Scott Hassler works with a promising young dressage horse on the track to becoming a star, focusing on the flow of the gaits, responsiveness and balance. Watch the full video series for exercises that allow this youngster to shine.

Ashley Donadt explains how riding every corner mindfully can translate to higher test scores in competition. Her simple exercise offers training benefits such as improving your horse’s balance and focus, getting him tuned in to your aids, naturally teaching the half-halt, and ultimately setting u...

Learn the purpose of Training Level and hear of any changes to the tests from FEI 5* Judge Janet Foy.

The 2023 Training Level Test 1 is demonstrated. Mike Osinski scores and comments on the test.

The 2023 Training Level Test 2 is demonstrated. Kari McClain scores and comments on the test.

The 2023 Training Level Test 3 is demonstrated. Mike Osinski scores and comments on the test.

Jackie works with a rider who gets nervous on a large, older FEI-level schoolmaster. They start with breathing exercises, feet out of the stirrups and focus on feeling the horse's movement. Breathing with the horse's movement can help both horse and rider relax.

Jackie talks about feeling the horse's rhythm and how to use body language to encourage a forward walk and trot. Her goal is for the rider to do as little work as possible to get the horse to do what she asks. They work in trot doing circles, leg yield and serpentines.

Jackie talks about how to get the horse to be more responsive without the rider resorting to pulling and kicking. They focus on an active walk to a working trot before moving on to warm-up canter. On the 20-meter circle, Jackie has the rider spiral in at trot and leg yield out to step into canter...

Dressage is good for jumping horses, too! Kasey coaches a rider on a horse that is typically a jumper. They work on softening his neck and poll and preventing him from getting too low by keeping a steady contact and asking the horse to come up into her hand. The horse tends to get crooked in turn...

Kasey works with a rider on an OTTB. They focus on keeping a steady contact and concentrate on the hind end coming under him, which allows the horse to settle into the contact. They try shallow changes in direction and big circles to help him start to bend but still keep the balance and contact s...

Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel starts with ground exercises and then under saddle to control the shoulders and hindquarters to encourage straightness, which leads to greater relaxation and a longer stride.

Laura explains the difference betweenœcontact andœconnection. Contact is between the bit and the rider hand. Connection includes the contact but also includes the hind leg of the horse, leg of the rider and the back of the horse. She also discusses the importance of the horse promptly responding ...

As they start to work in the trot, Laura focuses on the tempo and holds the horse to a high standard. They move into canter, and the same standards apply where there is one aid for the canter, and the horse should respond appropriately. If he doesnt, the rider repeats the transition and makes a p...

After a walk break, they go back to establishing a forward tempo while shortening the reins. Once the horse is responsive to the leg, they start to work on the contact, asking the horse to give to a certain amount of pressure on the bridle. However, even if the rider is focusing on the contact, t...

They finish the ride still working on the bend and contact with a forward tempo to improve the connection. Laura helps the horse understand giving to rein pressure so that the rider is able to soften for a few moments. By the end of the ride, they are successfully working with a training level co...

Laura starts by wanting the rider to focus on asking the horse a question and the horse giving an answer, but she reminds us that the answer may not be the right answer. Because of this breed build, suppling will be important because that is something that is harder for him. They start by establi...

Laura stresses that the rider needs to understand the tempo that she wants, and then the horse needs to maintain it. With the horse keeping a steady trot tempo, they move onto the circle so they can ask for bend. However, even though the rider asks for bend with the inside rein, the outside rein ...

The pair works on bending in the trot to the left. Laura says it okay to insist on the bend, and when the horse softens then he can go straight ahead. In the canter, the horse must maintain the tempo, and the rider shouldn™t prevent the horse from breaking to the trot. That way she can focus on b...

This horse and rider pair are preparing to show Training Level Test 3 so Shannon helps them with the different elements. At the start of the warmup, they first focus on establishing the proper tempo. Then Shannon helps the rider with her position and the horse correct response to the leg. It is i...

The pair moves on to canter work. The rider first needs to find her inner stability and ask for suppleness in walk/trot transitions. It is important that the rider elbow be stronger than her hand. They then move on to trot/canter transitions. When horse or rider starts to get tired and fussy, it ...

In the last portion of their ride, they ride through Training Level Test 3. Shannon coaches her through the different elements. She tells the rider that she must keep her focus as best she can despite what distractions are going on outside the ring. She also stresses that riders miss out on point...

FEI 5* Judge Janet Foy helps a rider new to dressage on a jumper being ridden in a hackamore. They work on encouraging the horse to relax, soften the neck and bend/flex gently to the inside and outside. They also work on keeping even weight in each rein and stretching into both reins at trot and ...

FEI 5* Judge Janet Foy works with a rider and an Arabian on the basics of training level. In the first part of the lesson, she explains the aids, how they work and how they affect the horse. They focus on circles and straight lines and maintaining the connection with the reins so that the horse b...