We have a large Dressage ring and used the 8" x 8" letters to put on the rail. People had trouble seeing them when they rode the test. It was suggested to put flowers at each letter, but I would like a more permanent solution. Do the letters have to have a white backdrop? Could I go with a 12" x 12" blue background with white letters (our farm colors)? It would be very easy for people to see and match the color scheme we have with the rest of the farm. Right now, we are only offering unrecognized Combined Tests. However, they are growing and we would like to do things the correct way.
I’m not sure there’s an actual written rule, but black on white is all you’ll see at recognized competitions (and pretty much all I’ve ever seen anywhere.) That said, as long as they are legible, I can’t imagine anyone caring. You could also do dark blue letters on white.
Is this an indoor? The arena here has letters on the walls, and no one has ever complained about not seeing them. If outdoor, why not the standard pylons?
Check the rules.
Try it.
See what happens.
Shows usually have Cones or Boxes for letters, not just drawn on railing, so it’s even clearer. Is there a reason, apart from a monetary one, that you don’t have cones or boxes for the letters?
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That’s a tough height, since it’s probably above where people are used to looking in an outdoor and below where they’re used to looking in an indoor, and I’m not sure if you could put cones outside and have them be visible with the posts. If the letters all align with posts you could almost drill holes and stick them on rods into the tops. Or maybe just use something like this attached to the railings somehow https://www.equestriancollections.com/horse-barn-stable-supplies-equipment/horse-arena-supplies/dressage-cones-markers/dressage-letters-set?gclid=CjwKCAjwoMPcBRAWEiwAiAqZh2hW1hjHMgMUod2z_dWqSOOteQnxjqN9Pa_iO7wxU0Cw_FChEiibzRoCINYQAvD_BwE so that the letter part is 6-8"above the railing? If you have to put them directly on the railing I think I would go with the blue background to make it more noticeable.
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Can you put in a regular dressage court? Or is the arena the exact dimension of the court already? I agree with the suggestion above that a pylon or box would be more appropriate for marking the arena, if you have room to do so.
This arena is exact dimensions for a large court. I guess we could make a smaller court within the arena, but everyone loved being able to ride in a large court so I hate doing that. I will if need be. I was just hoping for some suggestions on how to make it user friendly.
The letters fall exactly on the posts - measured within an inch! We tried to think of everything when we put it in. Apparently, we missed how visible the letters would be on the white background.
Is the letter flat on the fence? No wonder they struggle to start a 20m circle at B they can’t see it coming along the rail from M.
Yes. That is the issue and why I posted here. Do you have a suggestion?
I am thinking you could mount a 4 sided letter on the outside of the fence, so that it’s just on top of it?
The hard-ass in me says people should put on their big-girl panties on and quit whining. They (should) know where the heck the letters are.
But in the spirit of being cooperative, my suggestion would be to put letters on top of the posts at the main points of the arena…A, C, B, E, M, H, K, F.
These could be removable for the dressage shows. The letters could be angled like < so the sides are facing the direction the rider would be approaching the marker.
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If your competitors are like ours, it’s a million intro and training rides. It’s not fair to go all hard ass on green beans.
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The contrasting blue sign with white lettering would make them more visible- I suspect part of the issue is the white sign disappearing into the white fencing. I would try re painting your existing signage. It wouldn’t solve the issue of being hard to see the letters on the same side, but it might be good enough.
If that isn’t enough, I think colored cubes on top of the posts for shows would be the most visible solution.
the coloured signs might be a little unconventional, but a well run show at a safe venue is far more important!
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Ah, makes sense. Perhaps you could get the large cones and place them just outside the fence? Combined with the letters that are on the fence itself, that might do the trick.
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If the letters are all on posts you could paint a blue stripe around the post at the height of the letter. This would be visible from any angle even if the letter itself is not.
I think white letters on blue would be very effective and look nice too. 
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I think you should come up with something that adds height to the fence/post where the letters are - either the letters on top of the post, or a small flower pot or a 3-sided pylon with the letters on all sides to be seen from all directions. Those little “practice” cones for kids’ soccer practice might be just the right size to put on top of a post, and you could add small planks to it with the letters.
It sounds like maybe you have two issues.
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Riders have trouble picking up the black/white markers against the white rail when coming across the ring. For this, the blue and white signs will probably work.
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Riders have trouble finding the marks when they are tracking along the rail. For this problem, the blue/white signs hung on the rail probably won’t be very effective. I like the idea of painting stripes on those posts or putting something on top of the post to display the letter, either angled, or perpendicular to the rail.
Technically speaking the letters are supposed to be outside the court a specified distance - I’d have to look at the rulebook but I think it’s like 15 inches or something?
I would assume it is so you can read the letter while on the rail. That’s also the reason that most folks use triangles - you see the letters from both sides of the rail as you are heading down it as well as on a diagonal line. If you have flat letters they need to be far enough away so that you can see them.
All that said, if you are doing schooling shows most folks are doing intro and training level so it’s not really all that critical. I suppose I would add a piece of tape on the fence board showing the mark and affix triangles to the top of the fence at each letter if that’s viable.
Geek that I am, I looked it up in the rulebook:
Except for the letter “A”, the letters outside the enclosure should be placed about 0.5 meters from the fence and clearly marked. So that the judges can note the exact point on the track opposite each letter, it is compulsory to place a marker on the fence itself, level with and in addition to the letter concerned. It is not permitted to place the letters on the arena fence, however, one-sided (flat) letters may be placed on the wall of an indoor arena when such an arena is permitted under(7) through (9) below. The letter A should be placed at least five meters away from the arena.
