Oh Say – Can You See?
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Wet day with a mud-free paddock.
By Michael Hipp
When we think of keeping a horse in the winter in western Washington the primary thing we all think of as the major challenge we will invariably face is – rain. What are we going to do when all that rain begins and we have to pull our horses off their pastures into their winter confinement areas? How are we going to handle our chores when the days are gray and dreary and everything is sopping wet because of rain?
While rain can be one of the greatest challenges we face in the winter there is one challenge that can be just as hard to deal with. You see, rain will come and go but, in the winter months…darkness is constant.
One of my biggest adjustments in moving here from the Texas panhandle, aside from all the rain, was the darkness. On the darkest day of the year in Amarillo, December 21, the winter solstice, the day lasts for 9 hours and 47 minutes. But in Monroe, Washington, that same day only lasts 8 hours and 22 minutes, a full hour and 25 minutes less (1). That means the darkness lasts for 15 hours and 38 minutes. All because we are so much further north here. The situation is worse the further north you go until you hit Alaska, where their day lasts for only a few hours.
Even if you have the perfect confinement area that is dry and mud free, maintaining it to keep it in good shape will be impossible if you can’t see it because of the darkness. Darkness can add a lot of time to even the most efficient chore process. Consider also a situation where something bad happens and your vet or farrier needs to be called and they have to struggle with seeing what they need to see to care for your horse. That is when this fight against our darkness gets very important.
So, what can you do to get the upper hand on this constant foe? Provide good lighting of course. But how do you do so in a resource efficient and effective manner? Here are some ideas to consider:
Solar-powered run-in shed lights.
Flashlights mounted at every doorway
Having good, industrial type flashlights mounted at every doorway or entrance that you can easily grab in an emergency is essential. If you use a whiteboard for communication in your barn, include a map of flashlight locations and other emergency essentials for visitors or other folks who may need to respond in case of an emergency. Also keep extra batteries on hand in your barn where they are easily accessible.
Have Portable Lights Available
Having a few portable work lights available that can be plugged in (don’t forget extension cords!) and adjusted so that your farrier or veterinarian can get a clear view of what they need to see is a good thing to have. While many farriers and veterinarians here carry portable task lights with them, having your own ready for them shows them you care about their work and safety.
Use Headlamps When Possible
Getting home in the dark and doing chores with all the lights on in your barn can drain your pocketbook fast. Try using headlamps for smaller chores like picking manure in the paddocks, checking on water, and such. That way you can avoid the higher cost of turning on those barn lights all the time.
Solar Powered Yard Lights
Solar-powered lights on the manure bins.
Using solar powered yard lights at key locations around your barn can be a great help. You can use them on pathways, near gates, or even mounted to fence posts to provide lighting in paddocks. Unless you have a playful and curious gelding. I’ll just leave that right there…
Holiday Lights
At our place we use red LED holiday lights strung along the front of the stalls to provide just enough light to see for doing light chores and checking on things during the night. It also provides just enough light so that our horses feel safe being able to see enough of their stall or paddock to see any predators – or even you – approach, similar to a night light for a child. You can also put them on a timer or a dawn-to-dusk switch so you don’t have to unplug them every day, or put them on a switched outlet that you can turn off when not needed. But why the red color? Red light has been shown to be the best color of light to preserve night vision in both humans and horses (2,3). That means that if you need to lead your horse out of their stall into a dark paddock, or you need to walk from their stall back through the darkness to your house, both of you will be able to avoid the night blindness you would have with a white or other colored light.
Use Energy Efficient Lighting to Reduce Costs
Switching over your lighting from incandescent to LED (Light Emitting Diode), even from the old compact fluorescent to LED, is no longer that costly. In some cases the LEDs have become cheaper than both of those other options. LED technology has come a long way and in most cases the brightness and color easily matches or surpasses the old incandescent version for not much cost. Switching out old sodium lights in your arena can also provide huge savings in power and maintenance. There are also grants available to help switch to more efficient lighting, such as the USDA’s REDA and REAP grants (4), especially if you live in rural areas or run a larger equine business such as a boarding facility. If you are interested in opportunities such as that contact us any time to discuss the possibilities. By reducing your costs you will provide yourself with more resources to put lighting in more critical areas on your property that may be lacking them now.
Yes, the days always get longer and the light will return, but in the meantime the darkness can make our lives a pretty “mean time”. It doesn’t have to be, though. With some good resources, planning and creativity the darkness can be overcome as it always is – with good light.
REFERENCES
1. https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/
2. https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/2075/does-red-light-preserve-your-night-vision
3. https://overthehill.horse/2017/08/08/red-light-green-light/
