Dressage Tests

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Dressage Tests are the formalized sequence of a number of dressage movements used in competition by dressage horse and rider combinations. They are the process whereby the horse and rider can be judged both against a common standard, and against one another.

At the upper levels they are issued under the auspices of the Federation Internationale Equestre which is the world governing body for equestrian affairs including dressage competition These tests are used for all upper level and International competitions including the Olympics.

At the lower levels, and as part of dressage training each country authorizes its own set of tests. In the USA it is the The United States Equestrian Federation

At the very initial level there are introductory and pony club walk/trot tests.

Dressage Tests are used at Dressage and Eventing competitions. Each test is segmented into a number of sequential blocks which may contain one or more movements. Each block is generally marked out of 10 on the following scale:

10 Excellent 9 Very good 8 Good 7 Fairly good 6 Satisfactory 5 Sufficient 4 Insufficient 3 Fairly Bad 2 Bad 1 Very bad 0 Not executed

In addition to marks for the dressage movements, marks are also awarded for more general attributes such as the horse's paces, submission, impulsion and the rider’s performance. Some segments are given increased weight by the use of a multiplier, typically 2 (which then doubles the marks given for that segment)

There are several levels in which dressage is competed ranging from Preliminary - Free style.