Of the many milestones accompanying the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, I find one especially exciting: This will be the first equestrian world championships to include the para-equestrian discipline, which previously was included only at the Paralympic Games, counterpart to the Olympic Games.

“Para,” as it’s dubbed, is an official International Equestrian Federation (FEI) discipline, with its own set of rules, tests, and qualification procedures. It differs from the other seven FEI disciplines in that it’s for equestrians with physical disabilities.

There are actually two forms of para-equestrian competition: dressage and driving. The 2010 WEG will feature dressage only.

Para-equestrian competition is not to be confused with the Special Olympics, which is a competition for athletes with developmental disabilities. Para-equestrians have physical disabilities only. The conditions themselves range from those present at birth to those acquired later in life, either through an accident or through the development of a disease or other issue