Para-Dressage Receives Overwhelming Response at 2017 LONGINES FEI World Cup Jumping & FEI Dressage Finals
Omaha, Nebraska – April 11, 2017 – Strategically placed following German Dressage Olympian and record medal winner, Isabell Werth, Para-Dressage received its moment in the limelight at the 2017 LONGINES FEI World Cup Jumping & FEI Dressage Finals. World Equestrian Games’ and Paralympian Annie Peavy, along with Para-Dressage rider Katie Jackson, gave the Omaha crowd a look at the competitive international sport of Para-Dressage. Spectators erupted in a roar watching each athlete demonstrate the difficult movements from their FEI Para-Dressage Grade Tests. Although Para-Dressage has received more acceptance in the United States it is still a discipline that is unfamiliar to the masses. The 2017 LONGINES FEI World Cup Jumping & FEI Dressage Finals were held March 27-April 2, 2017, at the CenturyLink Center Omaha. The demonstration classes were an opportunity to showcase the beauty and agility of the equine athlete.
Hand continued, “I want to thank Thomas Baur, Monica Fritzgerald, Becky Reno, and Ellie Brimmer for helping us organize this event. They took a big chance and we picked the right riders to represent us.”
World Equestrian Games’ and Grade IV Paralympian Annie Peavy rode her 2002 Hanoverian Gelding Lancelot Warrior in the demonstration. Peavy explained, “It was very exciting. Lance lit up as we went into the arena because it was so electric. The crowd was cheering during my test, which I’d never had before, but both Lance and I enjoyed their enthusiasm. The venue was wonderful and the show was done very well. I want to thank Thomas Baur and all the show managers, staff, and volunteers for including the Para-Equestrian discipline and for putting together such a great World Cup.”
The United States Para-Equestrian Association (USPEA) includes every recognized equestrian discipline that is practiced by athletes with an eligible physical impairment with a focus on Paralympic Equestrian Sports. . The USPEA is a network of current and past athletes, owners, officials, event organizers, and equestrian enthusiasts. The Association assists athletes to get involved and expand their knowledge and experience in the Disciplines of Para-Equestrian.
USPEA was created to fill a need to assist Para Equestrian disciplines when they came under the governance of the FEI. While Para Equestrian disciplines were originally segregated, they now are integrated in international sport. As each individual Para Equestrian discipline develops, it is USPEA’s mission to always serve as an advisory resource with the ultimate goal that the established able-bodied discipline affiliate will integrate within their organization.
In 2010, the USPEA earned its 501 (c)(3) status and became a recognized International affiliate association of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) working together to grow the FEI recognized disciplines by helping to provide press, educational information, symposiums and competition opportunities for athletes with eligible physical impairments.
For more information about the USPEA please visit www.USPEA.org or contact USPEA President: Hope Hand by e-mail: hope@uspea.org or by phone: (610)356-6481.