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The Dutch Dressage Level System: B to ZZ-Zwaar

By the Dressage Wiki Editorial Board · Updated 9 July 2026

Contents
  1. The Dutch ladder at a glance
  2. Breedtesport, Subtop and the FEI tests
  3. How winstpunten work
  4. Promotion and relegation
  5. Classification follows the combination
  6. How Dutch tests are conducted
  7. Young horse classes
  8. What Z2 or ZZ-Licht means on a horse’s record
  9. Sources

Dutch dressage levels run from class B (basis) through L1, L2 (licht), M1, M2 (midden), Z1, Z2 (zwaar) and ZZ-Licht to ZZ-Zwaar, after which combinations ride the FEI tests of the Lichte Tour (Prix St Georges, Intermédiaire I) and Zware Tour. It is one of the four major national level systems below the international ladder. The ladder is governed by the Dutch equestrian federation KNHS, and progression is points-based: scores of 60% and above earn winstpunten, and accumulated points permit or require promotion to the next class.

The Dutch ladder at a glance

ClassTierMinimum horse ageArena
BBreedtesport4 (from 1 January)20 × 40 m
L1, L2Breedtesport4 (from 1 April)20 × 40 m
M1, M2Breedtesport5 (from 1 April)20 × 40 m
Z1, Z2Breedtesport620 × 60 m
ZZ-LichtBreedtesport620 × 60 m
ZZ-ZwaarSubtop620 × 60 m
Lichte Tour (PSG, Inter I)Subtop720 × 60 m
Above Lichte TourSubtop / international820 × 60 m

Ages, arena dimensions and class definitions are set in the KNHS dressage discipline regulations (2026 edition, effective 1 April 2026). From ZZ-Zwaar upward a horse must also measure at least 149.0 cm at the withers without shoes. An introductory class BB exists below B for newcomers; it carries no promotion points.

Breedtesport, Subtop and the FEI tests

The KNHS divides the sport into three tiers. Breedtesport (grassroots sport) covers B through ZZ-Licht. The Subtop comprises ZZ-Zwaar, the Lichte Tour and the Zware Tour, and international FEI competition sits on top. The Lichte Tour is ridden with the FEI Prix St Georges and Intermédiaire I tests; the Zware Tour uses the FEI Intermédiaire A and B, Intermédiaire II, Grand Prix 16–25, Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special. The Netherlands is therefore unusual in running full FEI-level classes inside its national circuit, which is why Dutch sale adverts can quote “Lichte Tour” as a national record even for horses that have never started at a CDI.

Below ZZ-Zwaar the KNHS writes its own tests for each class. Tests up to and including ZZ-Zwaar may be read aloud by a caller; all FEI tests must be ridden from memory.

How winstpunten work

Every class above BB uses the same scoring bands. A test with a final average of 60% up to 65% earns one winstpunt, 65% up to 70% earns two, and 70% or higher earns three. In classes B through L2, a maximum of five points per class may also be earned through the KNHS’s online test-riding platform.

Points belong to the horse-and-rider combination, not to either party alone, and results are registered centrally by the KNHS. Because two or three points require scores of 65% and 70%, a substantial points tally reflects repeated performances at those percentages rather than a single result.

Promotion and relegation

The promotion rules are set out in Articles 107 and 108 of the discipline regulations and define what a Dutch competition record documents:

  • From B through ZZ-Zwaar, promotion to the next class is permitted at 10 winstpunten.
  • From B through M2, promotion is compulsory at 30 winstpunten.
  • Z1, Z2 and ZZ-Licht are residence classes (verblijfsklassen): promotion out of them is never compulsory, and a maximum of 40 points is registered in each.
  • Promotion from ZZ-Zwaar to Prix St Georges is compulsory at 30 winstpunten.
  • From Prix St Georges to Intermédiaire I, and onward to Intermédiaire A/B, Intermédiaire II and the Grand Prix tests, promotion is permitted after a single score of 60% at the current level, and is never compulsory.

A newly promoted combination may keep starting one class lower until it has five points in the higher class, after which the promotion is definitive; a first start in a Zware Tour class makes promotion definitive immediately. Promotion on the same competition day is allowed. Relegation is voluntary: a combination that scores 53% or less twice in succession may request placement back into the lower class.

Classification follows the combination

Because points attach to the combination, a new horse-and-rider pairing is classified afresh using the KNHS’s placement tables (inschalingstabellen), normally in the highest class the horse and the rider share, or one class lower where the tables allow. A rider classified at ZZ-Licht or higher may no longer start in BB or B at all. Horses or riders classified abroad are placed in the highest common class once the KNHS receives written confirmation of their level from a recognized foreign federation, which matters to anyone importing a competition horse into or out of the Dutch system.

How Dutch tests are conducted

The KNHS regulations fix conduct rules that differ from other systems in ways visible on the day. Judges mark on the standard 0–10 scale with half marks allowed. Tests up to and including ZZ-Zwaar may be scored by a single judge, though ZZ-Zwaar classes and higher must be judged by two, and championships from Z1 upward require at least two judges scoring independently.

The trot rules are also codified. In class B all trot work is ridden rising; in L1 and L2 the rider chooses between rising and sitting; from M1 through ZZ-Licht sitting is standard, with rising permitted in the stretching work and in the medium and extended trots. A whip up to 120 cm is allowed in the classes B through L2 and not above (except when starting hors concours), and spurs are permitted, but never compulsory, in every class.

Young horse classes

Parallel to the graded ladder, the KNHS runs free-style tests (vrije proeven) and talent tests (aanlegtesten) for four-, five- and six-year-olds, judged against the training scale rather than a fixed pattern. Entry is gated by the rider’s classification: the four-year-old test requires a rider qualified at L1 or higher, the five-year-old test M1, and the six-year-old test Z1. No winstpunten are awarded, but a horse scoring 60% is registered as classified at the corresponding level, which is how many young Dutch sale horses acquire their first official record.

What Z2 or ZZ-Licht means on a horse’s record

Z1 and Z2 (zwaar, “heavy” or difficult) are the classes in which collected work is confirmed: the tests move to the 20 × 60 m arena and include lateral work and flying changes, a stage roughly comparable to German M, British Medium to Advanced Medium, or US Third Level; the full mapping is in the level equivalence chart. ZZ-Licht adds the more advanced national work one step below the FEI small tour, and ZZ-Zwaar bridges directly into Prix St Georges, with compulsory promotion once 30 points are earned.

Because the KNHS registers every point centrally, a claim such as “Z2 with 15 winstpunten” in a sale advert is checkable and unusually informative: it states the level, the consistency and, indirectly, the scores behind it. How Dutch adverts quote levels, and how to verify them, is covered in the guide to buying a dressage horse in the Netherlands.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What are the Dutch dressage levels in order? B, L1, L2, M1, M2, Z1, Z2, ZZ-Licht, ZZ-Zwaar, then the Lichte Tour (Prix St Georges and Intermédiaire I) and the Zware Tour (Intermédiaire A/B and II, Grand Prix 16–25, Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special). An introductory class BB sits below B.

What level is Z2 dressage? Z2 is the second zwaar (difficult) class, ridden in the full 20 × 60 m arena with confirmed collected work. In training stage it is roughly comparable to German class M, British Medium to Advanced Medium, or US Third Level, though test content differs between systems.

How many points are needed to move up a class in the Netherlands? Promotion is permitted at 10 winstpunten and compulsory at 30 in the classes B through M2 and from ZZ-Zwaar to Prix St Georges. A score of 60–65% earns one point, 65–70% two, and 70% or more three. Z1, Z2 and ZZ-Licht never require promotion.

What is the difference between ZZ-Licht and ZZ-Zwaar? ZZ-Licht is the top class of the grassroots tier, with KNHS-written tests and no compulsory promotion. ZZ-Zwaar opens the Subtop: it requires a horse of at least 149.0 cm, and promotion to Prix St Georges becomes compulsory at 30 winstpunten.