The only International Para-Equestrian Dressage Competition held in France, the Deauville CPEDI*** returns from the 5th to the 8th of April 2018, for its’ eighth edition. The best French and foreign para-equestrian dressage riders will be present, each hoping to win one of the 11 titles on offer at what has become an unmissable meeting! Last year saw 42 couples taking part, representing no less than18 nations.

Located in the heart of the town of the horse, the Deauville CPEDI*** will again promote top level paraequestrian
sport. According to Malika Cherrière, a Councillor for the Normandy Region and delegate for
the equine sector, this event also contributes to the attractiveness of the area: The Normandy Region
is delighted and proud to again welcome the International Para-Equestrian Dressage Competition.
We support the CPEDI because we support excellence, and we welcome every top rider disabled or not.
This major competition is an unmissable rendezvous on the calendar of important international events
in Normandy. It contributes to the attractiveness and influence of the region. Via the Pôle International
du Cheval of Deauville, a unique site offering excellent installations to athletes, we want to bring to light
this still little known discipline.

Each day, riders classified depending on their degree of disability from Grade I (most severe degrees of impairment) to Grade V (lesser degrees of impairment), ride a dressage test. The opportunity for athletes to size up the competition before internationally renowned judges. A choice rehearsal only a few months before the major event of 2018 : The World Equestrian Games, organised at Tryon in the United States, in September. Amongst the couples in contention, Vladimir Vinchon is a regular to this Normandy CPEDI and hasn’t missed an edition since 2011. The current Grade IV French National Champion describes this competition as a true rite of passage .  The Deauville CPEDI is a top class quality competition not only in regards to the site, the arenasurfaces , but also regarding the welcome offered to the horses and the riders. There is perhaps only one negative point : there’s too much competition ! (he laughs) The Deauville weekend is quite early in the competition season but you have to arrive ready, the standard of competitors and judging is very high. It’s perfect for getting the International circuit underway, this CPEDI sets the tone ! I am going to try to perform well in order to successfully start my season. That would be a good omen for the rest of the year, as I’m not alone in having the World Equestrian Games at Tryon in the United States as my principal aim this year

CPEDI *** DEAUVILLE

Friday April 6th, the competition kicks-off with the preliminary classes, also called the   Team test.  Saturday, time for the Individual Championship tests which determine the placings in the Nations Cup. This team competition adds together the best three scores of the four obtained by each Nation, at the end of the two first days of competition. Finally,  Sunday, the indoor arena of the Pôle International du Cheval comes to life to the sound of the musical compositions chosen to accompany the Freestyle tests.

What is HANDI EQUI’ COMPET?

Created in 2007, the Handi Equi’ Compet association aims to help insert persons with disability into para-equestrianism at all levels. From “Club” classes to the Paralympic Games, its’ main missions are to allow new riders into the association and to help them progress through training courses, advice and suitable para-equestrian dressage and show-jumping competitions. With leitmotifs of the promotion and development of competitive riding for the disabled in France, the association addresses itself to riders with locomotory/sensory impairment and undertakes numerous actions.