The standard A,K,E,H,C,M,B,F markers are commonly used in a dressage arena; but do you know their history? While dressage is thought to have been practised for hundreds and
thousands of years, arena markers were not introduced formally into dressage competitions until the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, using a 60m x 20m arena.
Arena letters
Although there are several theories regarding the origins of the arena letters, including the initials of horses in the stable yard of the 17th century’s first Duke of Newcastle, William Cavendish, the most common theory is that the arena letters date back to the 18th century kingdom of Prussia. At this time, stable grooms at the Imperial Palace are said to have waited for their masters with their equine charges next to the letter that related to their master’s position or role, in German; for example, K for Kaiser or king, R for Ritter or knight, F for Furst or prince, and so on.
Various information sources are able to suggest sufficient German dignitary titles for the letters K,E,H,B,B,F, although it appears that the centre line letters, A, X and C, are absent. There is no definite answer as to why these centre line letters were introduced, other than to fill the gaps!
For standard sized arenas, four further letters are used around the outside of the arena; V,S,R and P; and D, L, X, I and G are used down the centre line. Again, there is no concrete answer as to why these letters were selected, although one theory is that they were introduced by 20th century German Cavalry officers.
The Saddlery Shop offers a lovely set of tread-in dressage markers constructed from plastic coated steel, suitable for manege or field use. These dressage markers are suitable for a standard 20m x 40m arena and feature eight large, easy to read letters on a plastic coated metal plate, set into a hoop with bar to tread them easily into the ground.
We also offer a set of 12 self-adhesive dressage markers for marking out a dressage arena. These large, easy to read dressage markers contain the complete set of 12 letters so are also suitable for a larger dressage arena with the additional letters of: R S V P.
Author or this article, Lucy Nicholas, is proprietor of The Saddlery Shop, winner of BETA’s SEIB Internet/Mail Order Retailer of the Year Award. Browse our main site at www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk
If you’d like to read more about horsey and equestrian matters, visit Horse & Countryside magazine’s website! It has a range of articles and news stories.
