When to Move Up a Class: Signs You're Ready to Promote

Moving up to a higher class feels like a reward, but it's mainly a question of timing. At the KNHS (the Dutch equestrian federation), you move up partly on points and partly on your own judgment — and it's that second part that makes the difference between progressing smoothly and getting stuck for years.

How Promotion Works at the KNHS

You move up in dressage and show jumping on winstpunten (promotion points): the KNHS keeps a points table per discipline and class. In dressage, moving up becomes mandatory from 30 winstpunten (in classes B through M2): riding too long in the same class while scoring well above that threshold isn't allowed, because it gives an unfair advantage over riders just starting out. In show jumping, moving up is never mandatory: you're free to move up once you have enough winstpunten, but you don't have to.

Two things matter here:

• Points are recorded on the combination (you and your horse together), not on you as a rider. If you start with a new, inexperienced horse, that combination starts again from the bottom — even if you yourself have been riding Z for years.
• Relegation is possible, but only at your own request. If you score 53% or lower in the higher class in two competitions in a row, you can ask the KNHS to move you back down to the class you came from. A too-early promotion is therefore not a permanent misstep, but it does cost competitions and adjustment time before you're back where you belong.

The exact points thresholds and the current points table per discipline change from time to time and are published on knhs.nl. So don't rely on a fixed number from this guide — check with the federation.

Allowed to Promote vs. Ready to Promote

Having enough points means you're allowed to move up, not that you're ready for the work in the higher class. The difference between the classes lies in schooling, not in a few tenths of a point on your test.

A horse competing at M dressage has serious schooling behind it — that's no accidental step. The jump to Z asks for substantially more again: from here on, the proportion of combinations that keep climbing gets small. The heights and test elements above are indicative; the official tests and requirements are set out in the KNHS rulebook. Note: in show jumping, the letter classes no longer exist as of April 1, 2022; classes there are named after their height instead (for example, the 1.10 m or 1.35 m class), so the jump heights in the table above are a rough comparison to the dressage level, not an official class name. Piaffe and passage in dressage don't come into play until ZZ level.

Signs You're Ready for the Next Class

Moving up makes sense once the basics are stable, not when you just clear the threshold on one good day. Watch for these signals:

• You score the winstpunten consistently, across multiple competitions and with different judges — not through one outlier.
• The new elements of the higher class (for example, the flying change for M2) already work reliably at home, not only on a good training day.
• Your horse stays relaxed and in balance as the difficulty rises; the collection comes from the hindquarters, not from the hand.
• Your instructor or coach also thinks it's time. An outsider who watches you ride weekly judges more soberly than you do yourself after a nice test.

In short: you're ready when the current class comes easily to you and the first building blocks of the next one are already in place.

When It's Better to Wait

Promoting too early is a common mistake: relegation is only possible at your own request after two weak results in a row, and until then you're competing at a level that doesn't yet fit. Postpone if:

• You earned the points with barely-passing tests in which the basics (purity, rhythm, relaxation) were actually still shaky.
• Your horse can only meet the higher demands with too much hand or tension — you'll get stuck as soon as the test gets harder.
• Your young or recently acquired combination still needs to build trust; time spent in the current class pays off later.
• You're mainly doing it for the status of a higher class. A neat, relaxed L test says more about your riding than a tense M test that just scrapes by.

Schooling a horse takes time. Riders who build a genuinely solid foundation in the current class typically move up more smoothly later than those who rush upward.

The Horse, Not Just the Rider

Promotion is about the combination. An experienced rider on a young horse has to give the horse time to grow along physically and mentally — you don't build collection and carrying power in the hindquarters in a few months. Conversely, a schoolmaster horse can carry a less experienced rider upward with it.

If in doubt, pay attention to the physical load: the higher classes demand more strength and suppleness. If you see signs of stiffness, irregularity, or resistance that doesn't go away, a check by the vet or an experienced instructor is wiser than pushing on to the next class.

In Short

• You're allowed to move up once you have enough winstpunten; whether you're ready is determined by your combination's schooling.
• Wait for consistent scores and for new elements that already work at home — not for one good test.
• Remember that relegation is only possible at your own request (after two scores of 53% or lower in a row): a too-early step can be undone, but it costs time and competitions.
• Let your coach help decide, and keep an eye on your horse's health.
• Always check the current points table and test requirements with the source.

Sources (verified September 7, 2026): KNHS — Dressage Discipline Regulations 2026 (art. 106–108) · KNHS — When am I allowed to move up in show jumping? · KNHS — Dressage: levels and classes

See also: Glossary for this level · Level: Competing More Seriously · KNHS — Classes and Regulations