The CDI System and Star Ratings

A CDI (Concours de Dressage International) is an international dressage competition run under FEI rules, rated from one star to five by prize money and status. The star system tells you at a glance what level of sport a show hosts, who can enter, and what a result there is worth — in ranking points and, indirectly, in the market value of the horse.

The star ratings

CDI1* — Small Tour (Prix St Georges and Intermediate I). The entry level of international sport and the gateway show for combinations moving up from national competition. Modest or no prize money requirements.

CDI2* — typically adds the Medium Tour (Intermediate A, B and II). The FEI rules also permit Big Tour classes at two-star level, though a CDI2* Grand Prix does not count toward championship minimum-eligibility scores.

CDI3* — the Big Tour (Grand Prix) with full championship-eligible status. Prize money sits in the lowest Big Tour band; the exact figures are set in Swiss francs in the FEI Dressage Rules and revised periodically. Many CDI3* shows run small tour and youth classes alongside.

CDI4* — Big Tour competition in the middle prize band, attracting strong international fields.

CDI5* — the elite tier: a high minimum prize fund with no ceiling, and fields drawn from the top of the world ranking. Only a handful of CDI5* fixtures exist each year — Aachen and Rotterdam are the archetypes — and competing at one means being among the world’s best Grand Prix combinations.

CDI-W: World Cup qualifiers

A CDI-W is a CDI with FEI Dressage World Cup qualifying status. Riders collect points at CDI-W events through the indoor season (roughly October to March in the Northern Hemisphere leagues), toward qualification for the World Cup Final each spring. World Cup competition is decided in the Freestyle, and some qualifiers use the Short Grand Prix, a condensed test introduced for the circuit. CDI-W shows are typically indoor fixtures and among the best-attended events of the winter.

CDIO: Nations Cups

A CDIO (Concours de Dressage International Officiel) adds the defining feature of a team competition: the Nations Cup. Each country fields a team, the best scores count toward the team total, and the fixture combines individual classes with national pride. CDIOs run at 2* through 5* level, are rarer than ordinary CDIs, and carry particular weight for riders building a case for championship team selection.

Youth CDIs

International youth competition mirrors the FEI age categories: CDIP for pony riders, CDICh for children, CDIJ for juniors (tests around Advanced Medium / Third–Fourth Level standard), CDIY for young riders (Prix St Georges standard) and CDIU25 (Intermediate II and the U25 Grand Prix). Youth CDIs and their championships are the sport’s development pipeline; the top youth riders arrive in senior sport with years of international mileage already banked.

Prize money and the financial reality

Prize money scales with the stars: a class win at a small CDI may be worth a few hundred to a couple of thousand euros, while a CDI5* Grand Prix win can run to tens of thousands. Set against entries, travel, stabling and the cost of keeping a Grand Prix horse in work, the arithmetic almost never favours the rider: elite dressage is financed by owners and sponsors, not winnings. The economics of owning and campaigning a horse at this level are covered in the cost of ownership.

Entries, rankings and access

Entries to CDIs go through the rider’s national federation, and places are limited. Access to the higher tiers is progressive in practice:

• CDI1/2** — open to qualified combinations; the proving ground.
• CDI3* — consistent Big Tour scores expected; competitive fields.
• CDI4/5** — fields shaped by the FEI World Ranking and organiser invitations; the top shows are effectively invitation-only.

The FEI Dressage World Ranking is calculated from CDI results — higher stars and better placings earn more points, with a combination’s best results over the prior twelve months counting. Rankings are updated monthly and feed back into invitations, creating the ladder by which combinations climb from their first CDI1* to the five-star circuit.

The regional leagues

The World Cup circuit and the CDI calendar are organised into regional leagues: the Western European League (the densest and most competitive, hosting most of the 4* and 5* fixtures), the Central European League, the North American League and the Pacific league. Geography shapes careers: a rider based in the Netherlands can reach a dozen CDIs within a day’s drive — one reason serious buyers and competitors gravitate to the European horse-sport heartland — while riders elsewhere budget for intercontinental travel to reach the same sport.