Hotels near London Paralympics: Equestrian

The London 2012 Paralympic Equestrian events take place at beautiful Greenwich Park from Thursday 30 August to Tuesday 4 September. There are 11 medal events based around two Dressage tests, which include a Championship set-movement test and a Freestyle test where athletes choose their own movements and music. As well as individual competitions there is a Team event for three to four athletes per team. There is a classification system which splits athletes across five grades according to their disabilities; the complexity of the movements that each rider performs with their horses is determined by their grade. Para-Equestrian Dressage has grown in popularity all round the world since being developed in the early 70s, with more than 40 countries now competing on a regular basis. Visually impaired riders can take part with a caller to help them navigate around the arena.