Indoor school lighting

[humblepie]

There’s a thread on the unofficial BD Facebook page about lighting and whether people have problems or not compete somewhere because lighting too bright or too dark. I am in the don’t notice or don’t care and just get on with it category. Been under some very bright lights where it’s TV filming and some reasonably dark places. I know one arena where horse spooked once at someone standing where it was dark but competed there since and it is what it is. Is it something people actively think about ?

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I don't think about it to be honest, never crossed my mind until you mentioned it! I've had a few interesting rides with shadows cast randomly in the school but again it's a case of just getting on with it!!

 

[Vodkagirly]

Not really but then I school in the dark.
I would be more concerned about poor lighting for jumping but I've found the places with decent surfaces have decent lighting.

 

[LEC]

Everyone is so precious now. I don’t care as long as the surface is good…..

 

[SEL]

Well the Appy is retired now but she's the only horse I've ever been precious about lighting because of her eyesight. Surfaces on the other hand have stopped me going back to places

 

[Goldenstar]

No, but I notice surfaces .

 

[reynold]

I notice surfaces - particularly random wet patches where the roof leaks

 

[humblepie]

Yes indeed re surfaces. I don't think there are any now that I wouldn't go to although there is one venue I stopped going to because of the surface of their lorry park as felt wasn't particularly safe for horses unloading or indeed being ridden along it. It got me thinking about some of the places I used to jump at in the winter where the warm up would be a lake or frozen.

 

[Birker2020]

Lights in schools never bothered me, but I get very sick, giddy and nauseous when I'm at certain supermarkets under their lighting. Tesco's and Asda in particular for some reason. There was one occasion I had to sit on the lower shelf or I would have keeled over.

 

[Alibear]

Not it doesn't worry me. I giggled in the yard indoor the other evening when we were trotting up the long side, and the horse shadow was on the white wall on the short end, and she was worried as it got bigger as we approached. Just a little leg on and problem solved; she didn't question it again. They have to deal with shadows everywhere else, so it's not new to them.

 

[Birker2020]

Not it doesn't worry me. I giggled in the yard indoor the other evening when we were trotting up the long side, and the horse shadow was on the white wall on the short end, and she was worried as it got bigger as we approached. Just a little leg on and problem solved; she didn't question it again. They have to deal with shadows everywhere else, so it's not new to them.

I always used to feel that I was cantering much faster than I actually was under the lights, I think its an optical illusion, that used to make me feel a bit giddy too.

 

[abbijay]

I've seen more issues in indoors on a sunny day! Reaseheath is particularly special for this; the shadows and light patches cast through the slats on a bright day have caused a huge number of spooks when I've watched.
Personally I train under floodlights but I'm too cheap to turn them on until it's getting really dark so I'm used to riding in bad lighting. I'm another who has more issues with the surface than I do with the lights.

 

[Birker2020]

I had a fall on Bailey years ago at an indoor venue when there was shaft on sunlight on the floor between a double and she stopped dead and I fell off

This was typical of her, she would always shy at certain light and shade situations, the vet thought she had an extra epithelial layer over her cornea or something so she struggled to see things properly out of the one eye, but the next vet from the same practice didn't find anything so I still don't know.

 

[Leandy]

I would worry for jumping but not for dressage. We did take our very experienced pony to a venue on one of her first times out with us where once it got dark outside proved increasingly sticky in the rather dark indoor warm up arena until she would not jump at all but then went into the much better lit main arena and jumped a lovely clear without any hesitation. We could only assume it was the light differential between the warm up and the comp arena.