British Equestrian is responsible for managing national classification on behalf of British Dressage, the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) and British Carriagedriving, allowing athletes to participate in para equestrian competitions within their chosen discipline. We work closely with the British Paralympic Association (BPA) and Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) to ensure the classification system is compliant with their wider rules and regulations.
The Classification System
The classification system is designed to be used in all para sports to enable eligible athletes with physical and/or visual impairments to compete on equal terms against each other in para competitions. This system is made sport specific and, within equestrian sport, allows athletes to compete in para dressage and para driving. Athletes are classified according to their disability across a range of grades, which determine the complexity of the movements that they perform with their horses.
National Classification is made possible by a team of fully qualified physiotherapists who have been trained in Para Equestrian Classification to uphold integrity and standards within para sport.
To start competing in Para-Equestrian competitions, you will need to be classified to determine which grade you can compete in. Grade I is for athletes whose impairment has the greatest impact on their ability to ride, through to Grade V for athletes whose impairment has the least impact on their ability to ride.
To be eligible for National Para Equestrian Classification, an athlete must be a minimum of 13 years old and have more than 15% loss of power, range or coordination in any limb or the trunk. It must be a recognised medical condition(s) which is permanent and can be measured objectively in compliance with the National Classification Rules.
Classification Hub Calendar 2025
National Para Equestrian (PE) Classification Hubs are confirmed for 2025. If you would like to compete in Graded Para Competitions with RDA, British Dressage and/or British Carriage driving please submit your application to be classified along with supporting medical information to British Equestrian. This is a 2-stage process:
- Stage 1 – Submission of forms and medical information for the Classification Working Group (CWG) to assess for eligibility.
- Stage 2 – If the CWG confirms the applicant has a medical condition(s) which meets the minimum impairment criteria, they will be invited to have an Athlete Evaluation (physical assessment) at one of the hubs listed.
Please refer to British Equestrian for full details, including hub dates, eligibility criteria, rules, application process and forms:
Emma Bayliss emma.bayliss@bef.co.uk 07903 098519
