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I know exactly what you are talking about with the lights. I ride some
roads at night and all the cars turn their brights on.
I found a small flour. , plastic lantern (round like a toilet paper tube)
that lights down the side instead of out one end. Attached to the breast
collar, it gives a soft glow around the horses' front feet and a small area
in front. I am planning to so some 100s this year, but I really need light
when I do my training rides as I have small children and a
(bless-his-heart) work-a-holic husband. I must ride when I can. All
kidding aside, we do have a real snake problem, as well as a rabies
epidemic with a high population of coyotes and skunks. We also have very
thick prickly pear catus patches and animal dens and colonies of dens. I
stick to the trail during a race, at home, I go where I please.
I have made my peace with the dark.
On our first 100, Shadowfax and I were alone on the trail with no light and
no moon, deep in East Texas Piney Woods. If he didn't have extremely good
night vision, we would still be there, as I could not see at all.
Riding from 4am to sunup in the pre-dawn did not prepare me for what it was
like when the sun went down between 6:30-7pm. We had planned a slow ride
and, as scheduled, didn't finish until well after midnight. We loped and
galloped the last four miles as I had tons of horse left but not much time.
- - again, my poor light had given out. I gave him his head and my trust
and he brought us home (in the dark).
I have found that a steady, soft light works much better than flashing a
bright, spot light on and off. It allows your eyes to adjust and see any
dangers on the trail without being alternately blinded by light and then
dark.
Becky
Semper Fi & The ShadowRat
Huffman Horse and Cattle Company
Fine Endurance Arabians and 'Horned Cows'
hhcc1@htcomp.net
----------
From: Joe Long <jlong@mti.net>
To: ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject: Re: nite light
Date: Saturday, March 22, 1997 4:31 PM
On Sat, 22 Mar 1997 10:40:20 -0600, you wrote:
>I am having problems finding a reliable light for riding in the dark.
Even
>with new batteries and bulb, light will not stay good for long enough to
>complete loop!!
I'd say you're not using your light properly. It should not be on all
the time. IMHO, you are better off keeping the light off as much as you
can, turning it on only for tricky spots or to spot trail markers. The
horse can see quite well at night, if you don't spoil his night vision
-- and if you leave the light off, you'll be surprised how well *you*
can see once your eyes have adjusted. A light, particularly a bright
focused light like many helmet lights, don't allow your eyes to adjust.
While I'm at it, I'd like to express a "pet peeve" of mine -- riders who
don't turn their lights off as they approach a rider who isn't using
one. They harm his (and his horse's) night vision. The very worst is
to ride behind someone while using a helmet light -- the harsh, bouncing
shadows that throws ahead of the other rider makes it very difficult for
the person ahead to see anything.
The only light I've used for years on 100 mile rides is a small mini-mag
light, which uses two AA batteries. I can adjust for spot or flood as
needed, and carry it easily on a cord around my neck. One set of
batteries is usually enough for a ride, though I carry a spare light
just in case.
--Joe Long jlong@mti.net Business Page http://www.mti.net Personal Page http://www.rnbw.com ----------
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