You have a startpas (the KNHS competition pass) and want to ride your first competition, but which class do you enter? At the KNHS, classes increase in difficulty, and where you start depends mainly on your discipline and what you and your horse can already do.
How the Class System Works
The KNHS (the Dutch equestrian federation) divides dressage into classes that increase in difficulty: B – L – M – Z – ZZ-Licht – ZZ-Zwaar, with the elite tier above that (Lichte Tour and Zware Tour, which includes the Grand Prix). B is the base; each following letter asks for more training. Below it sits class BB: an entry class without winstpunten and without promotion, for which you don't need a startpas for your horse (you do need KNHS membership). Since April 1, 2022, show jumping no longer has lettered classes: there, the class is named after the height of the course, from 0.30 m to 1.50 m for horses.
You don't move up automatically. With winstpunten (promotion points), points you can earn at every competition, you may move to a higher class; in dressage that's allowed from 10 winstpunten and required at 30 (in classes B through M2). Points are recorded on the rider-horse combination, not on you alone. If you later start with a different horse, the KNHS placement table decides where that new combination starts; both your highest class and the horse's count. See also the term "class" in the glossary.
Importantly, a dressage class and a show jumping height class say nothing about each other. A rider competing at L in dressage simply starts show jumping at whatever height suits their combination.
Through a Riding School: Tests Without a Startpas First
If you begin through a riding school, you often ride the tests of the riding course first, before you ride an official competition. The KNHS riding course (ruiteropleiding) has three phases: bronze, silver and gold, of which gold is still in development. Bronze starts with the first riding lesson and ends at F12 in dressage and S80 in show jumping. Silver runs from F13 up to and including L2 in dressage. You don't need a startpas for those tests, but for B and L in dressage the KNHS competition rules apply. For an official KNHS competition you do need a startpas. With a riding school membership you can apply for one; your riding school registers you with the KNHS for that.
Since 2025 this has been different from before. The cooperation between the KNHS and the FNRS (the Dutch trade association of riding centers) ended on January 1, 2025. The KNHS riding course is offered by KNHS clubs and by businesses with a KNHS license called Partner in Paardrijden (Partner in Riding). Since January 2025 the FNRS has its own course, Plezier met Paarden (Fun with Horses). Ask your riding school which course it teaches and whether it registers you with the KNHS.
Show Jumping: Start at a Low Height Class
In show jumping, the entry point is unambiguous: you pick the height class you can already jump cleanly at home, and for most combinations that's one of the lowest divisions. Since 2022, the KNHS no longer uses the letters B, L, and M but names classes after the height; the entry level for both ponies and horses starts as low as 0.30 m.
| Class | Height (indicative) | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| 0.30–0.80 m | low entry heights | first competitions, recreational |
| 0.90–1.10 m | around a meter | first real competitive career |
| 1.15–1.25 m | well above a meter | serious training |
An entry-level course is straightforward: a calm route with low obstacles. If you can jump a clean round at the class height at home, with control over pace and line, you're ready. You may move up a class after 10 winstpunten at your current height (from 1.40 m, after 5); moving up is never mandatory in show jumping.
For show jumping, the choice is rarely a dilemma: you start low and build up class by class. Exact heights and the regulations per class are on knhs.nl.
Dressage: B or L?
In dressage, where you start depends on your earlier results, and this is where the "B or L?" question comes from.
- Class B is a single basic test in walk, trot, and working canter (normal canter tempo), with simple turns, transitions, and a halt. This is the entry level for those who are just starting to compete.
- Class L (L1 and L2) asks for the first collected paces, extended trot, and more precision in the figures. Many combinations begin their real competitive career here.
Anyone riding a dressage test for the first time starts in class B (or in BB). You get to know the structure of a test, riding the arena letters, and working under a judge's assessment, without the technique already being demanding.
Starting directly in L is only allowed if you yourself have earned a winstpunt in L1 or higher at some point; that's what the KNHS placement table says. If you're riding your first competitions, you start in B, even if your horse has competed higher. If you do get to choose between B and L, pick the lower class when in doubt.
What a Test or Course Actually Asks
A short comparison of the entry classes helps you choose realistically:
| Dressage B | Dressage L | Show jumping entry class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaits | walk, trot, working canter | + collected and extended | n/a |
| Core demand | clean transitions, straight lines | contact and collection | control over pace and line |
| Obstacle height | - | - | 0.30–0.80 m |
| Judging | marks per movement, final score as a percentage | same, stricter | penalty points + time |
In dressage, a final score above 60 percent is a solid first competition; above 65 percent you're doing well. In show jumping, it's simple: clear and within the time.
How to Choose
A few rules of thumb:
- Show jumping → start at a low height class. No choice needed.
- Dressage → start in B, or in BB if you first want to get used to competing without winstpunten. L is only possible once you've been classified in L yourself.
- In doubt → choose the lower class. A strong test in B gives you winstpunten and confidence; a difficult test in L mostly gives you a low score and frustration.
- Ask your instructor. They know your riding and your horse and know what the judge expects at a local competition.
Remember that the class you start in isn't a final destination. With winstpunten you may move up, and in dressage classes B through M2 you must at 30. Starting in B doesn't mean you're missing out: you build up points and move up when you and your horse are ready. Starting too high can get in the way of your enjoyment of the sport altogether.
In Short
- Show jumping: start at a low height class (from 0.30 m); lettered classes haven't existed in show jumping since 2022.
- Dressage: without an earlier classification you start in class B (or BB, without winstpunten); going straight to L is only possible if you've been classified in L yourself.
- Promotion runs on winstpunten: in dressage it's allowed from 10 and required at 30 (B through M2); in show jumping it's never required.
- Through a riding school you first ride the tests of the KNHS riding course without a startpas; for an official competition you need a startpas.
- When in doubt: a class lower. Ask your instructor and check the current class requirements on knhs.nl.
In Belgium the system is different (no B-to-ZZ ladder but levels with a handicap system): see the guide on classes and levels in Flanders.
Sources (verified September 7, 2026, classes and placement October 17, 2026, riding course and KNHS and FNRS November 2, 2026): KNHS: Show Jumping Discipline Rules 2026 (art. 253) · KNHS: Dressage Discipline Rules 2026 (art. 104 to 110) · KNHS: Dressage placement table · KNHS: Promotion Points in Show Jumping · KNHS: About the KNHS riding course · KNHS: Riding course phase 2, silver · KNHS: What is a riding school membership? · KNHS: Annual report 2025 (section 1.2.1) · FNRS: Plezier met Paarden
See also: Glossary for Competition Riders · Applying for a KNHS Startpas