Ooooo. I am at a different barn now, but we are right on the beach. That might be awesome!!
Edit to add - might have to wait until October, the township is doing fireworks so that might not be the best day!
Oh it WILL be awesome!!!
When I ride at night I put reflective bands around my horses pasterns (these are actually for people but work fine for my horse- I got them from a running store) and I wear a reflective safety vest (from Home Depot).I also carry a red blinking bicycle light and activate it if I hear a car coming. The aforementioned set up seems to work as cars make a point of swinging out around us. It isnāt a bad idea to have a headlamp (more for you than the horse). One that has a red light is easier for the horse if you have it on while you are riding. The white light would be good if you need to inspect horses hoof for a rock or what have you. Try REI for headlamps.
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I like the petzl headlamps, light weight and work very well.
https://www.backcountry.com/petzl-tikkina-2-headlamp?CMP_SKU=PTZ009C&MER=0406&skid=PTZ009C-BL-ONESIZ&mr:trackingCode=5E8C8A37-409F-E911-810D-005056944E17&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=plaonline&CMP_ID=PLA_GOc001&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PLA&k_clickid=k_Cj0KCQjwguGYBhDRARIsAHgRm48-cq4JeIAIPCJCMnZ-7BzvO_xb8TLTzdH7DOzdzMLD0sxWKoLSvaAaAoq0EALw_wcB_k&utm_id=go_cmp-12868123372_adg-121976320992_ad-517539169151_pla-1249752933592_dev-c_ext-_prd-PTZ009C-BL-ONESIZ&gclid=Cj0KCQjwguGYBhDRARIsAHgRm48-cq4JeIAIPCJCMnZ-7BzvO_xb8TLTzdH7DOzdzMLD0sxWKoLSvaAaAoq0EALw_wcB
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Before I retired, I rode in the dark on weeknights, probably 6 months of the year. Around the pasture, and across a stream, to a (then) unlit outdoor arena. Or just around the perimeter of the farm.
Obviously some nights were darker than others (moon, light pollution, etc.). I didnāt jump in the dark, but I did just about everything else, dressage, conditioning rides, riding over poles, in the dark. The only thing I had difficulty with was reading my watch during gallop sets.
Nowhere near the road, so I didnāt bother with lights or reflective strips.
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I find the week leading up to the full moon is best for moonlight as the waxing moon is high enough to light up the landscape. The full moon casts more light but it is lower in the sky so it also casts strong shadows.
I was at an endurance ride on the weekend and went for a pre dawn, pre 100 start ride hoping to see the sun rise. I didnāt see it because I wanted to be back well before the 100s started. I used my LED breastplate for the first time! That was fun!
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Brilliant photo! He looks like a Viking horse.
I love riding in the dark. If thereās no worry about cars, I prefer to let my eyes adjust to the dark. Admittedly Iām more comfortable doing this with gray horses. I used to ride a black horse in the arena at night and I guess I scared the neighbor so I had to start using the lights. I was trying to be polite by not using them. So for dark horses I do use a bit of reflective gear for the walk and arena lights. For light horses, nothing. I do keep a tiny flashlight in my pocket just in case.
