Ideas for marking arena?

[Alterration]

My outdoor arena doubles as a turnout space for a blind horse in the morning. This is less than ideal, but something I have to cope with until he passes on (not my horse, boarder’s horse - he’s lived here all his life and he’s 38, so though I know this is going to end at SOME point, it’s annoying that I have to live with it for now). I don’t begrudge him the safe space, mind you, it’s just more trying to figure out how to work around it.

Measuring and marking the arena every ride is super impractical, however, since geometry is one of my biggest weaknesses I’d like to be sure that I can ride accurately.

Does anyone have any suggestions for something more “permanent” that I can do without jeopardizing the blind horse’s turnout? I’ve thought about buying the portable arenas and then just disconnecting and moving the pieces out to the rail, but that sounds like a real pain. Arena markers can only be placed on one side of the arena realistically since my ring is 230x110. I guess I could mark the “off side” and then only have one side of the portable arena that I can move in and out?

Any and all ideas are welcome!

[Mander]

Could you put laminated markers on the wall, and then for the middle of the ring, paint them on traffic cones? You’d still have to set the cones out each ride, but you could just use the wall markers as your measuring guide for where they belong.

[Huntin_Pony]

How about a static rope (climbing term meaning not stretchy) affixed to one end of the arena fence and then secured to the other end when you are going to ride. Mark the letter locations on the rope. You could do one rope for the long side and one for the short side on the two “open sides” of your dressage arena.

Tell me if you can’t picture what I’m trying to describe. I’m finding it a little hard to explain.

[Alterration]

@Huntin_Pony

How about a static rope (climbing term meaning not stretchy) affixed to one end of the arena fence and then secured to the other end when you are going to ride. Mark the letter locations on the rope. You could do one rope for the long side and one for the short side on the two “open sides” of your dressage arena.

That’s a great idea.

I’m actually thinking what might work the best is a rope that goes from the side wall to C. Then one from M->H that I can just place a cone at and put it back, then the same thing down at F-> K and one last one at A. That way I’m not leaving ropes out that would potentially trip my goober, and it’s always going to be square to the one fence of the arena.

Just dropping cones is probably easier than trying to measure it and get it square - from experience my arena is not even a perfect oval so trying to line things up is a real pain - hubby and I were trying to set up a Ritter exercise in there and man, was that hard. Kind of like building patio furniture, a real test of a marriage!

[Alterration]

@Mander

Could you put laminated markers on the wall, and then for the middle of the ring, paint them on traffic cones? You’d still have to set the cones out each ride, but you could just use the wall markers as your measuring guide for where they belong.

I think between your idea and Huntin_Pony’s idea we’ve got a good one - thank you!!!

[Huntin_Pony]

Sounds like a plan. Just to clarify:

The reason I suggested reaching the other fenceline is so that you can keep everything square. You still can use separate ropes for A, C, H and K and use marks on far fenceline to ensure perpendicular lines at M,F and the ends.

[Mander]

@Alterration

Kind of like building patio furniture, a real test of a marriage!

The darkest days of my marriage have mysteriously always aligned with trips to IKEA

I kid, I kid… mostly

[Alterration]

@Huntin_Pony

The reason I suggested reaching the other fenceline is so that you can keep everything square. You still can use separate ropes for A, C, H and K and use marks on far fenceline to ensure perpendicular lines at M,F and the ends.

Yep - the only issue is that my fence lines aren’t square So I’ll have to be a bit creative there. Really messed with my head at first when I was trying to line things up.

[Huntin_Pony]

Do you know how to use a “3-4-5” triangle to make a perpendicular junction?

How To Measure a Square Fence Corner

I’d do this at M, F and the A and C corners then make a mark on the opposite fence so that you can at least eyeball the cone placement each time by standing back at the fixed rope end and lining up the cone with the mark on the fence

[SuzieQNutter]

I would just use spray paint. You can put a cross mark at each letter. The blind horse can walk on it with no problems. You dont have to do anything before or after the ride.

It will wear off in time after the horse is gone.

[Alterration]

@SuzieQNutter

I would just use spray paint. You can put a cross mark at each letter. The blind horse can walk on it with no problems. You dont have to do anything before or after the ride.

It will wear off in time after the horse is gone.

Unfortunately it’s a sand arena. Blind horse also has no teeth. So the marks would leave the first time I dragged. Good thought though!

[SuzieQNutter]

@Alterration

@SuzieQNutter

I would just use spray paint. You can put a cross mark at each letter. The blind horse can walk on it with no problems. You dont have to do anything before or after the ride.

It will wear off in time after the horse is gone.

Unfortunately it’s a sand arena. Blind horse also has no teeth. So the marks would leave the first time I dragged. Good thought though!

Oops I missed that. Then I would go the whole hog and put up a wooden fence around the arena. The blind horse will get to know it and you can show him first and again you only have to open a gate before and after (or during) the ride.

[SuzieQNutter]

I have no experience with blind horses other than my boy who seems to have night blindness.

It is lovely you want to keep him in the paddock he knows but I would ask others if they have experience with moving a blind horse to a different paddock and how it went.

[outerbanks77]

I invested in an outdoor laser measuring device recently. It helps speed up the process of setting out cones. If you have at least one straight fence to measure from you can figure out how to set your dressage court back from that baseline. Write it down so you can replicate it later. The laser measure I bought is Bosch and has a little viewfinder screen. I can measure a full 60m if I use a barrel as a target. I can measure 20 m to something smaller like a large traffic cone or those plastic cavaletti blocks.

[mmeqcenter]

I’d rig up a bucket-and-rope situation; have a white 5-gallon bucket (or large cone) for each letter (paint the letter on in Black) and the corners, then attach rope between buckets/cones the necessary length.

Bottom left corner bucket - 6 meters rope - K - 12 meters rope - V - 12 meters rope - E - 12 meters rope - S - 12 meters rope - H - 6 meters rope - top left corner bucket - 20 meters rope - C - 20 meters rope - top right corner bucket - 6 meters rope - M - 12 meters rope - R - 12 meters rope - B - 12 meters rope - P - 12 meters rope - F - 6 meters rope - bottom right corner bucket - 20 meters rope - A
And leave open between A and the bottom left corner bucket for getting in and out safely.
Or just do it for two sides, if you’re putting something permanent on two fixed sides of the ring.

Sure, it’s still annoying to put it up and down each time you ride, but at least it’s pre-measured and you just have to walk around placing lightweight buckets.