Instead of Blankets: Infrared Heating (Riding Hall and Stable Heating 2022)

Radiant infrared heating is a good choice for heating a stable or riding hall because heating film does not warm the large, high air space but directly the horses, the people and the surfaces. In a larger stable we recommend building it into the ceiling: less film is needed there and the warmth is felt faster. The system can be controlled with a thermostat and is quick to install.

Do horses get cold in winter?

The grace and intelligence of horses and the bond that forms with them captivate many people from a young age - and whoever has come to love riding is not held back even by hard cold. Cold, however, does not weigh only on people. Like dogs, horses adapt to the change of season: when cold weather arrives they grow longer, thicker coats. In serious, lasting cold this is not always enough, so many keepers cover their horse with a blanket or rug in the stable.

Larger riding halls also heat, but keeping conventional heating going in a building with a large air space is very costly. How much warmth a particular horse needs is decided by the horse keeper's experience and the vet's advice; what we help with is that, if heating is needed, it should be economical and well controllable.

How does infrared heating heat in a stable?

The technology is based on infrared radiation: radiation with a longer wavelength than visible red light, invisible to the eye, which is also present in sunlight and which our skin perceives as warmth. Unlike conventional heating, it does not warm the air so that the air passes on the heat; it works the other way round: first the objects and the living beings inside warm up.

In a tall, large-floor-area stable this is the point. The warmth of a system that heats the air rises under the roof, while down at the horses' height it stays cool. With radiant heating there is no need to heat the air under the roof for the horses and the people working in the stable to feel warm.

Where should the heating film go?

Infrared heating is becoming more and more common in family houses, apartments and industrial halls, and the same advantages can be exploited in a stable or paddock. The heating film can go into the wall, the ceiling or the floor here too. Infrared heating expert Tamás Tóth sums up our experience:

"In a stable with a larger floor area, we usually recommend building it into the ceiling, because with a large floor area less heating film has to be installed in the ceiling, and the effect of infrared heating is felt faster."

If the animal building also has smaller pens, cages or a dog house, we wrote about heating them in our article Animal warmth.

Installation, connection, control

• Quick installation: the system needs little material, building the heating of a stable typically takes at most a day, and it can be put into service immediately afterwards.
• No chimney or fuel: no gas connection, chimney or fuel store is needed, which is a particular advantage in a building full of hay and bedding.
• Electrical connection: with a larger heating output it must be checked in advance whether the existing connection capacity is sufficient, and if not, an upgrade has to be requested from the electricity supplier in good time.
• Control: both the air and the heated-surface temperature can be measured and set - with a thermostat or a smart home solution, even from a mobile phone.

What does the riding hall gain from it?

For the operator the most important thing is that the heating is targeted: you do not pay for the air space under the roof, but get warmth where the horses and the people are. In a tempered stable the coat of a horse sweating after a ride dries faster, and preparing the horse is also more pleasant work in the warmth. With animals in good spirits, riding is more enjoyable too - and in the end everyone profits from that.