Mare under lights

[Alan]

I'm getting mixed answers about how long to keep your mare under light a day. I've heard from 12 to 20 hrs a day. someone (a Vet) told me to just turn a light on for about 20 minutes for every three hrs round the clock, set on a timer. My thought was from about 5 am to 9 pm or about 16 hrs. I'm sorry this is to get her to cycle for a Feb breeding (AI).

any thoughts would be helpful.

Thanks,
Alan

 

[D.R. Cattle]

My father breeds cutting horses. He turns the lights on in the afternoon just before dark and leaves them on a few hours into the darkness. The whole idea is artificially extend the daylight hours. Leaving them on during the day seems unnecessary unless your barn is very dark to start with.