Dressage Arena Letters and Figures Explained

Every dressage arena has letters along the wall, and every riding lesson builds on a small set of fixed figures. You'll meet both as soon as you start reading and riding your first dressage test, but they're worth knowing well before that too — your instructor uses them from your very first lesson.

The Two Standard Sizes

A dressage arena comes in two fixed sizes: the small arena at 20 by 40 meters, and the large arena at 20 by 60 meters. Both follow the same basic principle — letters along the long sides and on the imaginary centerline — but the large arena has more of them, simply because there's more space between the corners.

The Letters on the 20×40 Arena

The small arena has eight letters along the wall. The entrance, on the short side, is A. The opposite short side is C. Between them, each long side carries three letters: going from A to C you pass K, E, H, and going from C back to A you pass M, B, F. E and B sit directly opposite each other, at the middle of their long side.

On the imaginary centerline — the line connecting A and C through the middle of the arena — sit three more letters: D, X, and G. X marks the exact center of the arena, the point where most tests place a halt or a salute.

A well-known mnemonic for the letter order A-K-E-H-C-M-B-F is "All King Edward's Horses Can Master Big Fences." Dutch riders don't have a standard rhyme of their own for it; most simply learn the letters by riding them often.

The Letters on the 20×60 Arena

The large arena has the same eight outer letters, with extra letters added between K-E-H and M-B-F. On one long side that adds up to K, V, E, S, H, and on the other to M, R, B, P, F. The centerline gains two more letters as well: D, L, X, I, G, with X still marking the middle.

For the precise official layout, the distances between the letters, and how they're used in tests, knhs.nl (the Dutch equestrian federation) is the source to check — this differs by test and class.

What the letters mean once you're actually riding them is explained briefly in the glossary of riding terms: the path running right along the wall is called the track, and the letters mark where an exercise begins or ends.

The Basic School Figures

With the letters as fixed reference points, every lesson builds on a small number of standard figures. They reappear in almost every test.

• The volte. A small circle of fixed diameter, usually ridden from a letter. It builds bend and balance, and is the figure most often used to warm up new combinations (you and your horse together).
• The half-volte (half circle). A half circle that returns to the track at a different point than where it started. Often the lead-in to changing rein.
• Changing rein. Switching the direction of travel — for example across the diagonal (from corner to corner through the arena) or along the length or width of the arena. This keeps the horse from training one-sidedly.
• The serpentine. A series of loops along the long side, weaving from one side of the centerline to the other. It calls for continual rebending and straightening, and is a good measure of suppleness.
• The large and small circle. Circles of a larger diameter than the volte, often used to settle a gait or bring it back before a more precise figure follows.

In Short

• There are two standard sizes: the 20×40 arena and the large 20×60 arena.
• On the 20×40 arena, A and C sit on the short sides, K-E-H and M-B-F on the long sides, and D-X-G on the centerline.
• The 20×60 arena adds V-S and R-P to the long sides and L-I to the centerline; X still marks the middle.
• The volte, half-volte, changing rein, serpentine, and the large or small circle are the figures you'll see most often.
• For the official layout and how it's used in tests, knhs.nl is the source to check.

See also: Reading and riding your first dressage test · Horse riding jargon you'll hear as a beginner · Glossary of riding terms · Level: First Competitions