Why do we need a portable light tower for a horse arena?
1. For a roping arena without light poles
A movable light tower is a great lighting solution for temporary illumination. Think of a new roping arena without light poles. While you wait for the contractor to finalize the project, light towers let you use the horse arena right away. Moreover, you will provide enough brightness to avoid injuries for your equine and the equestrian alike. Being portable, you can place the light sources just where you need them most. For example, near the pipe fencing to avoid an undesirable collision. Or standing nearby covered boxes behind the roping box to make the other horses feel at ease.
2. It is a temporary lighting solution dedicated to equestrian activities
Movable light towers are suitable for any new construction, be it a dressage arena or a rodeo one. These temporary light sources ensure the safety of the riders and contestants performing equestrian activities. Plus, they make it easier for the equine to adjust to irregular surfaces or see through the rails. Horses are curious animals, so they like to poke around but can spook just as easily. Especially when they see deep shadows or unconventional shapes. You can even place some light towers inside the horse barn to illuminate a new box stall.
3. Occasional arena lighting use
If you have a small schooling ring or an additional arena that you do not frequently use, movable light towers are best. Mostly because there is no need to install the permanent light poles. In other words, you can save installation and running costs as well. Simply put, you only need to place each portable light tower on strategic points near the horse arena. That is it! You can start schooling the equine and teach the young rider how to train it. Lightweight light tower models make it possible to set the light sources within minutes.
4. Light up a specific part of a horse arena
You can move a light tower without effort in most cases. So, lighting up a portion of the horse arena ground to save energy is quick and easy. Let us say that you need to practice a jump for cross country jumping. Or that you want to teach your equine how to do a piaffe or a pirouette for a dressage competition. Movable light towers are ideal for creating a temporary well-lit area in which to practice. With this in mind, it will be easier to find other occasions to train your colts and fillies.
Constituents of temporary, mobile riding arena light tower
1. Floodlights or spotlights
Today, you can find models with 100 to 1,000 W LED reflectors available on the market. More importantly, they consume 50-80% less electricity than halogen bulbs. Plus, LED lights do not share their overheating issue.
LED horse arena lights let you control the color temperature. That is, how the luminous flux actually looks like. For the color temperature, a neutral white (more than 5,000 Kelvin) is recommendable. Not only does it promote concentration, but it also makes the horse’s eyes tireless.
You can choose between floodlights, which have a broad beam angle, and spotlights. As you probably guessed, spotlights have a narrow beam angle and are more suitable to illuminate distant areas of the roping arena.
2. Adjustable light pole
You can rely on a telescopic light pole. Usually, its length ranges from 4 to 15 meters. Of course, the taller the light pole on the mobile light tower, the more expensive the model is. A taller light pole gives you higher light uniformity. To specify, uniformity is crucial to avoid ill-lit or dim areas in the horse arena.
In the latest models, the height of the light pole is adjustable via a smartphone app or physical panel switches. So, you will not break a sweat to find the right height for the best results.
3. Generator
This element provides power to the floodlights and light pole system. In detail, the functional core of the generator consists of the combination of a heat engine and an electric alternator. The first provides the rotation force, the latter uses the rotation to generate the electric current. This is why it is also called an alternating current generator. The direct current generator requires additional circuitry. You can find many movable dressage arena light models with one and the other option. Likewise, you can order a custom light tower for specific temporary uses in any equestrian sports.
4. Solar panel
Solar light towers are also available for rent or purchase. Unlike the standard light tower, the solar model comes with a photovoltaic panel (or module). The photovoltaic cells turn daylight into electricity and recharge a lithium battery.
When you choose these models, you must take into account that the panels need up to 8 hours of direct daylight to fully charge the battery. Alternatively, you can opt for a custom installation of the solar panels on the roof of the horse barn or facility. In this case, you can light up your indoor lights and make a special socket tailored to recharge the portable light tower batteries.
5. Movable trailer or frame
Generally speaking, two types of light towers exist. The first type is the professional model with a trailer. Usually, the trailer hosts the generator and other accessories. These models come with wheels, and often, with a truck hook for mounting. In this case, the tower should be smooth to push/pull or should be tugged by a truck or SUV.
Lightweight models are the second type. They are most commonly used for providing temporary brightness or emergency lighting. Mostly because they are easy to put in place. Unfortunately, you should use them with a bit of caution. Your equine could knock one down with just a flick of the tail.
6. Lightning protection
On the top of the telescopic light pole, a lightning conductor ensure the safety of anyone around the movable tower. The lightning rod is extremely vital out in the open. Especially when in use near a horse arena without tall buildings nearby.
Due to breeding reasons, stallions cannot be kept together with females grazing in the mountains. So, the owner might keep the stallions in an outdoor riding arena. But if storm clouds approach quickly, lightning could strike at any moment. The portable light tower at the side of the fence might save a stallion’s life when the owner is away.
Points to note when buying the portable horse arena mobile light tower
1. Lumens and wattage
LED lights are the most efficient. For example, a 100W LED floodlight will replace the 500W halogen bulb. Usually, the voltage is 230V, but they are also available with a low voltage of 12-24V.
You should take note of the lumen output of each light if you want to create a particular lux level. Especially if you train for top level competitions. On paper, the lumen output divided by the area of the horse arena will give you the current lux level. You can use a lux meter for more accurate readings.
2. Lifespan
The more expensive LED light tower models have a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours or more. Sometimes, you might find movable towers that let you change the bulb. You can find many cheap light bulbs. But you should always take their lifespan into account.
LEDs have an exceptional life span. Even the cheapest model has a life cycle of over 30,000 hours, corresponding to about 22 years of continuous use. For this reason, they are suitable for specific functions or hi-tech features such as:
- automatic turning on and off thanks to motion and light sensors
- a better heatsink to keep an operating temperature that is not too high
- high IP protection degree to insulate the casing from dust and rainwater
3. Lighting control system
You should check in what ways you can control the lights remotely. Sometimes, the rider could benefit from turning on or off a light tower without dismounting, for example, a blue roan.
For some equestrian activities, in preparation for a specific test, a higher position of the lights might be better. So, you should check if the lighting control lets you change the telescopic light pole height or just the luminous intensity. In the latter case, figuring out which controls are available before placing the order is of uttermost importance. In case of doubts, ask the seller.
4. Generator capacity
For the best results, the generator should be able to provide electricity for a long time. At least, between 8 and 24 hours. Most portable power supplies turn on thanks to a manual pull-off system. Others have integrated a starter motor and a battery into the machine to operate it. Clearly, this leads to an increase in the weight and dimensions of the entire device. But it has undeniable advantages if frequent starts are required.
Thanks to an electronic control section, traditional models also offer automatic starting. They interface with the electrical network of the horse barn, arena, or facility to provide light when there is a power failure.
Buy or rent the portable riding arena lighting?
Your best bet is to carefully plan the intended use of the mobile light towers. When used for temporary, occasional lighting, renting is the best option. In fact, you do not have to worry about the type of light source and its life span. On the other hand, you should consider how much the model you have been eyeing weighs.
If you have a ranch or several riding arenas, it would be better to buy the portable riding arena light towers. After all, your need for better illuminance will be constant throughout the year. Instead, ponder if you would benefit more from a standard model or a solar light tower.
Conclusion
A mobile roping arena light tower might be more useful when needing spotlights. At the same time, you might benefit from the larger beam of a portable horse arena tower with more than one floodlight. Temporary horse arena lighting assumes you have thought the equine’s and equestrian’s needs first. When you buy a movable tower, you still need to think about where to store it. On the other hand, you still need to fetch and bring back the light towers you rented. In the end, you should evaluate the quality of the product constituents. Or ask for professional advice from experts like us for a more customized solution.
