I haven't really dug into Dressage research, But I am seeing horses on site with different levels of training?

Is that same as 50 Hours of western ground training in a sense? or what?

Just asking have a mother in law who is leaning to dressage from english. So you know I guess I better learn.

A happy wife is a happy home!

The levels in dressage are kind of like levels in horse shows. It's all about different maneuvers and difficulty. Like kids start out at level 1 which is basic walk, trot, lope, figure eights, circles, easy stuff. Then level 2 gets harder and so on. Then you have Grand Prix for like Olympic riders who do complicated things like the piaffe, pirroutte, tiempes where they change leads every stride or every other stride-very tough. Wiki has some basic information on dressage.

'Course, I'll be the perpetual training level/first level rider, but I look at the horse's progression in dressage levels as advancing his training in self carriage and collection. In training level, he should go relaxed, forward straight, walk trot and canter, in a soft round frame that looks like a nice softly rounded hunter. I'm currently training my horse in second level, where we've asked her to change her frame and lift more from her neck so her head carriage is higher while she's still tracking well up behind. I then collect and compact more in her gaits when asked. The goal is too that the aids get lighter as the horse's education advances. When he's at the higher levels like prix st. george or intermediare, his collection training and his athleticism now supports his ability to collect for the canter pirouette or piaffe. I picture it as getting the horse to sit in the rear more as he builds his strength and capability to carry himself that way. Ultimately, the horse responds to the slightest cues primarily through seat and leg.

The problem I've seen in the US, and of course, this is from a low level rider, is that horses are pulled front to back to create fake flexion, cranked in through the hand, and force movements that he's not ready physically for. Other problems I've seen in the low levels are horses that are hollow in the back, not tracking up and rigid and inflexible. Their riders think that all they have to do is walk trot and canter a pattern, but the fact that the horse is ridden entirely incorrectly doesn't occur to them. My goal is forward first, working from the back end, up over the back through the bridle. Ok...enough rambling...

Learning and teaching your horse some dressage movements such as shoulder-in, turn on the haunches, rein back, and haunches-in will develop your horse's potential to better compete in reining, jumping, english and western pleasure, barrels, or to just be a more enjoyable ride on the trail. Dressage will even benefit the race horse, keeping him strong through his entire body and helping to keep those precious legs from injury.
By training a horse in dressage basics you can produce an equine partner that is supple, obedient, more beautiful, healthier, and a joy to ride.