chapter 5
Arena Grid
1.
Grid Patterns
Whenever you enter the Riding Arena for dressage practice, always click on the rake by the entrance, as this will turn on the additional sand line patterns!
Arena Grid
The arena floor has three distinct patterns that can be seen repeating across the arena:
pebble, track, and dots and spacings.
Pebble
A pattern of "pebble lines" can be seen throughout the entire arena from all orientations.
Track
A pattern of faded "dirt paths"(aka; tracks) can be seen along the center, mid, wall, and diagonal lines.
Dots & Spacings
A pattern of "bright dots" and "spacings" can be seen evenly spaced throughout the arena.
The 3 patterns within the arena floor (pebble, track, and dot) make up the arena grid. The arena grid is used to create named markers and sand lines. These patterns help riders and commanders with accuracy and precision during dressage.
When SSO was updating the arena for the second time, the game designer that was working on the new floor used PQL's original sandline dictionary as reference!
Why is it important to understand the arena grid? The arena grid is what makes up all of the sand lines and markers that are used in dressage. Without sand lines and markers, dressage would not have accurate timing and riders would have to guess when to do specific moves. Straightness is also greatly affected, due to looking at your computer screen instead of actually being in the arena - you do not have spatial awareness, which means you will not be able to sense your surroundings; this is why using sand lines and markers are so important as they can guide riders while also being a useful tool for commanders.
2.
Dot Pattern
Dots & Spacings
Throughout the arena there are lines of evenly placed and repeating bright sand dots and spacings. Bright dots and spacings work together as patterns, think of them as partners. The bright dot pattern is the easiest to see within the arena grid.
The bright dot and spacing pattern are used to create markers, crosshair markers, common sand lines, metered circle markers, as well as metered sand lines.
Bright dot refers to the lighter colored circles of sand in the arena floor.
Spacing refers to the middle point between two bright dots.
Spacings and spacing lines do not have a definitive visual marker, unlike bright dots and bright dot sand lines. Depending on where you are in the arena, the spacing line could be a pebble line or other times a line of faded dots, or it may not have any visual markers.
Spacing & Spacing Line
What is the difference between spacing and spacing line? It is the same concept of "dot" and "dotted line"; dot refers to one singular bright dot while dotted line means an entire row of dots that create a line.
Spacing refers to one marker that is directly between two bright dots.
Spacing lines refers to an entire sand line that falls directly between two dotted sand lines. Spacing lines stretch the entire length/width of the arena.
A & C Wall Pattern
From A to C wall there are 9 bright dot lines that are 15 dots long.
From A to C wall there are 8 spacing lines.
E & B Wall Pattern
From E to B wall there are 15 bright dot lines that are 9 dots long.
From E to B wall there are 14 spacing lines.
Understanding Distance
The bright dots and spacings within the arena floor are not randomly placed; they are evenly spaced apart with a clear pattern.
Sand lines and markers, such as the bright dots and spacings, can be used by riders to track their "move size/distance". Every dressage move has a certain "size" or "distance" that it covers. Being aware of the move size or distance can help with accuracy and precision, while also ensuring that the move is being performed correctly and that arena timing is not negatively affected.
Every bright dot or bright dot line is 5 meters apart.
Every spacing or spacing line is 5 meters apart.
From a spacing to a bright dot, or vice versa, is 2.5 meters.
A walk curl-over is equivalent to a character spacing; meaning, if a rider is on a sand line and does a walk curl-over, they will end up a character distance away from their original sand line. A character spacing is equivalent to the distance from one pebble line to the next.
A trot curl-over is equivalent to 2.5 meters; meaning, if a rider is on a bright dotted sand line and does a trot curl-over they will end up directly between 2 dotted lines on a spacing line (or vice versa).
A canter curl-over is equivalent to 5 meters; meaning, if a rider is on a bright dotted sand line and does a canter curl-over they will end up on the next dotted line over. Or, if a rider is on a spacing line and does a canter curl-over they will end up on the next spacing line over.
At first the arena grid and the different sand lines may seem overwhelming, but the more time you spend within the arena actively thinking about your position in relation to the sand lines - the easier it will become! Practice and don't worry if you don't fully understand right away, it takes time to learn new skills!
3.
Track Pattern
Tracks
Within the arena there are dark paths of sand bordering the walls, center and mid, and along the diagonal lines. These dark paths are known as the "track pattern".
The tracks are not typically used as actual sand lines (unlike bright dot lines and spacing lines), and instead, the track pattern is mostly an additional visual guide to help with seeing other sand lines.
The track pattern can be seen with or without the additional bright dot pattern; however, we always recommend to use the bright dot pattern when performing dressage.
Diagonal Tracks
There are 2 paths of dark sand that cut across the arena diagonally from the quarter letters; these are called the diagonal tracks.
Riders will follow the F-H and K-M diagonal tracks when riding a diagonal. In the PDM we do not cut diagonals directly from the corners, instead we utilize the quarter letters.
Wall Tracks
There are 4 paths of dark sand that border the four arena walls; these are called the wall tracks (yes, highly creative name).
The four wall tracks are: C wall track, B wall track, A wall track, and E wall track.
Center & Mid Tracks
The dark path of sand from A to C wall is called the Center Track while the dark path of sand from E to B wall is called the Mid Track.
What are tracks used for?
The track pattern is mainly used as an additional guide and not used solely as a sand line to follow (except for the diagonal tracks). Tracks can help riders spot specific dotted or pebble sand lines easier with the aid of the dark tracks. They can also help with identifying very unique markers (ex: ride on the edge of C Wall Track).
4.
Pebble Pattern
Pebble Lines
The pebble pattern consists of sand lines created by rows of different sized pebbles. This pattern can be seen with or without the additional dot patterns.
The pebble lines can be seen as an evenly spaced pattern throughout the arena from all directions. The pebble pattern has different looking pebbles and lines, some of these may be difficult to see right away.
There are two distinctive pebble patterns, a pattern when facing E or B wall and a pattern when facing A or C wall. The E and B wall pebble lines look slightly different than the A and C wall pebble lines.
When facing E or B wall, there is a repeating pattern of pebble lines that are evenly spaced apart.
When facing A or C wall, there is a pattern of evenly spaced pebble lines repeating across the arena.
Pebble lines are used by riders to help with accuracy, precision, and straightness in dressage. Pebble lines offer additional guidance, especially when the rider is not on a highly visible sand line, like the bright dotted lines. This is especially helpful considering the bright dot lines are fairly far apart.
Pebble Line Spacing
Each individual pebble line is roughly the width of a character and every pebble line is less than a horse length apart.
Between every bright dot sand line is roughly 3-4 pebble lines.
Can you easily identify and follow the pebble lines?
If not, that is totally normal! At first these little pebble lines can be tricky to spot, but the more you practice and the more time you spend in the arena; the easier they will be to see!
