At their in-person meeting, the Para Equestrian Technical committee agreed to introduce an U18 Ranking, to recognise the younger athletes in the discipline. Para Dressage athletes currently compete in the senior category from the age of 14, as the number of youth athlete registrations is too low to support specific age categories, unlike in other disciplines where this is standard practice.

Youth Participation

The objective of this ranking is to encourage youth participation while allowing young athletes to develop at their own pace, without having to advance through the levels too quickly. Under the new U18 Ranking System, all levels of CPEDI carry equal weight when it comes to earning ranking points. The ranking rules are based on the FEI Para Dressage World Rankings rules, with all Grades combined. Modifications have been made to include tie-breaks, define the U18 category, remove the weighting normally applied to higher-level competitions.

At the end of the year, the top-ranked athlete will receive an award, and the FEI will publish an article highlighting their achievements.

The Rankings Rules are published here.

The new Para Dressage U18 World Individual Ranking List, as of 1 May 2025, can be found here.