ATHENS, Sept. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The Paralympic Games equestrian competition will be held at the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Center from September 21-26, with a rest day on September 25.

    Equestrian is included in the Paralympic Games program for the third time, after Atlanta (16 NPCs) and Sydney (24 NPCs). A total of 70 athletes from 28 NPCs will be participating in the Athens Games.

    Britain is represented by seven athletes, Germany by six and Norway five. Australia, Canada, Denmark, Sweden and the United States are represented by four riders each.

    Each rider has his/her own horse as since 2002 all major international competitions have been own horse competitions.

    At the Athens 2004 Games, riders will compete in two dressage events: a championship test of set movements and a freestyle test to music. There is also a team test for three or four riders from different classes.

    The riders are assessed according to their impairment and functional profile and classified into the following grades: GradeI, Grade II, Grade III and Grade IV. In Athens, 17 riders will compete in Grade I, 19 in Grade II, 18 in Grade III and 16 in Grade IV.

    Lee Pearson, 30, of Britain is the defending gold medallist in both the Grade I individual championship and the freestyle test.

    Joop Stokkel, 37, of the Netherlands will defend his gold medalin the Grade II individual championship test and the silver medal in the freestyle.

    Forty-nine out of 70 riders are female. Jayne Craike, 42, of New Zealand is the most famous, with her gold medal performance inthe Grade IV individual championship test in Sydney.

    Another well-known competitor is Nicola Tustain of Britain. The 27-year-old rider is the gold medallist in the freestyle and the bronze medallist in the individual championship test in Grade II.

    Greek rider Nikolaos Sigkas, 28, is competing for the first time in the Paralympic Games, in Grade III.

    In the team test event, Britain are the favorites. They are the champions in Sydney and also the current world title holders.     

    In 2000 at Sydney, the Netherlands won the silver medal, while Norway clinched the bronze.

    The equestrian competition at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games have nine medal events on the program, which begins on September 21. Enditem