I’ve found that stain lasts much longer than paint if the poles are exposed to weather.
I’d do some all white too, the last horse I rode was used to colored and striped poles and for some reason always spooked at all white poles. He really caught me off guard the first few times he did it. 
I was going to suggest a water repellant stain for the standards. Stain fades and it’s easier to keep on top of, whereas paint chips and peels and gets real gross if you don’t catch it right away.
My friend got PVC piping as poles. You could still use duct tape that way, because no matter how many times you may need to replace it, the adhesive won’t damage it, like it might with wood.
Also, Canadiens are fancy.
Bumping this up from a search.
Do you all use exterior paint or interior paint? I painted my standards with exterior barn paint, but Lowes doesn’t have colored exterior paint available in pints and I hate to buy that many gallons of paint.
I dont mind repainting every year, I just don’t want to have to paint every month. Jumps are for use in an outdoor ring.
I use exterior, gloss…and buy gallons. I actually buy the big 5 gallon bucket of white and then gallons of the colors. IMO, you will want gallons because when you need to repaint (about every two years) you don’t want the hassle of having to color match. Sure, you have to store a bit, but really, if only do a few colors, you will probably need a gallon anyway…
I used exterior gloss for mine. I did 2 coats on 16 poles and used most of a gallon. I used Rustoleum spray paint for the stripes and it came out beautifully, but I can’t comment on the long term durability since I just did them this summer.
Nearly 20yrs ago DH & I made a set of PVC standards & poles.
They were used outdoors & stored in an indoor arena.
We bought this tape from Dover & it still looks decent:
http://www.doversaddlery.com/burlingham-rail-tape/p/X1-27922/
If you are using wood, I suggest priming with Kilz:
High quality exterior Gloss paint. I use only Sherwin Williams paint. If you are a USEF member you get a nice discount if you buy it at a Sherwin Williams store. They also have pints of exterior gloss paint at Sherwin Wiliiams and while it costs a bit more it lasts much longer.
Ditto on the high gloss paint for the rails. And if you are an Equine Canada member you also receive the Sherwin Williams discount. (Weird that the discount actually goes through a Kentucky address for the company but it does indeed work at all SW paint stores in Canada). NEVER use duct tape. It looks nice for a very short while then eventually peels off or partially peels off making it almost impossible to remove without a lot of effort. And never for outdoor use as it will fade. I also purchase a really good wood primer product named ZINSSER which actually helps cover any knot holes in the lumber. Then I paint. And my best tip…buy used rails from your local show at the end of the year . They might be a bit banged up and need a good coat of paint but they are always excellent quality rails, the right size and length and once painted look as good as new again. And much cheaper.
“NEVER use duct tape. It looks nice for a very short while then eventually peels off or partially peels off making it almost impossible to remove without a lot of effort.”
I seriously must have magic duct tape then, because this is what my tape rails look like after 2.5 years. Up close they’re starting to look rough and I probably should retape them, but from afar they still look fine! The white paint looks worse actually :lol:
I built some indoor ground poles using landscape timbers. Sand them first and caulk them if you want them smooth. I find that a gallon can of Kilz 3 primer is worth five gallons of any other paint for its stickiness, easiness to apply, and low VOC. It is matte white and easy to paint over; you can get away with a single coat. Give the painted poles a long dry in a warm place. I used spray paint at even intervals to make stripes, then ended each stripe with regular duct tape.
Pay special attention to sanding the ends because people will be picking these up without gloves and you don’t want them to get wood slivers.
Horses are red-green color blind, so you might want to plan your colors accordingly if you’re interested in the horses seeing your colors along with your riders.
You sure dug this thread our from the back of the closet! 😜
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