Every person with an intellectual disability who is at least eight years of age is eligible to participate in Special Olympics – Special Olympics Official General Rules, Article 2, Section 2.01
Special Olympics considers a person to have an intellectual disability if they meet one of the following criteria
The person has been identified by and agency or professional as having an intellectual disability
The person has a cognitive delay as determined by standardized measures generally accepted within the professional community as being reliable measures of cognitive delay
The person has a closely related developmental disability, meaning they have functional limitations in both general learning (such as IQ) and in adaptive skills (such as in recreation, work, independent living, self-direction, or self-care) related to and intellectual disability.
Athlete selection
Prospective athletes should be training year-round, as 10 training weeks a year are insufficient for safe participation in equestrian sports.
Prospective Athletes who are first-time competitors or who are not consistently training year-round will be required to select In-Hand Showmanship as one of their two competitive events.
Coaching staff will make all final determinations regarding the suitability of an athlete to a particular competitive event
Coaching staff will make all final determinations regarding each athlete’s competitive category
Horse selection
Coaching staff will make all final determinations regarding which horses will be used during practices
Coaching staff will make all final determinations regarding the suitability of all horse/athlete pairings
Coaching staff will make all final determinations regarding which horses will travel to competitions