# Lights in the barn?



## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

When I bring my horses in at night over the winter, I leave a small barn light on, because I don't like the thought of leaving them in the dark. I had a friend who left her horse in a barn without a light on, and when she came back, her horse thought she was in trouble, lol.

I don't see it being a problem. As long as lights aren't blaring at them, of course.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Horse's have excellent night vision, so I would think that leaving a light on at night would do more harm than good.


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## Production Acres (Aug 26, 2009)

1. Yes, the lights in the barn are for you, not the horse!

2. Daylight or lights are triggers for sleep, don't sleep, relaxation, time for breeding, etc. Unless you are trying to trigger a mare out of a normal cycle, probably best to let daylight be daylight, and night be night.

3. Sometimes our idea of a comfortable barn may not be the horses' idea of a comfortable barn. You see this with cattle all the time. They will be down in a dip under some hemlock trees instead of the nice barn you built for them;.)


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

Horses sleep very little, not more then 4 hours a night. We have lights around the barn that stay on nights. Our barn has lots of windows and the light diffuses through the window keeping the barn so so at night
I would hate a totally black barn and would at least get some night lights, small lights that don't glare and some turn on themselves in the dark.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

We have a small dusk to dawn light under the over hang. So I guess the answer is yes eve though the light is not in the barn totally.

We had a night light (like a kids room night light) in the barn because our one horse seemed to have a problem with the cats activity in the dark. That light was not really doing much so we installed this other light.


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## Curly (Mar 21, 2007)

I don't leave the lights on, it can make the horses shed off their heavy winter coats. It gets pretty cold in these parts so I want them to keep thick coats.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

*sigh*... Lights... what a concept...

I have a generator in the back of my rhino that I plug an extension cord to that turns on my work lights so I can clean stalls. I have a lantern that I turn on so I can see my grain...

*sigh*... Lights...


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## dw9501 (Jun 12, 2009)

We only just moved here recently and the lights were already installed in the barn. It had three big lights and then lights in the tack area. I think they had lights for their show goats and sheeps to keep the coyotes away.

My husband disconnected the three big lights and has the tack room light on a timer. Now I see them getting in the barn more. So.....I guess the light was a problem with them relaxing at night. The tack room lights coming through the windows don't seem to bother them at all and it is just barely enough for me to see if they are even any where around.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

If you want to read more about the sleeping habits of horses check out this link
The Sleeping Habits of Horses - How Long and How Horses Sleep


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

I don't leave my "barn" lights on, but I do have a heat lamp in the loft right above the horses "stall" area so there is some light down there. During the summer there isn't any. I have everything in quotes because my barn is an old cow shed/lean to converted so that the horses have 3 tie stalls where we feed them. Not really a nice barn, but it works  Oh the heat lamp is for the barn cats, not the horses...


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## Walkamile (Dec 29, 2008)

Nope. No lights and no music.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I would love to have music in my barn (when I'm around)


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## jesredneck98 (Dec 11, 2009)

Production acres is totally correct, light and dark helps horses with many things just like it does for us. I didn't see where you are from but I am from Wisconsin and we have natual light in the daytime in the barn and its dark at night. We try to keep in constatnt because this will also help with the seasons changing, they will grow thier winter coats and shed them with the more daylight they have. We try hard not to mess with that as much as we can. Horses can see in the dark. It is whatever works for you but generally leaving light on at night is more for your comfort.


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

I turn the lights off, per request of the barn owners. I think the horses prefer not to have a light on. I certainly dont like the light on at night when I'm trying to sleep.


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## 5cuetrain (Dec 11, 2009)

I got a real hoot with "lights sigh". Man that brings back memories.

Now its heated water for baths, self filling water in the stalls, a tack room big enough etc.

Just waiting for the automatic "pooper scooper"!!

Lights-- and darkness-- do affect the natural clock in the horse for sure. Thats how they tell the season which dictates breeding, coat, amount of feed they need--lots of stuff.

If you are showing the horse then we try to keep it about 11 hours of day and 13 hours of night (keeps the coat nice). If we are looking to "convince" a mare to go into heat its 14 hours of day 10 hours of night.

We do regulate the day and nite by the lights.


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## Kashmere (Nov 30, 2009)

I'd turn 'em off as soon as I leave the barn 
If I'd need to do something specific, I'd turn 'em on, but I'd try to take care it's not on for hours in a row.


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## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

My barn tends to be dark, especially if the weather's bad and all the doors are closed, so if the horses are in, I leave an overhead light on in the daytime. At night, there is a kid's nightlight that gives them a little more than pitch blackness overnight. I'm with RiosDad on this one, I like to leave the boys with a little light, since they'll be awake a lot of the time. As long as it isn't illuminating the whole barn, or blinding the horses, I don't see a problem. The horses seem well rested... :lol:


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## skittle1120 (Oct 24, 2009)

As dusty as my grandparents old cow barn is, I'd be afraid of a light overheating the cobwebs and burning the barn down....

My run-in has power and an overhead light, that is just there to make my life easier when I have to feed and fill the water trough after dark....


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