The Effect of Keeping a Horse in a Dark Stall

Some horses, like some humans, suffer Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) provoked by a biochemical imbalance in the brain due to sunlight deficiency. SAD symptoms include depression, sluggishness, hesitancy to interact and heightened desire to sleep. Specific nerve centers in the brain are light stimulated and control horses’ moods. Light therapy has successfully proven to improve the mood of light-deprived horses.

  1. Light Deprivation

    • Light deprivation can lead a horse to depression. This depression may manifest as illness, muscle tone loss, reduced energy, lethargy, decreased socialization and even anger. At the very least, a horse needs a small opening in his stall to receive some sort of light exposure. Depriving a naturally social animal of light and interaction is likened to locking a child inside a closet. Horses need a minimum of a scenic outdoor view to reduce the possibility of hostility and rage build-up.

    Importance of Sunlight

    • Horses need sunlight on their skin. Sunlight is vital for vitamin D synthesis, which is necessary for maintaining regular calcium metabolism. Lack of sunlight, especially if a horse is also kept covered with a blanket, may develop a skin fungus, resulting in hair loss. Vitamin D deficiency can result in weak bones, swollen joints and lameness.

    Research

    • Nottingham Trent University in England performed a study of horse symptoms after light deprivation. Half of the animals involved in the study received light therapy, during which they stood directly below light for one hour per day. The study lasted six weeks and assessed horses based on their behavior before and after receiving light therapy.

    Results

    • Horse sleep and eating patterns were reviewed and scored, based on reactions to multiple situations, such as handling, isolation, riding and jumping. Those horses who had received light therapy fared far better than those kept in dark stalls. The light-deprived horses indicated signs of SAD such as longer and more frequent sleep periods, poor riding performances and low-energy riding. Light therapy patients indicated more enthusiasm in all situations than they displayed prior to the study.

    Barn Lighting

    • Aside the nutritional and emotional benefits of sunlight, appropriate barn lighting is vital to the horse’s physical health and safety. Proper lighting provides a visual means of assessing a horse’s outward appearance. Should something go wrong with the horse, a veterinarian will also appreciate good lighting for thorough examination.