Whats on at your barn at night

[horsetales]

We got talking today about what do you leave on for the horses. If you play music, is it a specific type or on only of there is something outside you are drowning out (fireworks)? Then if you do put on music, do yours rock out or are they classic lovers ;)

[myrna]

Lights and music are off.

[Calvincrowe]

I use a nightlight (literally, a little plug in nightlight) and turn off NPR because my barn is 37 steps from my house, so I can often hear the radio in the bedroom. And, then, I can't hear if my horses are having issues...or too much fun!

[pintopiaffe]

*I* am subjected to way too much light and noise in my job. I think horses in general are exposed to a lot of artificial light and noise. I really cannot see why you would want to expose them to junk noise.

They have the songs of loons, coyotes, and other night creatures... and the light of stars and moon.

They sleep early--around 2200 they are usually down for a nap, and then are up until late morning when the are flat out, REM sleep snoring in the sun around 1030.

I get home to feed at 0230. Only after stormy days or during particularly calm, mild nights is anyone sleeping at that point. Perhaps because of my schedule their internal clocks are set as such... when I am watching mares on All Fat Mare, All the Time TV, they usually follow the same pattern. Out for a good flat sleep between 2230 and 2330, then up to eat and drink and wander for awhile, then back down after 0330 or so.

I did work for a time for a TB breeder who bred for the track. Ky Derby type prospects, but a small barn. We had NPR on in the morning... news and then classical. She felt the classical music helped the horses. I dunno. I became a Morning Edition and All Things Considered addict.

I cannot stand the 'noise' and busy-ness of advertising and pop music on commercial radio. Most especially not at the barn, where it interrupts natural rhythm and peace. :dead:

[shakeytails]

I have a small flourescent light fixture (60 watt equiv.) in the wash rack that stays on constantly. It gives enough light to see to get to tack room, feed room and the main light switch. It's definitely for my benefit, not the horses.

I don't usually have music playing when I'm in the barn, so I'm sure not going to leave it on when I'm not!

[Penthilisea]

My boyos live outside so there are no lights nor music left on for them, nor in the nearby barn overnight. They seem to do just fine, but I do like music in the barn during the day for company for ME!

[Chief2]

Outside heated water tanks are on overnight.

[Tree]

None of the horses and ponies stay in the barn but the power is on because I have plumbing in the tack room so that means the heat keeps the room above freezing in both the tack and toilet area.

And then there are the freezers in the barn that need to stay on too.

Tree

[sebegeld]

pintopiaffe, your are too funny. I loved reading your mssage.

I need to count my steps out to the barn...I will do it after I write this, but I also have a tiny "night light" in the barn, a light on a sensor outside, and a refrig pulling power. Also have a light on a motion detector, but if the kittens are sleeping, it stays off!

[mybeau1999]

I just read something in one of my magazines today (I think horse and rider) saying music playing (constatnly, not just when you're stall cleaning:]) in barns is linked to ulcers.

[abbydp]

Mybeau - I saw that too. I think they found talk radio was the worst for ulcer-causing!

I really like to have as much turned off as possible. I live in constant fear of fire. We have an almost blind mare, so if they are turned out at night we leave an outside light on near the water. Her owner seems to think it helps her find the trough. Right now, I think nothing, as they are in stalls at night.

I just left my nightmare barn. He had an unbelievable array of crap going at all times. Overnight, fluorescent lights to prevent winter coats for about 8 horses, an obnoxious neon open sign, security camera tv's (8), a golf cart charger, and dusk to dawn lights outside. In really hot weather he would leave box fans going for the ones in 24/7. During the day he runs a woodstove, which he starts with a blowtorch!!!!! Nope, not kidding. He also has gas lines running through the barn for his office heater, the washroom heater, and an apartment heater. Do ya need to guess some of the reasons why I left?
I always had to laugh in his face when he blamed me (lived in the apartment) for high electric bills! (sorry not trying to hijack the thread)

[Ranchin Gal]

All of my horses have runs off of their stalls so they can come & go as they please. I have my lights on timers to go off at 10 and on in the morning. The radio is in the tack room so in the winter the door is closed and they can't hear it. I only have the radio on for part of the day. My cameras are on all day & night but I shut the monitor off in the house at bedtime most of the time.... so I can sleep.

I forgot to add that I do have an outside security light in the front of the barn that is dusk to dawn.

[JenRose]

I voted for other...

The lights are on timers and they go off at 10pm. After that, nothing.

I think they enjoy (and deserve) the peace and quiet.

[Janet]

Music is "under lights", so here is alight on a time in her stall, that comes on to make a 16 hr day.

No other lights, no music, over night.

[flypony74]

Outside heated water tanks are on overnight.

That's all that's on in my barn.

I don't even have a radio in my barn, never have. My barn time is my peace and quiet time, as I'd much rather listen to the horses munch and wuffle.

I do strap on the ipod for trot sets, tho.

[Blinkers On]

For some reason I learned to hate music in the barn before I met my mentor. I love silence. Sounds of horses or work. At night a night watchman and very little light. I am very much a product of my mentor. He loathes music. Likes work or quiet.
I think we give the horses so little time to themselves in the day that quiet during the night is the least we can do.

[saddleup]

No music or lights. I do have a light on a motion sensor that turns on if I approach the barn, but the horses can't trigger it.

[Amwrider]

I just read something in one of my magazines today (I think horse and rider) saying music playing (constatnly, not just when you're stall cleaning:]) in barns is linked to ulcers.


This study was published in The Blood Horse a while back. I remember hearing about it and telling my landlord who leaves hers on 24/7 - still does.

[LD1129]

Everything off and everyone is tucked in safely ;)

[Woodland]

Horses prefer the sounds of nature I think in the stables. I do not like excess noise, so it is rare to find a radio or NOISE in my stable. Zen is in here!

However I do get good natured grief at the horse shows. I detest country music, so ours is always dubbed the Rock N Roll aisle! You can hear anything from Led Zeppelin to Jethro Tull to The Cars to Cheap Trick in my alleyway - usually loud enough to drown out the country diatribe to preferred by the faux cowboys. Nothing like warm ups at the Congress loping to some Boot scooting boogie crappola! :rolleyes: I have to cleanse my ears with heavy metal afterwards! :yes:

[lilypondlane]

I have dusk-to-dawn lights on outside the barn, but no lights inside. I do leave the radio on -- used to keep it set to the classical station, which my vet thought was a good thing for the horses. When that station went off the air, I switched to an oldies station. But, very interesting, about a correlation between music in the barn and ulcers -- that seems counter-intuitive, but I'm going to do some research as I do have an ulcery horse. I doubt that the music caused her ulcers because she'd been away in training for several years (without my radio) and the ulcers have been there a while. I wonder if the kind of music they're hearing matters.

[JSwan]

Fridge.

Heat in the winter, A/C in the summer. (tack/feed room)

[webmistress32]

I have a medium dog crate that is placed on top of a pallet and then inside two brooding lamps. the bottom of the crate has bedding for the cats. those lights stay on all winter.

other than that I play a radio all night, quietly. it's on a muzak type station. my neighborhood is pretty busy so I think it helps drown out the noise a bit.

[Mendin Fences]

The last person out is supposed to turn off all the lights and close the doors. The only thing that comes on is the motion detector light outside the barn so you can see where you're going.

[Diamondindykin]

When I leave the barn for the night I leave on a 60 watt bulb that is in the corner of the barn. My horses all have stalls but are free to go in and out. They have an acre sacrifice area and they almost always sleep outside where it is dark. The light left on in the barn is more for my benefit than theirs.

[HorseCRZY]

Ok going back to the music thing... my BO keeps the barn radio on aaalll the time, and we're not talking soft classical music either. I really hate walking in the barn to enjoy some peace and quiet with my horse with pop music blaring. Sometimes I turn it down, really I'd love to turn the darn thing OFF. I'm so non-confrontational though, I wouldn't want to say anything about it because my BO is a dear...

[trubandloki]

Winter:

Heated buckets
Night light (like people have in their kids room)


Summer:

Fans
Night light


Sometimes the radio because Mr. T&L thinks his filly likes it.
The night light is for the filly too. He insists she needs it.

[Reiter]

Nothing!

[2DogsFarm]

Nothing for the horses.
I used to have a little nightlight that went on at dark but when it burned out I replaced it with one that has to be switched on.
This one is right by the door & is for me so I don't get surprised by any critters in the barn when I do bedcheck in the pitchblack.
So far uninvited guests have included one skunk and one young possum.:eek:

The radio keeps me company when I feed/do chores - NPR is my fave station, especially on Saturday evenings when Garrison Keillor's show is on and Sunday mornings when there's a good show about religions all over the world.

[Altamont Sport Horses]

I have used a radio to help a horse get used to a new barn. She also has vision problems and it took some experimenting to figure out what would make her chill out. She's used to it now so no more radio but she and one other horse do have a light on in their own stall. They have Congential Stationary Night Blindness (CSNB) and see nothing but blackness when the light level drops below what you could comfortably read a book by. They get very anxious when light levels drop so they have one light in the stall at night and all fluorescent lights are turned off in the barn. Any other horses that are stalled, if any, are in the dark.

I rarely like to hear the radio in the barn. It gets on my nerves and I prefer the peace and quiet. My farmhand kept listening to an obnoxious station that had poor reception and turned it up loud so he could hear it from a distance. It stressed me out to the Nth degree. I kept turning it down or off and he'd turn it back on when I wasn't there. Eventually I *helped* the radio to take a lethal dive from it's high perch in the barn. :lol: It's my crappy old radio so I can kill it if I want. He bought himself a mini stereo and doesn't play it loud because he doesn't want to blow HIS speakers and he doesn't leave it playing incessantly because he doesn't want to wear out HIS stereo. :winkgrin: Excellent.

Other than that the only thing running *in* the barn is the fridge. In the summer we have to run fans and during foaling season I use a long range baby monitor.

[peedin]

Nothing is on at night except during the winter, if it's really cold (like below 15F) the BM leaves a few aisle lights on. She says it keeps the barn warmer.