At our schooling shows here in Ocala, we sometimes get some junior H/J kids come and enter 3rd for just this reason. THen they ride with almost looped reins, not on the bit at all, not into the corners, egg-shaped circles, and yes, a clean swap. And then they are mad at the score…
My horse does great flying changes. Everything else is shit 
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@J-Lu L I’ll back you up lol - I always thought “upper level” referred to anything 3rd and above - so 3rd, 4th, and FEI (since by many global definitions, 3rd is where “real” dressage starts). I always specify FEI though when talking about FEI, since that’s a very different game than 3rd and 4th
I learned competitive dressage on the West coast US, so I can only assume that’s where I picked it up. Now that I’m in the Mid-Atlantic, I’m going to survey my barn and ask them what they all think!
Just goes to show how it’s just easier to specify the level directly 
I also have never heard 3rd or 4th referred to as upper level. That terminology starts at PSG.
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I think “lower” for 2nd and below is standard, and we don’t typically use “mid-level”, which is probably the correct characterization for 3rd-4th. Ergo lumping them in to “upper” when contrasting with “lower” i think is more common usage than we realize.
Without the contrast to “lower” though, when people speak of “upper level”, i do think it is basically synonymous with fei. If someone advertised an “upper level” dressage horse for sale, i would assume at least schooling psg with potential for more. If it were a 3rd-4th level horse, i would expect it advertised as such with a show record at that level.
So my 2€ is it is contextual
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That’s a good way to think about it.
If a sales ad says “upper level” and they’re actually schooling/showing 3rd…
This reminds me of showing in the hacks at a hunter show locally here. I took my moms super 2nd level mare to some hunter shows and fairs to get her more exposure around busy atmosphere because she was a spooky sass sometimes for my mom, who was a nervous rider at the dressage shows.
She won all the classes out of 35+ entries. The judge called me aside after the final class and said you and maybe 2 other people are the only ones who showed any changes in frame or gait when asked, and that’s why she placed like she did.
So like the dressage ring, you have to actually show you understand what the question is and that you can show off the training you have done to be there.
Doing the tricks just isn’t it.
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Love it!
Every sound horse should be able to do a respectable 2nd Level test. To that point it’s just basic work, but “basic” beyond just knowing how to w/t/c/whoa/steer, it’s about functionally improving their bodies. Way way more Hunter riders need to take “dressage” more seriously. It’s so frustrating seeing even 3’ Hunters with no muscling on the top of their neck, it’s just flat (or would be if they weren’t so fat), because they are never packaged together.
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