National Dressage Series
There is a national series for every rider to participate in including open and restricted categories including Pony & Young Riders, Youth, Rising Stars and Masters.
Kiwi Arena Rake Premier League
The Kiwi Arena Rake Premier League is held across NZ by 20 area Dressage groups comprising regional events, and includes the Bates National Dressage Championships & SI Dressage Championships. The events host Super 5 League and Zilco Musical Freestyle classes, where riders accrue points for these leaderboards. They can also gain points in the Prestige Equestrian Dressage Futures Series, the Dressage Top 10 Leagues Jump 4 Joy & TackShop Rising Stars, Fine Line Horse Floats Masters, and the AMS Pony, Young & Youth Performance League.
Super 5 Dressage League
The Super 5 League comprises a points series in each island at all graded Levels Preliminary to Grand Prix plus an island final at both the South Island Championships and the Bates NZ Championships. National Super 5 rankings will be determined from % in each level at both these events.
Points table available on Evo Events supported by Dressage NZ.
Zilco Musical Freestyle Series
The crowd pleasing Zilco Musical Freestyle Series will be a feature again this season. The series will use the 2023 tests Novice to Advanced at Kiwi Arena Rakes Premier League events and Horse of the Year Show. The FEI Intermediate I Freestyle will be used for Small Tour and the FEI Intermediate A/B Freestyle for Medium Tour. The requirements for the freestyle tests will align with the movements in the new tests. Movements NOT permitted and shown DELIBERATELY will incur a 5 point deduction from each judge from the total for technical execution. The choreography mark may be no higher than 5.5
The competition comprises two Island Series contested at Premier League Events. The North Island Series completes at the Horse of the Year Show and the South Island Series completes at the South Island Festival of Dressage. The series includes Levels Novice to Grand Prix. Points table managed directly by Dressage NZ
Young Dressage Horse Championships
The purpose of the competitions are to select the best young horse which is progressing on the correct way of training, with the potential to capably perform at International Dressage level. The National Young Horse Dressage Championship & Age Group Championships will be held at the Bates National Championships at Fiber Fresh NEC Taupo.
Prestige Equestrian Dressage Futures Prize
The Prestige Equestrian Futures Prize will be awarded to the best performed
combination competing at Premier League Events from
September 2025 – February 2026 and meeting the following eligibility conditions.
4 -10 year old horses over 148cm competing at Levels Preliminary to Small Tour with riders who have no grading points in Medium Tour or above on any horse. The prize is a fabulous Prestige Saddle. (Riders may only win the saddle prize once)
View full conditions and enter on EvoEvents prior to 1 December 2025
Entries only on www.evoevents.co.nz
AMS Saddlery Pony, Young Rider & U25 Rider Performance League
AMS Saddlery Pony, Young Rider & U25 Rider Performance League aims to increase participation at a Pony, Young Rider & U25 Rider level and to establish a culture where these riders compete against their peers of a similar age and experience. Scores will be taken from all tests at Kiwi Arena Rakes Premier League events in every level. Competitors must be 25 years or under at 1 August 2025 to participate.
View full conditions and enter on EvoEvents prior to 1 December 2025
Entries only on www.evoevents.co.nz
Fine Line Horse Floats & Trailers Masters Top Ten League
This competition is designed to promote dressage competition and participation for Masters Riders. The series provides an opportunity for riders to compete against peers at five different levels at all levels of events and competition regardless whether riders compete locally, regionally or nationally. The competition will be open to riders 50 years & over as at 1 January 2025 and is run in five main divisions plus special awards from 1st August 2025 until 30th April 2026.
View full conditions and enter on EvoEvents prior to 1st December 2025
Entries only on www.evoevents.co.nz
Jump 4 Joy Rising Stars Rider Top 10 League Conditions 2025-26Jump 4 Joy Rising Stars Top Ten League
The Jump 4 Joy Rising Stars Top Ten League aims to encourage and inspire new and returning adult riders.
This is an opportunity for riders to compete in a national series against riders of similar age, experience and grade of horse or pony at local, regional, and national shows.
Entry conditions align with the Gold Silver & Bronze Classifications at each level.
All participating riders, ponies & horses must be fully ESNZ registered and horses and ponies must have an annual start for dressage. Scores from 1st August 2025 to the 30th April 2026 will count towards the Jump 4 Joy League.
View full conditions and enter on EvoEvents prior to 1st December 2025
Entries only on www.evoevents.co.nz
TackShop Pony & U25 Rider Rising Stars Top Ten Leagues
The TackShop Pony & Young Rider Rising Stars Top Ten League again is set to encourage and inspire our riders of the future, this year as two separate Leagues, one for Pony Riders & one for Youth Riders
This is an opportunity for riders to compete in a national series against riders of similar age, experience and grade of horse or pony at local, regional and national shows.
Entry conditions this year align with the newly introduced Gold Silver & Bronze Classifications at each level.
All participating riders, ponies & horses must be fully ESNZ registered and horses and ponies must have an annual start for dressage. Scores from 1st August 2025 to the 30th April 2026 will count towards the TackShop League.
The Top 10 scores in graded competitions will count. In the event of a tie, the average of the Top 10 scores will win. There will be rosettes for the top placed horse and top placed pony in each area, plus national champions and reserves in all six divisions.
View full conditions and enter on EvoEvents prior to 1st December 2025
Entries only on www.evoevents.co.nz
Pony to Podium Pathway
A collaboration between Dressage NZ and ESNZ High Performance Dressage has resulted in an exciting new Pony to Podium Pathway Series being introduced
Purpose
The aim of this initiative is to increase participation and performance of young New Zealand dressage riders in national and international FEI dressage competitions. It forms a key part of the national succession strategy to ensure a sustainable pipeline of riders advancing through the FEI Youth levels toward senior High Performance representation.
Qualifying competitions will be held at the following Events in the 2025-26 season – the number in brackets indicates the number of days the show is held over.
- 19 October Wellington (2)
- 27 October Marlborough (2)
- 27 October Bay of Plenty (3)
- 30 November Canterbury (2)
- 30 November AMDG (2)
- 24 January Youth Festival of Dressage & U25 Championships (2)
- 8 February SI Dressage Champs (3)
- 14 February Dressage Waikato (2)
- 4-8 March DNZ Bates National Championships (3)
Thoroughbreds in Equestrian Sport (TiES) proudly brought to you by the NZ Thoroughbred Racing. Find out how to be eligible to compete in the TiES National Competition 2025/2026 and what competitions and classes allow you to gain TiES points.