What are the levels in Working Equitation?
Working Equitation levels differ between countries, while WAWE also defines international age categories.
Portugal, the United States and the Australian ladder recorded by the College all use Masters as their highest level. One-handed riding appears at the senior end of the progression, although the point at which it becomes compulsory differs between rulebooks.
Across the progressive national levels, Working Dressage, Ease of Handling and Speed remain the main individual trials. The movements, spaces, paces, changes and use of the reins become more demanding as the level rises.
If you are new to the discipline, Working Equitation for Beginners explains what you need before choosing a level.
I · The International Categories¶
The international body divides riders by age rather than by level.
Juniors are riders up to the year in which they turn sixteen. They ride Working Dressage, Ease of Handling and Speed, on two hands and two reins, using the right hand only where an obstacle needs a working hand. They do not ride the cattle trial, in the interest of safety.
Young Riders are riders up to the year in which they turn twenty-one. They may choose one hand or two, but must declare the choice before each test and hold to it from beginning to end. Riding one-handed earns a better collective mark.
Seniors ride with the reins in one hand.
A Junior or Young Rider may compete in senior competitions, but cannot return to the younger category afterwards.
II · The Portuguese Categories¶
Portugal organises its categories by the horse's experience and the rider's age as much as by competitive level. There are eight.
| Category | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| Preliminary | Combinations that have never competed in the National Championship or Portugal Cup, on horses of four years and older |
| Debutant Horses | Horses of five and older that have not competed in a federated discipline for more than one season |
| Debutant Athletes | Riders of at least twenty who have not competed in dressage above a set level |
| Under-14 | Riders aged thirteen or under on 1 January |
| Under-16 | Riders aged fifteen or under on 1 January |
| Young Riders | Riders from the year they turn sixteen to the year they turn twenty-one |
| Established Riders, Series A and B | Riders of nineteen and older, on horses of five and older |
| Masters | Riders of nineteen and older, on horses of seven and older |
Preliminary, Debutant, Established Riders and Masters form the principal competitive pathway. Under-14, Under-16 and Young Riders are age divisions that sit alongside it rather than above it. You do not progress through the age categories. You compete in the one your age places you in.
Series A and Series B. Established Riders is split. Series B is for riders who choose it, and for those who record three scores below 58 per cent in the Working Dressage or Manageability tests in Series A, for whom the move is compulsory. Series B riders may use both hands on the reins in every test.
Masters. The Masters Working Dressage test is the international senior test, ridden to music. A combination that records three scores below 62 per cent moves back to Established Riders Series B.
Moving up and down. Any combination may compete in a higher category if it meets the requirements. Once at a higher level, it can only return to a lower one after three results below 60 per cent in the Working Dressage or Manageability tests.
III · The United States Levels¶
The United States uses a seven-level progression from Introductory to Masters.
| Level | Name | Minimum obstacles | Pace between obstacles | Hands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introductory | 8 | Trot | One or two |
| 2 | Novice A | 10 | Canter | One or two |
| 3 | Novice B | 10 | Canter | One or two |
| 4 | Intermediate A | 12 | Canter | One or two |
| 5 | Intermediate B | 12 | Canter | One or two |
| 6 | Advanced | 15 | Canter | One hand required |
| 7 | Masters | 15 | Canter | One hand required |
The Australian ladder recorded in the locked College source runs Level 1 Introductory, Preparatory, Preliminary, Debutante W, Debutante F, Consagrados 2, Consagrados 1 and Masters.
IV · What Actually Gets Harder¶
The same obstacle types remain while the standard of riding inside them rises.
The spaces tighten. In Portugal, the three barrels stand as an equilateral triangle with four-metre sides at the training categories and three-metre sides at Established Riders and Masters. The straight slalom stands seven metres between posts at the training categories and six at the top. The smaller spacing gives the rider less room between each turn, increasing the demand on balance and accurate placement.
The changes get harder. At Preliminary the figure eight is ridden once, at the canter, with a simple change of lead. Higher up, the simple change becomes a flying change made on the centre line without a break in the canter.
The required paces change. A Preliminary course in Portugal may use walk, trot and canter, with changes of rein replaced by transitions. As the categories rise, the canter carries more of the course. In Portugal the required pace between obstacles is canter, and the rules state that trot is severely penalised.
The obstacles are asked in reverse. At Established Riders and Masters, the figure eight must also be ridden backwards, the horse reining back around the drums on circles of one and a half metres' radius.
The rings get smaller. In Portugal the ring speared on the pole measures fifteen centimetres for most categories and ten for Masters.
The course gets longer. An international Speed course carries at least fifteen obstacles. A Portuguese course carries at least eleven. The American ladder rises from eight to fifteen.
One-handed riding is introduced.
Read next The obstacles, with their dimensions at each level
V · How One-Handed Riding Enters the Levels¶
The senior levels in the systems compared here progress towards carrying the reins in one hand.
The progression reflects the working requirement for the rider to keep one hand available while the horse remains responsive to the seat and leg.
Earlier levels allow or require two-handed riding. As the horse and rider progress, the senior levels require greater independence from the rein until the reins can be carried in one hand.
The point at which one-handed riding becomes compulsory differs between the systems. The international rules require it of Seniors. Portugal requires it of Established Riders Series A and Masters. The United States requires it from Advanced.
Read next One hand, and how a rider arrives at it
VI · The Same Work Asks for More¶
Progression through Working Equitation is easier to understand when you look at what changes inside the work.
A familiar movement can return at a higher level with greater precision, more collection, a different transition or less help available from the rider. The outward task may still be recognisable while the standard underneath it has moved.
For College Members, that is the useful way to read the levels.
Each step asks horse and rider to carry more of what has already been developed. Balance has to remain available through harder questions. Responses become more exact. The rider increasingly has to organise the work with less visible intervention.
Seen that way, the levels form a progression in the quality and independence of the partnership rather than simply a list of harder movements.
For Members, the levels can then be read as a progression in what horse and rider are able to carry. Branch One establishes the work and the standard behind it. Branch Three follows that work through competition, where the same foundations return under progressively greater demands.