arena lighting photo

Hi John. I hope you had a wonderful summer!

Q: Our covered arena has been put to good use throughout the last year, but we really need lights to make it even more beneficial to our program. Given your expertise and experience with equestrian barns and arenas, I was hoping you might be able to give us some guidance.

We are having a hard time determining exactly what kind of and how much lighting is necessary. Do you have a formula that you use?

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you!

Best,
Undercover Rider

Dear Undercover Rider:

Glad to hear all’s well.

I would be happy to offer some guidance on lighting for your arena.

A: I typically recommend approximately 35 to 50 foot candles per sq ft of light on the arena floor in order to provide a sufficient amount of light for a variety of functions. It also depends on the amount of reflective surfaces you have and the color of those surfaces including the arena floor material.
If you are anticipating a variety of entertainment type functions such as charity events, parties, etc you may want to consider a variety of type mood lighting for different events.
There are also a variety of type lights to consider such as metal halide, LED, HD, etc.
There are other factors to consider as well such as initial cost, operating cost, maintenance or lamp life and also the design of the fixture (bird protection, fire safety, etc.)

We are beginning to use LED more often now. I hope that helps!
John