The sleeping patterns of horses are a matter of much dispute. Do horses always sleep standing up? Is it harmful to horses to sleep lying down? These are only a few of the issues that horse lovers ask about their animals’ night sleeps.
It’s not as simple as it may appear to figure out what’s going on. We’ve done the legwork, but we also sought input from the most knowledgeable experts on exactly what your horse’s sleep habits should be like.
Do Horses Sleep While Standing Up?
Is it possible to distinguish between deep sleep and light sleep? The answer to this question depends on your definition of sleep. Horses, like people, have different phases of rest during which they snooze. They may doze off just like humans and require Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep just as they do. Yes, horses dream as well, although their dreams are slightly different from those of humans.
Horses can sleep or relax in the first stage, SWS, while standing. They have an amazing capacity for the equine skeletal system that allows them to do this. They have a unique ability to lock their rear knee caps into position, allowing their skeleton to stand upright without using its muscles. This is known as a stay apparatus and is enabled by a specific set of tendons and ligaments.
Horses are able to rest while standing for a reason. This built-in survival mechanism dates back to the days when most horses were wild and didn’t have time to struggle to their feet before fleeing if a predator attacked, so horses will never lie down if they don’t feel safe.
The next issue we must consider concerns horses’ sleep patterns.
Do Horses Sleep in a Laying Position?
Horses are only able to sleep while standing, as previously said, and REM sleep is required of horses, just as it is in people. As a result, a horse must spend some time resting before going to bed.
When a horse is standing, it is unable to enter REM sleep since the muscles must be totally relaxed. Horses twitch and move in their sleep just like people do when they have that falling sensation and wake up every now and then. During REM sleep, muscle control is lost, as well as the stay apparatus’ effectiveness.
How much deep sleep does a horse require on a daily basis? The REM phase is generally thought to take place for 30 minutes to three hours every day. Horses will only sleep this deeply during the late-night hours unless they have a sleeping problem.
Researchers are also in agreement that this REM sleep occurs only in brief bursts, generally of 10-20 minutes at a time. It’s possible due to the horse’s anatomy and physiology, as well as the restriction of blood flow to vital organs when resting down, which makes it difficult for them to rest for very long periods of time. Horses can usually only lay down for a maximum of 45 minutes at a time.
How Long Do Horses Sleep?
Horses require 30 minutes to three hours of REM sleep per day, which only accounts for a tiny portion of their rest patterns. Horses require 5-7 hours of sleep every day, on average.
If a horse does not get enough sleep, the negative effects may not be apparent for several days, but they may become irritable, unpleasant, and even dangerous. A sleepy horse might fall down in unusual locations, such as at a show. There are numerous documented instances of this.
There are many reasons why a horse may not get enough rest, including tension, solitude, background noise, lack of security from being in a new environment, joint issues, insufficient area to lay down, and social anxiety caused by the presence of a new aggressive horse nearby.
Sleep deprivation in horses causes lethargy and deep sleepiness, which can lead to poor performance and attitude.
The asleep disorder occurs when horses wake themselves up during REM sleep by producing excessive bodily movements, resulting in a lack of rest.
Sleep disorders in horses include narcolepsy, when a fully awake horse suddenly falls asleep, and hypersomnia, which is excessive sleep. These issues might all be signs of neurological disease and should be examined by a veterinarian.
Do Horses Ever Lay Down?
Horses cannot lie down to rest, but they must stretch out on one side for a few 10-20 minute stretches at night to make up for the REM sleep they missed during the day. You may not notice them laying down frequently since they spend most of their hard sleeping hours in the middle of the night at their lowest point.
A horse may be laying down during the day for a variety of reasons, including sunning. However, if it becomes frequent or the horse stays down for a lengthy stretch of time, it might be a sign of trouble. If a horse is spending an excessive amount of time lying down during daylight hours and is sleeping less than usual, this could be due to sleep deprivation, colic, or other illnesses.
The average foal is approximately five months old, and a newborn foal is usually born in the spring or early summer. Horses sleep more than humans of similar age because they are infantile creatures, as do puppies. Because of arthritis issues as they get older, older horses may have difficulty sleeping, which should be discussed with your veterinarian if you believe your senior horse is not getting enough rest.
Do Horses Snore?
Yes, horses are known to snore while sleeping. Horses’ snoring is generally quiet, but some of them have unsightly sleeping patterns. These horses in the amusing video compilation above are clearly not normal horses.
