Editing Dressage (section)

== International level ==
{{See also|Equestrian events at the Summer Olympics}}
[[File:Mon Cherie 2 1980-1-.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Dressage at the 1980 Summer Olympic games]]
At the international level, dressage tests governed by the [[International Federation for Equestrian Sports|FEI]] are the Prix St. Georges, Intermediare I, Intermediare II, and Grand Prix. The dressage tests performed at the [[Equestrian at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] dressage competition are Grand Prix. This level of testing demands the most skill and concentration from both horse and rider.

Movements included in Grand Prix dressage tests are:

; [[Piaffe]] : A calm, composed, collected, and elevated trot in place (although minimal movement forward is allowed and not penalized in competitions as it is the natural way of performing the movement. In any case the horse should never move backwards and this is considered a serious fault): 
; [[Passage (dressage)|Passage]] : A very collected trot, in which the horse has great elevation of stride and seems to pause between each stride (it has a great amount of suspension in the stride). A higher degree of collection causes a definite shift of impulsion to the hindquarters.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|year=2009|title=Kinetics and kinematics of the passage|journal=Equine Veterinary Journal|volume=41|issue=3|pages=263–67|doi=10.2746/042516409X397226|pmid=19469233|last1=Weishaupt |first1=M. A. |last2=Byström |first2=A. |last3=Peinen |first3=K. |last4=Wiestner |first4=T. |last5=Meyer |first5=H. |last6=Waldern |first6=N. |last7=Johnston |first7=C. |last8=Weeren |first8=R. |last9=Roepstorff |first9=L. }}</ref> "An understanding of load distribution between forelimbs and hindlimbs in relation to different riding techniques is vital to prevent wear-and-tear on the locomotor apparatus".<ref name=":0" />

; Extended gaits : Usually done at the [[trot (horse gait)|trot]] and [[canter]], the horse lengthens its stride to the maximum length through great forward thrust and reach. Grand Prix horses show amazing trot extensions. Though not as visually impressive, equally important is the extended walk, which shows that the horse can easily relax and stretch in the midst of the more collected movements.

; Collected gaits (trot and canter) : A shortening of stride in which the horse brings its hindquarters more underneath himself and carries more weight on his hind end. The tempo does not change, the horse simply shortens and elevates his stride.

; [[Flying change]]s in sequence: Informally called "tempis" or "tempi changes" at this level, The horse changes leads at the canter every stride (one time tempis or "oneseys"), two strides (two time tempis), three strides or four strides.

; [[Pirouette (dressage)|Pirouette]] : A 360 degree turn in place, usually performed at the canter. In a Freestyle to music (kür) test, a turn of up to 720° is permissible for Grand Prix. (In levels lower than Grand Prix, a 180 degree pirouette may be performed.)

; [[Half-pass]] : A movement where the horse goes on a diagonal, moving sideways and forward at the same time, while bent slightly in the direction of movement.

Tests ridden at the Olympic Games are scored by a panel of seven international judges. Each movement in each test receives a numeric score from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest) and the resulting final score is then converted into a percentage, which is carried out to three decimal points. The higher the percentage, the higher the score. However, in eventing dressage the score is calculated by dividing the number of points achieved by the total possible points, then multiplied by 100 (rounded to 2 decimal points) and subtracted from 100. Thus, a lower score is better than a higher score.

Olympic team medals are won by the teams with the highest combined percentages from their best three rides in the Grand Prix test.

Once the team medals are determined, horses and riders compete for individual medals. The team competition serves as the first individual qualifier, in that the top 25 horse/rider combinations from the Grand Prix test move on to the next round. The second individual qualifier is the Grand Prix Special test, which consists of Grand Prix movements arranged in a different pattern. For those 25 riders, the scores from the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special are then combined and the resulting top 15 horse/rider combinations move on to the individual medal competition—the crowd-pleasing Grand Prix [[Freestyle to Music|Freestyle to Music (Kür)]].

For their freestyles, riders and horses perform specially choreographed patterns to music. At this level, the freestyle tests may contain all the Grand Prix movements, as well as double canter pirouettes, pirouettes in piaffe, and half-pass in passage. For the freestyle, judges award technical marks for the various movements, as well as artistic marks. In the case of a tie, the ride with the higher artistic marks wins.