The British Dressage Level System: Intro to Advanced
Contents
British dressage levels run through seven national stages — Introductory (Intro), Preliminary (Prelim), Novice, Elementary, Medium, Advanced Medium and Advanced — before the international FEI levels of Prix St Georges, Intermediate I, Intermediate II and Grand Prix. The system is governed by British Dressage (BD), and each level is divided into Bronze, Silver and Gold sections so that combinations of similar experience are placed against each other.
The British ladder at a glance
| Level | What the level introduces |
|---|---|
| Introductory | Walk and trot only |
| Preliminary | Canter |
| Novice | Lengthened strides; counter-canter in the harder tests |
| Elementary | Lateral work; the first collected work |
| Medium | Half-pass, walk pirouettes; extended paces |
| Advanced Medium | Flying changes |
| Advanced | Multiple changes on a line; canter pirouettes |
| Prix St Georges onward | The FEI tests |
The sequence is set out in BD’s own materials: canter enters at Prelim, lengthened strides at Novice, lateral work at Elementary, and flying changes at Advanced Medium. Advanced is the last national level; above it, combinations ride the FEI tests.
Each level contains a library of numbered tests sharing the level’s movements, with higher-numbered tests generally the more demanding within the level. BD publishes tests for both the 20 × 40 m and 20 × 60 m arenas, and the 2024 test revision extended short-arena options up to Elementary and Medium.
The FEI levels within British Dressage
Unusually among the four major systems, BD’s own level list continues past Advanced into the international tests: Prix St Georges, Intermediate I, Intermediate II and Grand Prix all run as affiliated national levels. A British combination can therefore compete at Grand Prix on the national circuit without holding an international record, in the same way Dutch riders contest the Zware Tour under KNHS rules. The summer Nationals crown champions from Prelim to Grand Prix, so the national championship pathway itself extends to the top of the sport.
BD publishes its own tests for every national level, sold through its shop and licensed through the official test app, with several tests per level sharing the level’s movements. Where a class is described as a qualifier, the test used is drawn from the designated list for that season.
Bronze, Silver and Gold sections
Every level of affiliated competition is divided into three sections. Bronze is for horses and riders new to the level; Silver for combinations with established results at it; Gold for experienced combinations, including riders with results at higher levels bringing on a less experienced horse. All riders in a class ride the same test before the same judge; the sectioning applies to the results and to championship qualification, not to the judging. Professional riders compete against one another in Gold, so a first-season combination in Bronze is never placed against an international rider on an experienced horse. Section eligibility is determined by the points the rider, the horse and the combination have accumulated at the level, under checklists in the BD Members’ Handbook, and there is no obligation to leave the Gold section of a level.
The sectioning is the British system’s answer to a problem the other national ladders solve differently: it lets any combination enter the level its training supports while still separating newcomers from professionals in the results.
How BD points work
Points are won in affiliated classes at Prelim and above for scores of 60% or higher, scaled by the percentage achieved; a 65% at Elementary, for example, earns three points. Points are recorded separately for the horse, the rider and the combination, and the accumulating totals drive section eligibility and championship qualification at each level. The three-ledger design means a horse and a rider can each carry a history the other lacks: an experienced rider on a young horse is placed by the combination’s shared record into Gold, while the horse’s own points ledger starts from zero and travels with it to any future rider, which is what gives a British points record its meaning in a sale. Unlike the Dutch winstpunten system, BD points never make promotion to the next level compulsory: a combination may remain at a level indefinitely, moving between sections as its points grow.
Championship pathways
Affiliated competition feeds several championship routes, each aimed at a different part of the membership. The Quest series (Team Quest and My Quest) offers team and individual competition at Intro to Novice for riders starting out. The Area Festivals give Bronze and Silver combinations a championship route with winter and summer seasons; BD lowered the Area Festival qualifying mark to 62% from 2026. From Prelim Silver upward, points from designated qualifier classes lead to the Regional Championships and from there to the national championships: the Nationals in summer (Prelim to Grand Prix) and the Winter Championships (Prelim to Intermediate I). Music classes run their own championship pathway alongside the standard tests.
Youth categories and their level equivalents
BD’s international youth pathway maps onto the national levels in a way BD itself publishes: FEI Children tests (under-14s, on horses) correspond to Elementary, FEI Pony tests (under-16s) to Medium, FEI Junior tests (under-18s) to Advanced Medium, and FEI Young Rider tests (under-21s) to Prix St Georges. Each category runs by calendar year of birth, and the horses carry FEI minimum ages of their own: six years for Children and Juniors, seven for Young Riders. Ponies in international sport must measure 148 cm or under with an FEI measuring certificate. The equivalences make the youth pathway legible against the adult ladder: a Junior team rider is competing at what an adult would call Advanced Medium.
Tack and conduct by level
A snaffle bridle is required through Novice; a double bridle becomes optional at Elementary and above. Rising trot is permitted in all trot work up to Elementary; at Medium, sitting trot is required except in the medium and extended trots; from Advanced Medium all trot work is sitting. A caller (commander) may read the test in regular classes but not at most championships.
Reading a British record in a sale advert
A British-produced horse is normally advertised by level and often by section and points: “established Medium, competing Advanced Medium” or “Novice regional finalist.” BD’s points give such claims a verifiable core: points recorded against the horse document scores of 60% and above at the level, and a horse with points at a level has demonstrably competed there rather than merely schooled the movements. What the phrasing of level claims reveals, and how to weigh “schooling” against “competing” and “established,” is covered in the guide to reading and evaluating sales adverts.
Sources
- British Dressage — Competing, 2026. https://www.britishdressage.co.uk/about-us/our-organisation/competing-1/
- British Dressage — Dressage defined, 2026. https://www.britishdressage.co.uk/get-involved/what-is-dressage/whats-involved/
- British Dressage — Go affiliated, 2026. https://www.britishdressage.co.uk/get-involved/starting-out/go-affiliated/
- British Dressage — International competitions, 2026. https://www.britishdressage.co.uk/get-involved/bd-youth/competing-with-bd-youth/international-competitions/
Frequently asked questions
What are the British dressage levels in order? Introductory, Preliminary, Novice, Elementary, Medium, Advanced Medium and Advanced, followed by the FEI levels: Prix St Georges, Intermediate I, Intermediate II and Grand Prix.
What do Bronze, Silver and Gold mean in British Dressage? They are sections within each level, allocated by accumulated points. Bronze is for combinations new to the level, Silver for those established at it, and Gold for experienced combinations. Everyone rides the same test; the sections separate the results and championship qualification.
At what level do flying changes come in under British Dressage? Flying changes first appear at Advanced Medium. Lateral work begins earlier, at Elementary, and lengthened strides at Novice.
How does a rider earn points with British Dressage? Points are awarded in affiliated classes at Preliminary level and above for scores of 60% or more, scaled to the percentage; a 65% at Elementary earns three points. Points accumulate against the horse, the rider and the combination, and determine section eligibility.
Can riders compete at Grand Prix nationally in Britain? Yes. BD affiliates classes at Prix St Georges, Intermediate I, Intermediate II and Grand Prix as national levels, and the summer Nationals include a Grand Prix championship, so a combination can compete at the top level without an international record.
What is the British equivalent of US Third Level? Medium. Both stages require confirmed collection, half-pass and (in the US case) flying changes, which in Britain arrive one step later at Advanced Medium; the full mapping is in the level equivalence chart.