Dressage Level Equivalence: FEI, US, UK, German and Dutch Levels Compared
Contents
Dressage level equivalence across countries is approximate but workable: the US, British, German and Dutch ladders all carry a horse through the same training progression, so each national level can be mapped to its foreign counterparts by the movements it requires. The chart below aligns the four major national systems with each other and with the FEI levels that sit above all of them. It is a guide to training stage, not a claim that any two tests are interchangeable.
The equivalence chart
| Training stage | US (USEF/USDF) | Britain (BD) | Germany (FN) | Netherlands (KNHS) | Defining content |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First tests | Introductory | Intro | — | BB / B | Walk, trot (canter enters at Training/Prelim/B); large figures |
| Basics confirmed | Training | Prelim | E | B | Working gaits, 20 m circles, steady contact |
| Thrust develops | First | Novice | A | L1, L2 | Lengthened strides, smaller circles, leg-yield |
| Collection begins | Second | Elementary | L | M1, M2 | Collected trot and canter, shoulder-in, simple changes, rein-back |
| Collection confirmed | Third | Medium | M | Z1, Z2 | Half-pass, extended paces, flying changes |
| Advanced national | Fourth | Advanced Medium / Advanced | S | ZZ-Licht / ZZ-Zwaar | Tempi changes, working pirouettes, high collection |
| FEI small tour | Prix St Georges, Intermediate I | Prix St Georges, Intermediate I | (ridden as S-level classes) | Lichte Tour | Half and full canter pirouettes, three- and two-tempi changes |
| FEI medium and big tour | Intermediate A/B, II; Grand Prix | Intermediate II; Grand Prix | (top S classes) | Zware Tour | Piaffe, passage, one-tempi changes |
Two rows require explanation. Germany has no direct counterpart to the walk-trot Introductory tests; competition below class E runs under the separate WBO rulebook. And the Netherlands and Germany ride the FEI tests inside their national circuits (the Dutch Lichte and Zware Tour, the German top S classes), so a “national” record in those countries can extend to Grand Prix itself.
How to read the chart
The alignment is by movement content: the level at which collection, half-pass, flying changes or tempi changes first appear. Three limitations apply.
First, test composition differs. British Novice includes counter-canter, which US riders first meet at Second Level, so a horse can be confirmed at one system’s level while missing a movement its “equivalent” requires. Second, the number of tests per level differs: US levels contain three numbered tests of increasing difficulty, British levels a larger test library, the Dutch classes two parallel strands (the “1” and “2” classes are ridden as separate classes, not tests within one). Third, judging cultures and typical field sizes differ, so identical percentages do not mean identical quality across borders. For these reasons the chart indicates training stage rather than establishing interchangeability between tests.
Why the systems differ: four promotion philosophies
The deeper difference between the systems is not the names but how a combination earns the right to move up.
Germany gates the rider, not just the horse. Every licence holder carries a Leistungsklasse (performance class, 7 down to 1) recalculated each season from rider badges and registered placings, and show schedules restrict each class to a range of them. Details are in the article on the German level system.
The Netherlands gates the combination through points. Scores of 60%, 65% and 70% earn one, two and three winstpunten; promotion is permitted at 10 points and, in the lower classes, compulsory at 30. The KNHS registers every point centrally, as set out in the article on the Dutch level system.
Britain lets combinations enter the level they choose but divides each level into Bronze, Silver and Gold sections by accumulated points, so newcomers to a level are not placed against established combinations. British Dressage awards points for scores of 60% and above from Prelim upward, scaled to the percentage achieved.
The United States has no formal gate below the FEI levels: progression rests on trainer judgment and competition results. USEF rules do impose horse minimum ages at the top (six years for Fourth Level, seven for Prix St Georges and Intermediate I, eight above Intermediate I, in line with FEI rules), but a rider needs no licence or points tally to enter a higher level.
The systems consequently differ in what a record certifies: a German M or Dutch Z2 placing documents a verified pathway of results, a British Medium record documents the level and section reached, and a US Third Level record documents the tests ridden without certifying a qualification route.
Where the FEI levels begin in each country
All four ladders hand over to the same international tests, but at slightly different points. The US Fourth Level and British Advanced sit one step below Prix St Georges. Germany’s class S overlaps the FEI levels, with the top S classes ridden at small tour standard and above. The Netherlands makes the junction explicit: promotion from ZZ-Zwaar to Prix St Georges is compulsory once 30 winstpunten are earned. From Prix St Georges upward, the tests are identical everywhere, published by the FEI and updated on a common cycle, which is what finally makes records internationally comparable at FEI level.
Do percentages mean the same thing everywhere?
The 60% mark is common to all the systems. It is the threshold at which a Dutch test earns its first winstpunt, a British test earns points from Prelim upward, and most federation and FEI qualification criteria begin. Above that baseline the bands diverge in what they trigger rather than what they mean: 65% earns two Dutch points and three British ones at Elementary, 70% earns three Dutch points, and the FEI’s championship eligibility thresholds sit at 60–66% depending on the event.
Competitive context does not translate in the same way. A 68% in a Dutch Z2 class of thirty starters, a 68% at a small British Medium fixture and a 68% at a US regional show represent the same standard against the judging scale but different competitive achievements, because field depth and judging cultures vary. Percentages measure a performance against the scale, while placings measure it against a field, and a record combines both kinds of information.
One horse, four descriptions
The same nine-year-old gelding, confirmed in half-pass and flying changes and schooling tempi changes at home, would be advertised as “Third Level, schooling Fourth” in the United States, “Medium, working Advanced Medium” in Britain, “M-platziert, S-fertig” in Germany and “Z2 geklasseerd, ZZ-Licht in aanleg” in the Netherlands. All four describe one training stage. What differs is the evidence attached: the German and Dutch phrases point to centrally registered results, the British one to a points record within a section, the American one to test sheets from the shows attended.
Using equivalences when reading sale adverts
Sale adverts quote the level of the system the horse competes in, so a “Z2 with 20 winstpunten,” an “M-platziert” German horse and a “confirmed Third Level” American import represent three kinds of evidence rather than three points on one scale. The chart converts the training stage, while the promotion rules above determine how much registered verification stands behind each claim. How level claims interact with age, price and the choice between a made horse and a prospect is the subject of the guide to schoolmasters and young horses.
Sources
- Fédération Équestre Internationale — Dressage Tests, 2026. https://inside.fei.org/fei/your-role/organisers/dressage/tests
- United States Dressage Federation — Purpose of Tests (USDF Teaching Manual appendix), 2023. https://www.usdf.org/EduDocs/Training/purposeoftests.pdf
- United States Equestrian Federation — Rule Book, Chapter DR: Dressage Division, 2026. https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/F3p8pgrWgAo/dr-dressage-division
- British Dressage — Competing, 2026. https://www.britishdressage.co.uk/about-us/our-organisation/competing-1/
- Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie (KNHS) — Disciplinereglement Dressuur, versie 2026, 2026. https://www.knhs.nl/media/jmid00ij/disciplinereglement-dressuur-2026.pdf
- Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung (FN) — Leistungsklassen und Ranglistenpunkte im Pferdesport, 2026. https://www.pferd-aktuell.de/turniersport/turnierteilnehmer/leistungsklassen-und-ranglistenpunkte
Frequently asked questions
What is the US equivalent of German M level? German class M corresponds roughly to US Third Level: both require confirmed collection, half-pass and flying changes. The match is by movement content; the German class is entered through a rider licensing system with no direct US counterpart.
What level is Dutch Z2 in British terms? Dutch Z2 sits around British Medium to Advanced Medium: collected work is confirmed, tests run in the 20 × 60 m arena, and flying changes appear. British Advanced Medium content overlaps the upper end of Z2 and ZZ-Licht.
Is British Advanced the same as US Fourth Level? They occupy the same slot, the last national level before Prix St Georges, and share tempi changes and working pirouettes. Test patterns differ, so “the same” overstates it; “the same stage” is accurate.
Do any countries ride FEI tests as national classes? Yes. The Dutch Lichte Tour and Zware Tour use the FEI tests inside the KNHS circuit, and Germany’s most difficult S classes are ridden at the international levels. In both countries a purely national record can therefore reach Grand Prix.