What is Training Level dressage and what does it test?

Training Level is the foundational competitive level of dressage in the United States, the first level to include all three gaits, and the level at which the fundamental qualities of the Training Scale — rhythm, relaxation, and acceptance of contact — are specifically tested in a format that establishes the baseline against which the horse's subsequent development will be measured. Training Level tests include walk, trot, and canter work on large figures — twenty-meter circles, straight lines, and simple transitions — with the goal of demonstrating that the horse moves with regular, correct rhythm in all three gaits, accepts a consistent rein contact without tension or evasion, and responds to the rider's basic directional and pace aids with willingness and softness. The level is explicitly designed for horses in the first year or two of systematic dressage training, and its requirements — no lateral movements, no collection, no extensions beyond a brief lengthening of stride — reflect the appropriate gymnastic stage for horses beginning their development on the Training Scale. Training Level tests frequently require the horse to show a free walk on a long rein, which tests the quality of the walk's natural movement when the rein restriction is removed and is one of the most revealing single movements at this level because it demonstrates both the horse's natural walk quality and the degree to which training has maintained or improved it. The collective marks — gaits, impulsion, submission, and rider's position — are evaluated across the entire test and provide summary assessments of the qualities most fundamental to Training Level work. Training Level scores consistently above sixty-five percent with a quality horse and correct training indicate readiness to begin working toward First Level movements.