreography mark.
Technical faults and errors (para dressage)
An error of course or test costs each judge 0.5 percentage points for the first error, 1 point for the second, and the third is elimination. Technical faults of 0.5 per cent each, not cumulative and not leading to elimination, include entering with boots or bandages on the horse's legs or a dress discrepancy, entering before the bell, and late entry. A Freestyle that is too long or short costs 0.5 per cent of the artistic score.
Elimination (para dressage)
Not entering within 120 seconds of the bell, marked lameness, any fall of horse or athlete during the test, a horse leaving the arena wilfully with all four feet, resistance lasting more than 60 seconds, unauthorised outside assistance, a combination unable to meet the level, a performance against the horse's welfare or showing abusive riding, and fresh blood on the horse. A lost stirrup helped by outside assistance is zero for that movement, not elimination, unless the danger seems permanent.
Horses
Horse requirements (para dressage)
A horse must be at least six years old, counted from 1 January of its birth year. From 1 January 2027 the minimum is seven at CPEDI3* and above, and stays six at CPEDI1* and 2*. At a CPEDI an athlete may ride two horses in one Grade, and at FEI Championships and Games only one horse in each event.
See also: CPEDI
Officials
Classifiers (para equestrian)
Classification follows the IPC Classification Code, and a Classification Panel must be present at all CPEDIs and FEI Championships and stay until every classified athlete has completed first appearance. At Championships and Games the FEI appoints a Level 4 Chief Classifier and at least one Level 3 classifier. At CPEDIs the organiser appoints a Chief Classifier of at least Level 3 and another of at least Level 2.
Ground Jury (para dressage)
The judges for a competition, appointed by the organiser at CPEDIs and by the FEI at Championships and Games, who decide matters not covered by the rules. Judges hold FEI Level 1 to 4. The required panel is at least two judges at CPEDI1* and CPEDI2, three or five at a CPEDI3, and five at FEI Championships, Regional Games and the Paralympic Games. The President must be at least Level 3 at CPEDIs and Level 4 at Championships and Games. Each judge has a scribe, and no judge may judge more than 45 athletes a day.
See also: CPEDI
Chief Steward (para dressage)
Responsible for stewarding throughout the event, stable security and supervising training and warm-up. At CPEDIs the Chief Steward is at least FEI Level 3, and at Championships and the Paralympic Games the FEI appoints one at Level 4 with at least three stewards.