A field of 45 horse-and-athlete combinations from 16 nations will compete at the JRA Equestrian Park in Tokyo (JPN) from 25 to 27 September, compared with 30 combinations from nine nations at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou (CHN) in 2023.
Nine countries will contest the team medals: China, Hong Kong China, Indonesia, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Chinese Taipei and the United Arab Emirates. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Palestine, Qatar and Uzbekistan will also be represented in the individual competition.
The field brings together combinations with experience at major international championships, alongside athletes who have already made their mark at Asian level.
Competition format
The Tokyo programme will introduce a new element to Asian Games Dressage, with Grand Prix-level competition appearing alongside the Small Tour for the first time. Until this edition, Dressage at the Asian Games has been contested entirely at Small Tour level.
In Tokyo, the programme will combine the Small Tour – centred on Prix St Georges and Intermediate I – with a new Big Tour pathway featuring the Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle.
Each team must include at least one Small Tour combination and may have no more than two Big Tour combinations. Teams made up entirely of Small Tour combinations are also permitted.
The first edition of the new format remains firmly weighted towards the Small Tour, with Shiwoo Kim (KOR) and Sir Hubert NRW the only combination entered at Big Tour level. They will bring Grand Prix-level Dressage to the Asian Games for the first time, while the individual medals will ultimately be decided in the Freestyle final.
The team medals will be decided on the opening day, with each nation’s best three results counting towards the final classification. All combinations that complete the first test will be eligible to return for the second Individual Qualifier on Saturday.
The top 15 combinations in the combined ranking after the second Individual Qualifier, with no more than two athletes from the same team, will advance to the Freestyle. Medals will be awarded for the team competition and the individual Freestyle final.
Champions and contenders
China’s Sarah Rao and Geniaal arrive among the combinations to watch after dominating the FEI Asian Championships 2025 in Pattaya (THA). They achieved the highest score in all three tests, winning individual gold in both the Intermediate I and Intermediate I Freestyle, and were also part of China’s silver-medal-winning team in Hangzhou.
Shruti Vora (IND) and Magnanimous were their closest challengers in Pattaya, collecting individual silver in both medal competitions and helping India to team silver. Vora has continued to build on that form this year under the guidance of 2026 FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final winner Becky Moody.
India will arrive in Tokyo as the defending Asian Games team champions, with Hriday Vipul Chheda (IND) the only returning member of the Hangzhou gold-medal-winning team. He will be joined by Gaurav Pundir with Milli and Jai Sud with Goofy La Perle, alongside Vora and Magnanimous.
Thailand will field a full team in Tokyo, with Chalermcharn Yotviriyapanit with Sant Jordi 3, Chanjanok Klara Ruecker with Vincent 186, Nynn Puttisombat with Rock That Tango, and HRH Princess Sirivannavari Mahidol and Boulevard. Thailand won team gold at the FEI Asian Championships 2025.
Hosts Japan will also field four combinations, led by Shingo Hayashi and King Leatherdale O. Hayashi has represented Japan at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, including Tokyo 2020 and Herning 2022, and has continued to compete internationally with King Leatherdale O this season. He will be joined by three other Japanese combinations as the home team looks to make its mark at JRA Equestrian Park.
None of the individual medallists from Hangzhou will compete in Tokyo. Qabil Ambak (MAS) and Rosenstolz took gold, Jacqueline Wing Ying Siu (HKG) and Jockey Club Huittharien won silver, while Anush Agarwalla (IND) and Etro claimed bronze. With none of the three medal-winning combinations entered in Tokyo, the individual title will have a new Asian Games champion.
An experienced five-member Ground Jury will oversee the competition, chaired by Hans-Christian Matthiesen (DEN). He will be joined by Col Sunil Shivdas (IND), Vittorio Barba (PHI), Ricky MacMillan (AUS) and Helen Hughes-Keen (NZL).
Schedule
The Dressage competition begins with the Team Final and first Individual Qualifier at 09:30 local time (JST, UTC+9) on Friday, 25 September. The second Individual Qualifier starts at 09:30 on Saturday, 26 September, followed by the Individual Freestyle Final at 09:30 on Sunday, 27 September.