History

To begin with, Equestrian sport for people with a disability contributed to the rehabilitation and improvement of physical skills. It was not until the 1970s that Equestrian for athletes with a disability developed as a sport.

International Dressage competitions for riders with a disability began at the 1984 World Games in New York. Since then, many international competitions have been held. The first World Championships took place in Sweden in 1987, followed by others in Denmark, Great Britain, and Belgium.

At the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games there were only 16 nations taking part in the Equestrian sport of Dressage. For the sport to continue, a minimum of 24 countries from three continents had to widely practise the sport. By 2003, 40 countries were widely practising the sport.