# Stall Lighting



## LuckyRVT (Nov 4, 2011)

What are your thoughts on stall lighting? My horse is on the spooky side in her stall because the lighting is poor and she is still new to it. (getting better tho! :-D) so im looking for something sturdy in case she tries to take it out with her head on the ceiling (hay loft). Ideas? and where do you purchase from?


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

First off you need high enough ceiling clearance to do anything. Then you need safe and proper wiring.
If your horse is spooky and goes up in the stall you need unobstructed head room first and foremost for her/him.

So... I've seen 2 kinds of lighting used in barns more than other types.
Commonly either florescent or actual hanging down attached to the ceiling fixture with a light bulb in a single socket.
Both are encased in a "cage" so no horse can actually hit the bulb, break the bulb by biting it or if it should fall loose it doesn't fall to the floor but into the cage.
I have seen more of the single socket things in stalls and the florescent in barn aisles but also single socket bulbs in aisles either side of center cross-tie areas.
Common denominator though is that "cage" structure.
Here is a wire cage for 4' florescent lights in this link...
_http://www.grainger.com/category/fluorescent-fixture-accessories/indoor-fixtures/lighting/ecatalog/N-9gm/Ntt-florescent+lighting?sst=All#nav=%2Fcategory%2Ffluorescent-fixture-accessories%2Findoor-fixtures%2Flighting%2Fecatalog%2FN-9gmZ1z103gg%2FNtt-florescent%2Blighting%3F_%3D1390221035964%26sst%3DAll
_ 
And this is one for the single socket light sort of....it needs a closed bottom section though...
_Temporary Job Site Lighting Accessories - Job Site Lighting - Grainger Industrial Supply_

There are many companies that offer these kind of products.
Remember to tell them if ordering and looking that this will be used in a dusty, dirty environment of a barn.
I can tell you that although many people use regular box fans for stall ventilation in the summer they buy at the local store, the motors are not sealed and are a fire danger and risk from dust, dirt and debris getting into the motor housing area...
Same idea of you need the correct product for the application of interior of a barn... try looking on some of the barn manufacturing web sites for ideas and what they carry. They may have better and newer ideas than what I have seen which is tried, true but "old-fashioned".

If your stall already has lighting in it, maybe a higher brightness bulb will do the trick.
If there is a light of some sort, the led lights give off more light, less heat and less electrical use....or white light bulb instead of some of the softer reading bulbs people use in their homes.
They also make a "rough service" bulb that is coated with a vinyl feeling substance so if it drops it doesn't shatter to a million glass shards... mechanics use them and so do construction sites...they also come in different degree of brightness too.
You should still do a cage though for safety of the horse regardless of what kind of bulbs you use.

Good luck.

_**sorry..the one link did not paste correctly...it is from the same company as the second link under florescent lighting accessories...wire cages**_


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

Side note: Horses see very very well in the dark. almost as good/better then during the daytime. so if your horse is spooky in a dark stall, id be worried there are eye problems going on.
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## swimminchikin (Feb 27, 2013)

Just a side-note about the shatterproof lights...

I read an article that said if the bulbs are coated in Teflon it can be fatal to chickens. Not sure how valid it is or what the conditions were, but it's something to watch for if you have birds.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

If you're really concerned about her hitting her head on a light, I strongly recommend using a light fixture that doesn't have a lamp, like a screw in incandescent or compact fluorescent. LED will be much safer in the long run and there's always the bonus of using less energy and much longer lamp life in general. 

Something like this fixture that has the option to add a wire guard like was previously mentioned. 

Hubbell Industrial Lighting : Products : Sealed : LED Vaportite

Or if you want to keep the screw in style, use something like this with a 42W compact fluorescent. 

Utility Vapor Tights | Contractor Select

There are many options available for low ceiling heights, if you're the property owner. Otherwise, you may have to deal with poor lighting.


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## LuckyRVT (Nov 4, 2011)

I have had here eyes checked, because I was afraid she was having problems. This all started when she tried to walk out of the stall over my husband in the first month she was at our house. (She had only met him a few times, and he had never worked with her, nor any horses) Both our hands went up and she jumped and hit her head. the hay loft sits above her. The ceiling is fine when she is being a normal horse. It's happened a few times but with steady work and training it is improving. She seems spooky in the evenings when there are more shadows. The barn it's self is poorly lit. We are rewiring all of it and putting as much light as possible. (It will glow if I can make it ha ha) so I'm looking for a good lighting option to maybe put in the corners? Def have looked at the cages. We are unable to raise the hay loft. But several horse people have said she will be ok and will learn. This mostly has happened during the first few months she was here. New barn, no other pasture mates for awhile, new environment entirely. She does like being able to have shelter finally!
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## LuckyRVT (Nov 4, 2011)

SEAmom said:


> If you're really concerned about her hitting her head on a light, I strongly recommend using a light fixture that doesn't have a lamp, like a screw in incandescent or compact fluorescent. LED will be much safer in the long run and there's always the bonus of using less energy and much longer lamp life in general.
> 
> Something like this fixture that has the option to add a wire guard like was previously mentioned.
> 
> ...


Those where the exact lights I was looking into! And then placing them along the edge to keep her away from it?
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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

Not knowing what the barn and stalls look like, I'm betting that you can install them along the walls rather than overhead. 

There are other options for the barn now that I know a little more about it. If you have any pictures, I can give you other tips if you're interested. Since you're already rewiring it, now is the perfect time to really take stock of your options. You can set yourself up for now and the future. 

I'm such a nerd, admittedly so, and I love this stuff. That's why I love my job so much. The direction that lighting and power are taking is pretty cool. The energy code (ASHRAE) is forcing the hands of lighting manufacturers across the country. I'll stop rambling now, lol.
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## LuckyRVT (Nov 4, 2011)

I will try to get some pictures for you guys 
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## Ninamebo (May 25, 2013)

In my barn there are two spotlights mounted on the divider between two stalls just on the outsides of them, in the upper corners. One for each stall. They are wired separately from the aisle lights and if you want better lighting in the individual stalls it's nice.

Side note: Dark and gloomy is fine for the horses. A horse with average eyesight can see just as well in darkness as an average 20/20 human can in daylight. That said, I've had horses with lameness injuries that needed to be treated in stall, so I think it is a very good idea to have that extra light option available to see what you're doing.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

GREAT thread. I lost 2 lights to my KMH gelding and had to screw in rubber dummies to keep him from electrocuting himself. =/
***stupid!!!***
My mare keeps her light and the plastic protective cover intact. I think the only way I can go to put light in his stall is to buy and attach those metal cages that they put around lights in school gymnasiums!!!!!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Skip the idea of lighting. Your horse is feeling trapped in the stall. After all, it is a cage. She hears things far beyond human capacity and she's worried that she won't be able to escape. Horses have survived for millennia by having a fast sprint. Horses like her are much more relaxed outside where they can move around. Given a choice, she'd rather stay outside with a companion horse. Mine don't go in the barn unless the bugs get back. It is their choice.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

Corporal said:


> GREAT thread. I lost 2 lights to my KMH gelding and had to screw in rubber dummies to keep him from electrocuting himself. =/
> ***stupid!!!***
> My mare keeps her light and the plastic protective cover intact. I think the only way I can go to put light in his stall is to buy and attach those metal cages that they put around lights in school gymnasiums!!!!!


Have you ever looked into vandal resistant fixtures? They have many type and mounting applications. you could take a baseball of bat to them and they won't budge. Just another option worth checking into.
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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

Saddlebag said:


> Skip the idea of lighting. Your horse is feeling trapped in the stall. After all, it is a cage. She hears things far beyond human capacity and she's worried that she won't be able to escape. Horses have survived for millennia by having a fast sprint. Horses like her are much more relaxed outside where they can move around. Given a choice, she'd rather stay outside with a companion horse. Mine don't go in the barn unless the bugs get back. It is their choice.


Safe, adequate lighting is important no matter how much time a horse spends inside the barn.
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## LuckyRVT (Nov 4, 2011)

Saddlebag said:


> Skip the idea of lighting. Your horse is feeling trapped in the stall. After all, it is a cage. She hears things far beyond human capacity and she's worried that she won't be able to escape. Horses have survived for millennia by having a fast sprint. Horses like her are much more relaxed outside where they can move around. Given a choice, she'd rather stay outside with a companion horse. Mine don't go in the barn unless the bugs get back. It is their choice.


She has an "escape" route the stall has a door to the outside that remains open. She usually walks out when I go in ESP if I go in with food. She can come and go s she pleases. But very good point.
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