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Para Equestrian Driving - Mind Over Matter !
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The Carriage Driving Sports Group for drivers with disabilities is a registered charity (Charity Number : 1143265) and promotes the health of disabled people through the provision of training and driving opportunities in sports driving.
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PLEASE NOTE THIS WEBSITE IS CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED.SO FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE ADDED SHORTLY
WHAT ARE PARA-EQUESTRIAN SPORTS?
Para-Equestrian sport in both Dressage and Driving has been steadily developing for the past 25 years and is available and practiced by equestrians with a wide variety of disabilities. Indeed, PE Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996, while 2016 was host to the tenth Para-Equestrian Driving World Championships.
The word “Para” derives from the Greek preposition meaning “alongside” - and it’s great to see that in the mainstream driving trials competitions of today, we have a growing number of para competitors competing side by side with able bodied competitors across a range of classes from novice through to open.
This gives disabled competitors the opportunity to progress and develop in just the same way as it does able bodied competitors.
- Para Driving athletes have been in integrated part of our British sport since 2013 and compete using the approved compensation aids, which are granted through a nationally governed classification process according to their level of disability.
- Para athletes span all sorts of disability, such as spinal injuries, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, sight impairment, amputations, degenerative neurological conditions, to name but a few.
- In the vein of creating opportunities for all people with disabilities to compete and achieve their goals in equestrian sport, athletes are classified according to the level of their disability/impairment so as to provide for meaningful competition.
- Since the introduction of driving trials into Great Britain in 1969, combined driving has grown rapidly in popularity.
- It is a sport that has “No Limits”, catering for everyone at all levels.
- Many able-bodied and disabled people receive a tremendous amount of enjoyment from their contact with horses and ponies and now the sport of driving trials have become an increasingly popular sport for people challenged by disability with competition between all abilities on a level playing field.
- As seen in national competition the number of drivers with disabilities is on the increase. Not only does driving trials encourage equal competition it also provides a great adrenaline rush.
IIn mainstream competition, para athletes are competing across a range of classes according to their current competitive status, from novice currently through to open level.
World Class Para Driving
As with Paralympics and Olympics, at elite levels specific championships are run for Para competitors in the same way as they are mainstream competitors.
GBR has been proud to develop competitors and teams as part of the BEF World Class programme and has had success at the Para Driving World Championships since its inception bringing back individual Gold, Silver and Bronze medals and Team Silver and Bronze medals as a team
Drivers at FEI Para Equestrian Driving World Championships are divided into two classes depending on their degree of disability; each team has to include one member who is a grade 1. Drivers are profiled according to the limbs that work and are used whilst driving. Thus depending on their profile they are graded 1 or 2 – Grade1 being the more severe disabilities.
2016 - (FEI) Beesd (NED) Team Gold - NED, Silver -GBR Bronze - GBR
- GBR Team - Lucy Barclay, Deborah Daniel (Individual Bronze Grade 1) Jamie Williams - Individual: Sarah Baverstock
2014 - (FEI) Sandringham (GBR) Team Gold - GER, Silver -NED Bronze - USA
GBR Team - Deborah Daniel, Lindsey Tyas Paice, Mick Ward (Individual Bronze Grade 2) - Individual: Lucy Barclay, Sarah Baverstock, Margaret Lupton, Sue Johnson
2012 - (FEI) Breda (NED) Team Gold - NED, Silver -GBR Bronze - GBR
GBR Team - Lucy Barclay, Deborah Daniel, Mick Ward - Individual: Lindsey Tyas Paice
2010 - (FEI) Breda (NED) Team Gold - GER, Silver - NED Bronze - GBR
GBR Team - Deborah Daniel, Margaret Lupton, Lindsey Tyas
2008 - (FEI) Greven (GER) Team Gold - GER, Silver - NED, Bronze - USA
GBR Team -Margaret Lupton, Judi Ralls, Lindsey Tyas - Individual: Heather Clark, Terry Kirby,
2006 - (FEI) Hellendoorn (NED) Team Gold - GER, Silver - GBR, Bronze - NED
GBR Team -Terry Kirby, Judi Ralls (Individual Silver Grade 2), Lindsey Tyas - Pairs:Brenda Hogson (Individual Bronze)
2004 (IPC)- Hopetoun (GBR) Team Gold - GER, Silver - GBR, Bronze - USA
GBR Team -James Marshall, Steve Manyweathers, Judi Ralls (Individual Bronze Grade 2) , - Individual: Heather Clark, Jim Mcrae, Lindsey Tyas, Pairs: Brenda Hodgson (Individual Gold, Carol Porter (Individual Bronze)
2002 - (IPC)Greven (GER) - Team Gold - GER, Silver - GBR, Bronze - USA
GBR Team -James Marshal, Carol Porter,Judi Ralls, - Individual: Heather Clark,
2000 - (IPC) Stadl Paura (AUS) Team Gold - GER, Silver - GBR, Bronze - Sweden
GBR Team -Carol Porter, Judi Ralls, Lindsey Tyas
1998 - (IPC) Wolfsburg (GER) - First World Championships - Team Gold - AUST, Silver - GER, Bronze - USA
GBR Team -Liz Croughan, Maxine Phillips,, Lindsey Tyas
31 May 2017
2017 PARA EQUESTRIAN FORUM
More than 70 delegates from 24 countries gathered in Stow on the World for the second edition of the Para Equestrian Forum following the success met in Essen (GER) in 2015. The Forum, organised by the FEI and hosted by British Dressage, was held immediately after the two-day FEI Classifier meeting which united 18 classifiers from around the world, and was then followed by the FEI Para-Equestrian Committee Meeting.
Over the two-day Forum - led by the Para Equestrian Technical Committee - presentations, discussions and working groups covered the following topics:
- Development of the sport (statistics and development pathways)
- Competition formats and the use of music in team tests
- Coaching
- Classification
- Facilities/arrangements for FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018
- Rio2016
- There was also a demonstration of the new tests for Grades I to V with interactive feedback and scoring from the judges to each of the riders and delegates on site.
For more information/presentations, please click here.
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