Dressage tests were never meant to be a checklist.

Most riders are taught the movements, but not what they’re meant to develop.

 

If you’ve ever wondered why your scores seem to be so much lower than you expected - or how the training scale actually connects to the movements - you are not alone, this is the piece most riders are missing.

Without understanding the training behind the movements, progress becomes frustrating and horses are often asked for things they aren’t prepared to do.

The levels are designed to guide the correct development of the horse, but the tests don't give you the why.

 

Explore the Series

The test levels are not what you think

Most riders are taught to approach the levels as a progression of movements.

        ✔️Learn shoulder-in.
        ✔️Learn half-pass.
        ✔️Learn the changes.

Check the boxes… and up the levels we go!

But the movements are not the point, they're the proof.

Each level is designed to develop something specific in the horse.

The movements are simply how that development is tested.

So when you focus only on the movement, you miss what the level is actually asking.

This is Where Everything Starts to Disconnect

You can ride the movement…but the horse isn’t truly ready for it.

You can check the box…but the quality isn’t there.

And in the show ring, that shows up immediately.

Because judges aren’t scoring whether you did the movement.

They’re scoring how the horse is developed within it.

When you understand the levels this way everything changes.

The movements make sense, the training becomes clearer.

The horse develops more correctly.

And yes, the scores will reflect it.

This series fills in what most riders were never taught: how each level develops the horse, and how that should guide your training.

You'll learn to connect the dots between the movements, the training scale, and the development of the horse so you can train with clarity instead of guesswork.

Instead of simply learning what to ride, you’ll begin to understand:

  • what each level is actually developing in the horse

  • what needs to be in place before the movements make sense

  • how your role as the rider changes as the work progresses

  • why each new movement is introduced and what it’s preparing you for

  • the key concepts that define the quality of the work at each stage

   
 INTRODUCING...

    THE LEVELS SERIES

Start where you are or learn the full progression from intro to Grand Prix.

It’s time to understand what dressage training truly means. 

The Complete Package - Intro through Grand Prix

The full progression from foundation to the highest work.

Includes all USDF dressage levels, from Intro through to the Grand Prix, so you can understand how each step builds on the next.

  • Intro, Training & First Level Lectures
  • Second and Third Level Lectures
  • Fourth through Grand Prix Lectures

Plus these bonus lectures:

  • Overview and Understanding the Levels
  • Planning & Goal-Setting for Show Season*
  • It's Not About the Levels*

*Not available in any other package

A total of 14 hours of learning!

Best Value $297

GET THE FULL SERIES

The Foundation:

Intro through 1st Level

Establishing the basics that set you and your horse up for success. The make or break levels. 

  • Intro & Training Level lecture
  • 1st Level lecture
  • Overview & Understanding the Levels lecture

5 hours of video lessons

$97 

Start with The Foundation

Building Collection:

2nd & 3rd Levels

Where the horse begins to carry more weight behind, the work becomes more organized, and all of the movements are shown.

Includes:

  • 2nd Level lecture
  • 3rd Level lecture
  • Overview & Understanding the Levels lecture

5 hours of video lessons

$97 

Explore Building Collection

Advanced Work:

4th Level, Prix St. George, Intermediare-1, Intermediare-2, & Grand Prix

Maximum strength, collection, and technical difficulty from both horse and rider.

Includes:

  • 4th Level lecture
  • Prix St. George & Intermediare-1 lecture
  • Intermediare-2 & Grand Prix lecture
  • Overview & Understanding the Levels lecture

6-1/2 hours of video lessons

$127 

VIEW ADVANCED WORK

 

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing the work but not progressing the way you should, this is likely the missing piece.

 

Why This Matters

When riders don’t understand the purpose behind the levels:

  • horses get pushed too quickly

  • the work becomes tense or inconsistent

  • scores can be very unpredictable

When you do understand it:

  • training becomes more fair to the horse

  • the work develops more naturally

  • and the scores begin to reflect it

Because judges are scoring the quality of the training, not just the movement.

“Riding the movements isn’t enough. The tests are called tests for a reason. Each movement asks the question if the horse is being correctly developed - and that’s what the progression of the levels is meant to show us.”

JJ Tate is an International Grand Prix rider and trainer, known for her horse-first approach to classical dressage and her ability to make complex concepts clear and practical for riders at all levels.

JJ is takes pride in developing her own horses, from Training level to Grand Prix, and has gone down center line over 1200 times, with dozens of regional and national titles.

 

"I LOVE how the different levels have a purpose. Our local tests don't have this. I think it gives the rider perspective of what the goals should be!!"

 
Dawn G.

"I have watched and rewatched these.... I keep finding new information to help me! thank you"

 
Eliza K.

These video lectures are for riders who want to:

  • understand the progression of dressage training
  • develop their horses correctly
  • connect daily training with long-term goals
  • better understand what judges are looking for

Whether you compete or simply want a clearer training path for your horse, these lectures provide a valuable framework.

14-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE

If you aren’t completely satisfied with your the Levels Series purchase, let us know within the first 14-days for a full refund. No questions asked.

Train with clarity through every level

Explore the Series