[mvp]

Anyone done this?

In any place I build (in the cold), I'd like to have those "roast beast" lamps going on.

Yes, I know they come in clear, too. But tell me about the good, the bad and the ugly of this elegant plan.

[BuddyRoo]

Electric bill.

I boarded ever so briefly at a place that had heat lamps in the indoor and other places. (in MI) I think the electric alone damn near bankrupted them.

Also, fire safety. you really have to keep the cobwebs and such off of them and make sure that if you have boarders, they're getting turned off when people leave.

I think they are AWESOME as a boarder/rider. But I can see how they could become rather painful.

[KateKat]

My dream barn would have these, even out here in fairly moderate CA . Only because when it gets really cold, but I still need to body clip, I could bathe and then stick under the heat lamps. But, like mentioned I would be really scared about fire safety-maybe have them on a timer so they couldn't go longer than 30 minutes without being reset?

[joiedevie99]

We have heat lamps in all of the grooming/wash stalls. They are wonderful. It only takes a minute or two to get warm. The vets and farriers greatly appreciate it in temps like this.

[deltawave]

If it's something you really want to do, figure out just how much power the one you choose will draw and do the math. Electricity ain't cheap and none of these gadgets is particularly energy-efficient.

I have very, very small ones (like 60W) for my chickens and another small one where the dogs and cats like to sleep. I don't stand still long enough in the barn to make use of a human-sized one. If you really spend long periods of time standing in one spot, they are lovely. Otherwise, not worth it, and if you do use one, make sure you add a timer in case you forget to turn it off!

[Simkie]

We have these where I board. One in the washrack and one over every stall. I'm not sure how much they get used by the barn or how much they cost to run.

I have used them when it is very cold and the vet is there. They do certainly help when you've got the horse in the washrack for an extended period of time while the vet scrubs for an IA injection or something similar. The heaters we have really only heat directly under, so you've got to be right there to get any benefit.

After some vet work on some very bitterly cold days, an actual HEATED vet area is on my list of wants for my barn. The overheads were just not nearly enough. Perhaps if they were bigger or if there were more of them.

[davistina67]

They can be great and don't cost much to run. Well, unless you have like 10 of them, That would be the biggest thing, how many do you plan on having?

[Mosey_2003]

I dunno about in the barn, but our shower is in the basement and we have one for when we get out and dry off and it's *lurvely*

[wcporter]

what about something like these?

http://vitafloorusa.com/products/q-l...rse-solariums/

or is that different?

[CrowneDragon]

We have one of these in the grooming stall http://www.farmandfleet.com/products...g#.UQGUgCd1GuI
It is amazing how much it heats things up! It is offset and the horses are always cocked that way.

[TMPF]

The barn that I board also has one in the grooming Stall/ Farrier bay and one in the wash stall. Both are on ten min timers so they don't get left on. I LUVVVVVV them.

[horsepoor]

I was just thinking about these for my home barn, but not really sure how much use I'd really get out of them, being in a pretty mild climate. But when I had to pull out a hair dryer to dry my hairy beast before blanketing him the other day, I thought how nice it would be to just put him under a heater for a bit. I was tempted to put him in the heated tack room, where everything else goes to dry out, but he's too much of a bull in a china shop guy.

[reay6790]

We have one big heat lamp on one washrack in our main barn. It was previously used for show arabians...so you can imagine how beautiful the barn is.

Let me tell you...it is GREAT for clipping!!! keeps me and the horse warm! Also great when just grooming and tacking. I don't use it much, but when I do I am super grateful for it.

Did I mention it's in TN? We aren't weenies or anything but in all seriousness, it is a damp cold that we get here and it is miserable.

[yellowbritches]

At my former job, we had them installed in our wash stall. They were EXCELLENT. Very nice for bathing pre/post hunting or if someone HAD to have a winter bath (my horses, with their allergy skin, took advantage of them a lot), or for clipping in the dead of winter (or braiding). A good investment, HOWEVER, we did have doors on our wash stall, so I could turn the lights on, close the doors, and raise the temp in the wash stall a bit. They would have been helpful without the doors, but they were awesome WITH the doors.

Ours were on a timer, so you couldn't forget to leave them on and run up the electric bill a bunch.

Ours were also especially made for horses/wash racks (they start with a K), so were a little tougher and than just the big bulbs.

[judybigredpony]

I used to have the Big Red Bulbs in my wash stall in the corners inside reflectors to help with drying and when clipping....until water drops bouncing off a horse hit a hot bulb that was turned off and it exploded...now want a heat bar type like the Quartz one.....

[wsmoak]

My neighbor has one above her wash stall (inside the barn). It looks more or less like a regular 'shop light' that takes florescent tubes, but instead it's radiant heat. Very nice, but not something I'd want to pay the electric bill for!

The horse would just have to live with the propane blower heater if I *really* needed heat. (Vet emergency in bitter cold -- no winter baths for us.)

[OTTBcooper]

We have the long ones in our wash stall - they look like those long, narrow lights you see in offices but are heath lamps. Love them!

[mvp]

Thank you all very much for your ideas and experience.

Having been the cold horse holder for shoers and vets, I'd love to be able to give these guys the warmth they need to work well on my horses. Think of it as a big ol' Welcome Mat rolled out.

For the rest of the time, do you guys think heat lamps speed drying of the bathed horse significantly? Do they make the difference between "too cold to bathe" and "I'm doin' it 'cause I wanna, and the SPCA won't be called"? Or do you need heat lamps plus fans to move that warm air down and toward the wet horse?

[millerra]

I actually have a propane infrared heater above my grooming stall. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I can stay toasty even holding horses for the farrier when it's well below zero.

the upside - no electricity except for the timer (turns it on/off)
The caveat - you need good ceiling height - 12 or 14 feet I think....

[altershmalter]

Heat lamps in wash stall and electric blankets for tacking up...