Dressage arena letters explained

The shape of the arena

A practice arena is a rectangle. The standard small size is 20 metres wide and 40 metres long — roughly 66 ft × 131 ft. The two short sides are the ends you ride towards; the two long sides are the tracks you ride along.

You enter at A, in the middle of one short side, and ride towards C, in the middle of the far short side.

Where each letter goes

Standing at A and looking towards C, the left long side carries K, E and H and the right long side carries F, B and M. K, F, H and M sit 6 m in from the nearest corner. E and B are exactly halfway along each long side.

A

Centre of the entrance short side

K

Left long side, 6 m from the A corner

E

Left long side, halfway along

H

Left long side, 6 m from the C corner

C

Centre of the far short side

M

Right long side, 6 m from the C corner

B

Right long side, halfway along

F

Right long side, 6 m from the A corner

X, D and G — the centre line

The centre line runs straight from A to C through the middle of the arena. Three points on it have names. You never put a marker on the ground for these — they are places you judge by eye, in line with the lettered markers opposite.

D

Centre line, level with K and F

X

Centre of the arena, level with E and B

G

Centre line, level with H and M

X is the one you will meet most often: it is the exact centre of the arena, and it is where most tests ask you to halt and salute.

What “at A”, “at C” and “between markers” mean

• “At A” — the movement happens as your own body passes that letter, not the horse's nose and not a stride later.
• “At C” — same rule, at the far short side. “C — Track right” means you turn right as you reach C.
• “Between K and A” — anywhere on the stretch of track between those two letters. This wording is used when a transition needs a little room, so you are not penalised for being a stride early or late.

“Change the rein”

The rein simply means the direction you are going round the arena. On the left rein you are travelling anti-clockwise, with your left hand towards the middle. On the right rein you are travelling clockwise. “Change the rein” means swap to the other direction.

A change of rein is usually written as three letters — M–X–K. That tells you the route: start at M, ride a straight diagonal line through X in the middle, and finish at K. Read it left to right, in the order you ride it.

Setting up at home

1. 1. Find a flat, safe, even rectangle of roughly 20 m × 40 m.
2. 2. Pace it out — for most adults one long stride is close to a metre. Put a marker at each corner first.
3. 3. Add a marker for A and C in the middle of each short side, then E and B halfway along each long side, then K, F, H and M six metres in from each corner.
4. 4. Safe improvised markers are perfectly fine for practice: cones, buckets, poles, feed bags or anything clearly visible that will not hurt a horse. Nothing expensive is needed.
5. 5. Do not mark D, X or G. Find them by eye, in line with the letters on the long sides.

For our online classes a reasonably similar rectangle is accepted where the class rules allow it. If a class has stricter requirements, the class rules always take precedence.

Common instructions, illustrated