By Chelsey Burris
The new dressage tests take effect on December 1, 2022, and dressage enthusiasts from across the country are eager to learn the tests that will be ridden at showgrounds across the country over the next four years. Over the summer, we sent a team to the beautiful Donida Farm where the new 2023 US Dressage Tests were ridden and filmed! This footage will be used to produce the newest version of USDF’s On the Levels, which is a highly coveted and invaluable resource, for learning the new dressage tests, as well as other USDF initiatives to familiarize everyone with the new tests and movements. Check out some behind the scenes videos and photos from the filming from Stephanie Ruff of Equine Network and Jessica Farren Photography.
We have some special thank you’s and shoutouts for this project!
First, a big thank you to Dressage Today OnDemand for their assistance in filming the tests and for their support as the ‘Official Production Partner of USDF’s 2023 On the Levels.’
The Presenting Judges were FEI 4* Mike Osinski and FEI 4* Kari McClain. Our thanks to them for sharing their wisdom through the narrations for the tests.
Thanks to Gwen Blake, the owner of the beautiful Donida Farm in Auburn, Washington, for allowing us to use her facility to film the tests. She was our on-site organizer, and she also rode in one of the tests.
Thanks to the Equine Network’s awesome film crew for making every trip down centerline look visually stunning.
Thank you to our off-site organizer Janet Foy for all her help with this project.
And a very special thank you to all our riders and horses, who soldiered through some hot weather to put together amazing rides for this project:
- Introductory A – Rachel Marie aboard Serena with Judge Kari McClain
- Introductory B – Charlotte Green aboard her own Welsh Cross (grade) gelding, Comanche with Judge Kari McClain
- Introductory C – Kristin Miller aboard her own Norwegian Fjord mare, Bergen Saundra with Judge Mike Osinski
- Training Level Test 1 – Michelle Newman aboard her own Friesian/Gypsy cross mare, Spott On with Judge Mike Osinski
- Training Level Test 2 – Lindsay Burgner aboard her own pony, Mid Summer Nights Dream with Judge Kari McClain
- Training Level Test 3 – Rachel Marie aboard Arabian/Hanoverian cross mare, Serena with Judge Mike Osinski
- First Level Test 1 – Rachel Marie aboard her own Oldenburg mare, First Dibs with Judge Mike Osinski
- First Level Test 2 – Christine Murray aboard her own mare, Incandescent with Judge Kari McClain
- First Level Test 3 – Sarah Cohen Steadman aboard Fahrenheit M with Judge Mike Osinski
- Second Level Test 1 – Carrie Gregory aboard her own Pinto Hanoverian gelding, Hummer Thyme with Judge Kari McClain
- Second Level Test 2 – Sarah Cohen Steadman aboard her own Oldenburg mare, First Romance with Judge Mike Osinski
- Second Level Test 3 – Lucy Matulich aboard her own Pinto Warmblood mare, Sophera CR with Judge Kari McClain
- Third Level Test 1 – Rachel Marie aboard her own Welsh Cob/Hungarian Warmblood cross (registered German Riding Pony) gelding, Hermes with Judge Mike Osinski
- Third Level Test 2 – Tabitha Hopp aboard Caprius with Judge Mike Osinski
- Third Level Test 3 – Gwen Blake aboard Standing Ovation with Judge Kari McClain
- Fourth Level Test 1 – Teresa Leahy-Hunter aboard Dutch Warmblood, Dominique with Judge Mike Osinski
- Fourth Level Test 2 – Dannelle Haugen aboard Barbara Marcinowski’s Arabian stallion, HM Nahar with Judge Kari McClain
- Fourth Level Test 3 – Jessica Wisdom aboard her own Dutch Warmblood gelding, Falcon with Judge Mike Osinski
- Developing Prix St. Georges – Amanda Olson aboard Anne Cole’s Hanoverian gelding, Seraphims with Judges Kari McClain and Mike Osinski
- Developing Grand Prix – Claire Darnell aboard her own Dutch Warmblood gelding, Harrold S with Judges Kari McClain and Mike Osinski
- USEF/USDF 4 Year Old Test – Claire Darnell aboard her own Dutch Warmblood gelding, Matthew S with Judges Kari McClain and Mike Osinski
On the Levels will be available for purchase through USDF’s Vimeo channel in the near future. Stay tuned for details about the release date!
The following photos were taken by Jessica Farren Photography
The following photos and videos by Stephanie Ruff of Equine Network
