The Para-Equestrian competition of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games started Sunday morning at the Shatin Equestrian Venue with 73 riders from 28 countries and regions competing in the five-day events. The following is the history of the Para-Equestrian sport.

Para-Equestrian sport has been steadily developing over the past 25 years and is available and practiced by equestrians with a wide variety of disabilities.

Dressage competitions for riders with disabilities began in Scandinavia and in Britain in the 1970s.

In 1987, the first dressage World Championships was held in Sweden. Nine years later a big step forward was made, with the inclusion of dressage on the program at the 1996 Paralympic Games held in Atlanta, the United States.

Para-Equestrian sport was recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in 1991 and was governed until 2005 by the International Paralympic Equestrian Committee (IPEC). The IPEC ran competitions and developed equestrian sport for the disabled world-wide.

A significant change came on Jan. 1, 2006, when regulation of the sport moved from the IPC to the Federation Equestre International (FEI), becoming the eighth equestrian discipline governed by the FEI.

This also made the FEI the first International Federation to govern and regulate a sport for both able-bodied and disabled athletes.

All rules and regulations with regards to Para-Equestrian competition venues and organization are governed by the same principles as the other seven disciplines.

As the sport has developed so has the number of countries and regions taking part in international competitions.

(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2008)