Numbering a course without wrecking the collecting ring
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A tidy plan can still be a bad show if fence 1 sits on the in-gate. Horses walk in, meet a crowd walking out, and the first fence becomes a traffic island.
Draw the track first. Then put start, finish and numbers on. The numbering guide covers the marks. This note is about the gate.
Fence 1
The horse should see fence 1 after it has left the collecting mess and straightened. If the only straight approach is along the same wall as the gate, move the first fence down the long side. Lose a related distance if you have to. A clean start beats a clever line nobody rides well because they are still steering around a helper with a skip.
Start and finish flags
Put the start where a steward can see it and a rider can canter through without clipping the person holding the gate. The finish should not dump a pulling horse into the next rider's path.
If start and finish share a pair of flags, say so on the athlete PDF. People will guess wrong.
Collecting ring
Walk from the collecting area into the ring as if you are on a sharp horse. Who is standing in the gateway. Where the next horse waits. Whether fence 8 or the last oxer points at that gateway.
A last fence aimed at the gate looks tidy on paper. On the ground it is how you get a run-out and a collision.
On the plan
In the designer, keep numbers on the approach side of the fence, not in the landing of the previous one. Export a judge copy and a builder copy. The judge copy needs start, finish and time. The builder copy needs cups.
If you only send one PDF, send the builder one plus a one-line note: "Gate is at A. Fence 1 is not at A."
Related: How to number a course · Club 70–80 cm track · How to design a course
