LED LIGHTING IN A RIDING CENTRE REQUIRES CAREFUL ATTENTION AND THE FRENCH FEDERATION RECOMMENDS SEVERAL AVERAGE ILLUMINANCE LEVELS TO BE MAINTAINED. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE NOT MANDATORY, PROVIDING EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE LIGHTING WILL ENSURE THE WELLBEING OF YOUR MEMBERS AND AN OPTIMUM USER EXPERIENCE.
Lighting a Riding Centre
Schooling Area Lighting
Paddock and Stable Lighting
Lighting a Riding Centre :
Lighting for a riding centre depends mostly on how it is used. The French Equestrian Federation recommends certain levels of illuminance for different areas, i.e. outdoor paths, stables, schooling areas and arenas, with respective levels of 25 Lux, 150 Lux and 300 Lux for schooling areas and arenas. Our experience with different equestrian projects has shown that an illuminance level between 80 and 150 Lux is sufficient for your schooling area or arena.
Riding centres include several areas to be lighted: schooling areas and riding arenas, paddocks, stables and outdoor paths. Each area requires a specific level of light for a good visual result with no glare, both for riders and their horses.
The Speqtris Sport range of fixtures for Schooling Area lighting :
When lighting schooling areas on poles, we mainly use the following products from the dedicated Speqtris Sport lighting range :
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| Olympe LED Floodlight | Surya LED Highbay | Eros linear LED lights |
The Speqtris Sport range of fixtures for Riding Arena lighting :
When lighting riding arenas on poles, we mainly use the following products from the dedicated Speqtris Sport lighting range :
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| Helios LED Floodlight | Goliath LED Floodlight | Cronos LED Floodlight |
The Speqtris Sport range of fixtures for Paddock and Stable lighting :
When lighting paddocks and stables, we mainly use the following products from the dedicated Speqtris Sport lighting range :
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| LED Tube Light | Hublot |
Riding Centre illuminance :
Lighting for riding centres is not standardised, but only recommended by the French Equestrian Federation and the Federation of National Stud Farms:
Horizontal illuminance uniformity factor :
The FFE has not defined a precise uniformity factor for each category. Depending on the customer’s needs, the uniformity factor will be between 0.5 and 0.7 in order to meet their expectations.
Frequent dimensions of an Arena and a Schooling Area :
The dimensions are not fixed, but we often encounter the following dimensions in our lighting projects :
Discover the high-level lighting installed at the Centre Hippique des Alpes (equestrian centre) :
Schooling Area Lighting:
We upgraded two indoor schooling areas, one mainly used for training, and the other for competitions. Both were lighted with floodlights from the Olympe range, with an illuminance of 300 Lux on the ground and a uniformity factor above 0.7.
Arena Lighting:
Two large riding arenas were lighted with Cronos floodlights on 16m-high poles. Three poles spaced out along each length of the arenas provide illuminance of more than 300 Lux over both arenas with optimum uniformity.
Lighting management:
For good lighting management, combining convenience of use and energy savings, Speqtris Sport recommended and installed a lighting management unit for the two arenas with three different illuminance levels (Leisure, Training and Competition), the possibility of lighting a semi-arena when only few riders are on site, and management of lighting effects for the various riding events hosted.
WITH OVER 10 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD, WE HAVE DESIGNED A RANGE OF LIGHTING LAYOUTS TO SUIT EACH SPORT.
THIS TOOL PROVIDES QUICK ACCESS TO THE PHOTOMETRIC STUDIES CORRESPONDING TO YOUR PROJECT TO HELP YOU DEFINE AND PROPOSE THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT FOR THE LIGHTING RESULT YOU WANT.
Lighting your Riding Centre :
Although the French equestrian and national stud farms federations recommend strong light, our experience with riding centre owners has shown that arena floodlights are mostly used for training sessions.
Illuminance levels are important for national and/or international competitions, and for occasional events.
However, for good conditions of use, it is important to adapt the lighting to the main sport (dressage, show jumping, endurance riding, horse ball, polo, etc.). For example, a show-jumping arena will require better uniformity than a specific dressage arena in order to avoid dark areas or plays of light that could frighten the horses.
At Speqtris Sport, our team will recommend the right balance between illuminance and uniformity to adapt the lighting of your arena. Feel free to contact our teams.
The recommended illuminance for a riding arena is 200 Lux for training and 300 Lux for competitions. The levels are low in order to ensure the visual comfort and wellbeing of horses without affecting the quality of lighting. Riding arenas host competitions, show-jumping events and pony-games, etc., so they require greater visibility than other parts of the riding centre.
Different lighting results:
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| 70 Lux | 100 Lux | 200 Lux | 300 Lux |
Typical riding arena lay-outs:
Layout 1:
Layout 2:
The recommendations for schooling areas are the same as for arenas. However, as schooling areas are mostly used for training horses and riding lessons, they do not necessarily need the same levels of light as arenas. Dimmer light is less stressful for the horses and better for learning.
Different lighting results :
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| 80 Lux | 100 Lux | 120 Lux | 150 Lux |
Typical schooling area layouts :
Layout 1:
Layout 2:
Clubhouse lighting is also important for riders and riding centre managers. This rest and work area requires good visual comfort, and we can provide lighting such as an “LED Panel” or “Bulkhead” to meet these needs.
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For stables and paddocks, the recommended illuminance is 150 Lux maximum with a “warm white” lighting temperature to avoid making the horses nervous and help them rest.
Overhead lighting is the best option in order to make use of the stable or paddock roofs and avoid shadows. Our “LED Tube” and “Bulkhead” lights are fully suited to these needs.
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By associating your floodlights with a VariBOX, you can optimise your lighting management and save energy!
You control the lighting of your arena or schooling area to suit your needs.
With our different Bronze, Silver and Gold formats, you can customise your lighting as you wish.
Recommended illuminance levels :
Classe I : 500 Lux
Classe II : 200 Lux
Classe III : 100 Lux
Recommended add-ons :
2 illuminance levels
Motion detectors
Light sensor (on/off)
Riding Centre VariBOX :
The VariBOX will allow you to save energy, facilitate the set up and control your lighting according to your needs and wishes.
Several add-ons are available with the VariBOX, including a programmable timer, an on/off sensor, a variable sensor, motion detectors, and semi-arena lighting, etc.
This turnkey pre-programmed unit connects to your lighting system to control the variations of your floodlights.
KEY PROJECTS