Dressage Wiki

Dressage Wiki is an independent reference work on dressage — the sport, its horses and its market. It documents how dressage horses are bought and sold, what they cost and why, how the European breeding organisations and studbooks work, how competitions are structured and judged, and how horses are trained through the levels. Articles are written in a neutral, encyclopedic style, reviewed by professionals, and updated on a fixed schedule.

The deepest coverage today concerns the purchase of a dressage horse in Europe, which is the centre of the international trade. The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Belgium hold the world’s highest concentration of warmblood breeding, and the major studbooks (KWPN, Hanoverian, Oldenburg, Danish Warmblood and others) operate selection systems that have shaped the sport for decades. Buyers from North America, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Asia routinely purchase in Europe because the depth of supply and the price levels are difficult to match elsewhere, even after transport and import costs are added. This wiki documents how that market works — and, in its newer sections, the sport that gives the market its meaning.

The sections

The six buying sections, read in order, follow the sequence of an actual purchase. Each can also be read on its own. Two further sections cover the sport itself.

1. The buying process

How a dressage horse purchase works from first search to delivery. Covers rider self-assessment and goal setting, evaluating conformation, gaits and temperament, the choice between a trained schoolmaster and a young horse, trial rides, buying from video, sales channels and their trade-offs, agents and commissions, negotiation, deposits and known red flags. This section answers the question most buyers start with: what should I be looking for, and how do I look?

2. Prices and costs

What dressage horses cost in Europe and why. Price ranges by age and training level, the factors that move a price up or down, the full cost of ownership after purchase, the total landed cost for international buyers once transport and import are included, leasing as an alternative to buying, and insurance. Figures are stated as ranges with their variance explained, and are reviewed twice a year.

3. Breeds and studbooks

The European warmblood studbooks and the Iberian breeds, described from a buyer’s perspective. What each studbook selects for, how registration and grading work, what predicates such as keur, elite and Staatsprämie mean on a horse’s papers, and how much the label on the papers should weigh against the horse standing in front of you.

4. Bloodlines and pedigree

How to read a pedigree, what it predicts and what it does not. Profiles of the sires whose offspring dominate the current market, damline literacy, published breeding values and how to verify papers and identity through public databases. Pedigree is treated here as a probability tool, which is how professionals use it.

5. Buying in Europe

The market country by country: the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, and France. How the auction system works and which auctions matter, transport within Europe, the import process to the United States, the United Kingdom and other destinations, and the paperwork layer: equine passports, export health certificates, customs and VAT.

6. Vetting and legal

The two instruments that protect a buyer: the pre-purchase examination and the written contract. Exam stages and costs, purchase radiographs and the German x-ray classification, how to interpret common findings such as OCD and kissing spines, blood samples and doping controls, essential contract clauses, and the legal position when a purchase goes wrong.

7. Competition

How the sport is organised: the levels from national novice tests to Grand Prix, how FEI and national tests are structured, how judging and scoring work, and the competitions that matter internationally. This section is newer than the buying sections and is being expanded article by article.

8. Training

How dressage horses are trained: the training scale, the movements from leg-yield to piaffe and passage, and how a horse progresses through the levels. Like the competition section, it is being expanded on the wiki’s normal review schedule.

Two reference tools support all sections: the glossary, which defines the terms used in sale adverts, vet reports and studbook papers, and the frequently asked questions, which gives short answers with links to the full articles.

How to use this wiki

First-time buyers can read the buying sections in order. The buying process section sets the frame; the others supply depth at the point where each topic becomes relevant in a real purchase.

Experienced buyers can go directly to the article they need. Common entry points are the price guide, the pre-purchase examination, the import guide for the United States and the auction guide.

Riders and spectators looking to understand the sport can start with competition for levels, tests and judging, or training for how the horses are produced.

Readers of sale adverts will find the glossary useful for decoding terms such as confirmed changes, small tour, keur or Röntgenklasse, each of which links to a fuller article.

Articles state facts with their sources. Where a figure is time-sensitive, such as a price range or a quarantine rule, the article says so and gives the year of the information. Where national law differs, the article says that too, and does not attempt to replace advice from a veterinarian, lawyer or tax adviser.

About this wiki

Dressage Wiki is written and maintained by an editorial board and is not publicly editable. Veterinary content is reviewed by an equine veterinarian; sport and market content is reviewed by professionals active in international dressage; legal and tax content is checked against primary sources and flagged where professional advice is required. Articles contain no advertising, sponsored content, affiliate links or promotional links of any kind. The editorial policy describes how articles are sourced, reviewed, updated and corrected; the editorial board page describes who reviews what. Readers with professional knowledge of the sport can propose articles or corrections via the contribute page.