My riding instructor said that I will be riding a level 1 dressage horse for my next lesson.
-What is a level 1 dressage horse?
-What makes a level 1 dressage horse different then a run-of-the-mill school horse?
-Are there any special things I should pay attention to (such as my hands) when I am riding this horse.
Thanks
A level one dressage horse is simply more advanced in its quality of movement and abilities. Level one dressage requires walk, trot, and canter, but the moves are judged very closely, and the horse must be balanced, have good contact, and be forward, but controlled.
So basically, the horse you’ll be riding should have all of those qualities. There isn’t anything all that different about riding a horse like that, except you can expect it to be very responsive, especially to leg commands. Hope you have a good ride 
Here’s an example of a level one dressage test:
February 6th, 2010 at 5:17 am
A level one dressage horse is simply more advanced in its quality of movement and abilities. Level one dressage requires walk, trot, and canter, but the moves are judged very closely, and the horse must be balanced, have good contact, and be forward, but controlled.
So basically, the horse you’ll be riding should have all of those qualities. There isn’t anything all that different about riding a horse like that, except you can expect it to be very responsive, especially to leg commands. Hope you have a good ride
Here’s an example of a level one dressage test:
References :
http://www.usef.org/documents/disciplines/dressage/2003-dressage-tests.pdf