I hadn't really planned to post much this week because I knew I wouldn't be riding much, but I'm excited about my new arena lights. After a lot of really useful input both in blog comments on my
post last week, and then in Facebook comments when I shared the post on my personal page, I took the plunge! I started making bids on eBay and finally got what I wanted -- four 300w LED floodlamps. Shipping was reasonably prompt (although why FedEx thought it was necessary for the lights to sit in Lenexa for two days and get scanned five times is beyond me, but I digress) and they arrived yesterday.
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| Teeny hand for scale (no seriously, I have tiny hands) |
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| Teeny dog, also for scale. |
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| Box of 4 lights. |
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| We wired one to an old extension cord for test purposes, to make sure it would be bright enough before we wire up all 4 lights. |
Obviously the lights were bright, but I needed to test them outside! I impatiently waited for dark, and then we took one light outside to test it.
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| This is obviously taken with my cell phone, so not great quality, but it lit up most of the arena. |
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| You can see the far arena fence -- it was *almost* bright enough to ride in with just 1 light. And I got 4! |
Our tests were wildly successful, and I totally think the lights will be perfect for my purposes. It will definitely be bright enough with 4 for basic flatwork, and hopefully the LEDs will be both cheap to run, and long-lasting. The next hurdle will be to get some poles (the lights were a bit heavier than DH expected I think, haha) and wiring, and then get everything set up! I have some relatives flying in from out of town this weekend, so we probably won't get to the lights for a little bit, but we're definitely making progress. I can't wait to test them out for real later this summer!
Maybe the relatives need a project. GET ON THE BUS.
ReplyDeleteKnowing my uncle, that will absolutely not be on his agenda 😂
DeleteYes relatives need to be kept busy!
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of fun activities planned. I don't think digging giant holes and working with electricity will be more appealing 😋
DeleteExcellent! It's great to not be hampered by the dark!
ReplyDeleteI also think that Sprinklerbandit has the right idea....
Haha yes I'm excited about expanding my rideable hours, especially during the parts of the year with less daylight!
DeleteOnly horse people can understand just how damn exciting lights are. Because they ARE really exciting.
ReplyDeleteRight? Like I was excitedly telling my boss about my decision to go with 300w floodlights instead of smaller ones and his eyes sort of glazed over 😂 guess I need to confine that sort of gushing for the blog?
Delete#sorrynotsorry
yessssss - i think you're going to be REALLY happy with the outcome of all this :D
ReplyDeleteI sure hope so! DH kind of tapped out on the process of picking the lights because I was driving him nuts with questions, but I think he was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the lights I ended up with, especially since I was on a super tight budget 😉 he seems excited about the process again now that he gets to dig holes and put up poles, that's more his area of expertise 😂 haha.
DeleteYour DH is really one of my favorite people with his land improvement excitement. 😂😂
DeleteHe's certainly an odd duck -- but he's my odd duck, haha. At least land improvement is a good long term goal? Lol
DeleteOooooo ahhhhhh
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed!
DeleteOhhhhhh. I want lights in my riding area too. I'm curious to see how they last. :)
ReplyDeleteI've heard good things about the longevity of the LED lights, so hopefully I won't be replacing them too frequently!
DeleteThis is absurdly exciting. Yay light!!
ReplyDeleteRight??
DeleteOh! Exciting! That is bright! I'm hoping to re-do my lighting when I replace my arena fence. Which I'm also hoping actually happens this year. Fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteWell if these work out as well as I hope, I can give you an eBay link! They were super reasonably priced ;)
DeleteCan I get the link to these lamps? Would love to look at the specs for reference/my own ring!
ReplyDeleteSure! I think this is the listing for the lights I purchased -- https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-X-300W-LED-Flood-Light-Outdoor-Garden-Lamp-Waterproof-Cool-White-Fixture-110V-/272487418534
DeleteBut honestly just searching LED floodlights will get you a variety of listings. You can choose from a ton of different wattages and even different colors (warm vs. cool white). I actually bought 4 from one seller and 2 from a different seller, but they're all the same generic mass produced Chinese lights haha. And then I bought a smaller one for my grooming area (that I still need to install, oops) from a 3rd seller.