At FEI European Dressage Championships, riders and horses compete through a progressive series of championship tests.
The competition starts with the Grand Prix (GP), where combinations demonstrate the foundations of top-level dressage and qualify for the next stage. This is also counting as the Team competition.
The Grand Prix Special (GPS) follows, featuring a more demanding and concentrated test that rewards precision, harmony and athleticism.
The championship concludes with the Freestyle, where the highest-ranked combinations perform individually designed routines, blending world-class dressage movements with music to create a unique and captivating finale. This final test determines the individual championship standings and often provides some of the sport’s most memorable moments.
How the scoring works
Scores in FEI European Dressage Championships are awarded by a panel of 5-7 judges positioned around the arena. Each movement within a test is marked on a scale from 0 to 10, with judges assessing criteria such as accuracy, quality of movement, impulsion, submission and the harmony between horse and rider. The marks are combined and converted into a percentage score, with the highest percentage taking the lead.
The three programs and how they differ
In the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special, riders perform set tests in which every rider-and-horse combination completes the same sequence of movements, allowing judges to directly compare performances. In the Freestyle, athletes create their own choreography and select their own music, within FEI guidelines. Judges score both the technical execution of the movements and the artistic presentation, including the interpretation of the music, creativity and overall harmony of the performance.
Throughout the championship, the highest percentage scores determine qualification to the next stage and ultimately decide the individual medal positions.
Team championships
For the team championships each nation is represented by a team of three or four rider-and-horse combinations. The team competition is decided during the Grand Prix, with the three best scores from each team counting towards the final result. The nation with the highest combined score is awarded the team gold medal.
The Grand Prix then also serves as the qualifying test for the following two individual championship competitions, the Grand Prix Special and the Freestyle.