intensive care unit), Changes in noise (e.g. That’s right, even horses can have sleep disorders. In Sleep and Sleep Disorders in Horses, the author notes “These horses may lack periods of REM sleep despite being seen lying down, which can result in excessive episodes of sleep. According to PetMD, “A typical night as a horse will involve grazing, snoozing standing up, and short periods of lying flat out to get some serious shut eye.”, If your horse is stalled instead of kept outside in a pasture or paddock, he’ll likely get most of his rest during the night and early mornings when the barn quiets down and people activity is low. Plus, you got a lot of practical tips to help your equine beauty get his beauty sleep. Horses will periodically sleep lightly while standing throughout the day. Check out our summary video about horse sleep: A Sleep Trifecta! Do horses sleep at night? His legs buckle, and he crashes to the ground. These little flickers are just a sign of your horses reaching a deep state of sleep. Getting Comfortable: What are common horse sleeping positions? [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bnjWEaQ1Ks?rel=0]. In general, it’s estimated that foals sleep about 30 minutes of every hour (12 hours a day, that is). Sternal recumbency refers to a horse that’s lying down on its belly and chest, withers up, with legs tucked and head and neck off the ground. As we’ve mentioned, horses can rest standing up or lying down in one of two positions. But horses don’t only sleep at night! ), you feel yourself drift off for just a second. A really cool physical adaptation called the “Stay Apparatus.”, “The stay apparatus is a group of ligaments, tendons and muscles which “lock” major joints in the limbs of the horse. ), which means standing and lying down in short spurts throughout the day and night. (#betterlatethannever). Horses have excellent night vision, and on a night lit by a partial moon or by bright stars alone, normally sighted horses can see as well as you do in full daylight. If you’ve read this entire article, you’re a horse sleep rookie no more. (Well, to an extent.). After 25+ years in the saddle, I bought my first horse at 33. Experts also agree that this REM sleep only occurs in short bursts, usually of 10-20 minutes at a time. Weather does affect how much and how well horses sleep. Though this doesn’t sound very appealing to you and me, their behavior makes sense when we consider the nature of prey animals in the wild. horses who stay standing and alert) to balance their need for rest and safety. Horses with only mats lay down to sleep less than those with bedding (<30 minutes). Make sure your horse is friendly with herdmates in adjoining stalls. Clicker training is the answer! By now you already know the answer to this question is yes! It makes me laugh whenever I encounter people who think that horses will die if they lie down. Cribbing can affect the quality and quantity of a horse’s sleep. That’s why I’m always careful to give him a heads up (talking to him, adjusting my saddle, etc.) If your horse cribs, be especially vigilant about sleep deprivation. Reading List: Pick up a copy of Why Do Horses Sleep Standing Up? Sometimes at night, when they are in a safe and quiet atmosphere, they will finally lie down and enter the deeper stages of their sleep cycle. (Read more about specifically how it works here.) Baby horses (like baby humans) spend more of their time sleeping. ), One leg bends or cocks so the tip of the hoof rests on the ground. Subscribe to Equinews and get the latest equine nutrition and health news delivered to your inbox. before asking him to move off after a period of relaxation. mountain lions, coyotes). If you notice your horse is spending excessive amounts of time sleeping during the day, talk to your vet about the possibility of a Hypersomnia sleep disorder. A common complaint in these horses, besides excessive sleep, is decreased or poor performance.”. Enjoy this article? (Source: Horse Rookie), Excessive sleeping, or Hypersomnia, can also be an issue with horses. Approach slowly, talk softly, and don’t touch him until he realizes you’re there. You’ve had a long week, you’re stressed, and you’re oh….so…tired. (More on both of those topics later.). A droopy lip is a tell-tale sign of dozing (Source: Horse Rookie), Horses do this a LOT. Talk to your vet if you see signs of trouble. Horses doze for various periods during the day and have short bouts of deep sleep lying down in the middle of the night. Horses can get a lot of sleep while standing up, but they lie down when they require REM sleep. I’d heard of REM sleep when it comes to people, but I’d never heard about REM sleep for horses. We’ve all been there. (Side note: If you’re a horse rookie just getting into riding, check out Horseback Riding: What to Wear to make sure you look the part and have a safe and comfortable experience!). Horses may also doze under saddle when they’re standing in the middle of the arena awaiting their turn to perform. This is the most common question people ask about horses and sleep, and the answer is yes! Ensuring adequate room for all horses to lie comfortably for at least 30 minutes every day and addressing underlying medical causes for decreased recumbency, such as osteoarthritis (OA), improves the quality of life of group-managed horses and minimizes welfare issues. We also know that horses sleep more when it’s hot, and if they’re sick. One British study found that “…cribbers often don’t sleep on their feet or have as much slow wave sleep as other horses, 48 percent less.” (Source). Trot on over to: I began riding horses at age six, and I'm just as infatuated (OK, more!) People and dogs dream during REM sleep, and horses seem to exhibit dream-like behaviors too. The Sleep Patterns. During deep sleep the brain transfers what it has learned from the short term to long term … My horses are in at night, so I would think they sleep mostly at night. According to Kentucky Performance Products, “[wild] horses needed to be able to function with sleep interruptions from predators or looking out for predators.”, How long do horses sleep? That’s exactly what happened to my friend’s gelding when he moved into my horse’s herd. At the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference, held Feb. 19-23 in Las Vegas, Nev., … Sleep crashing may be easily confused with “girthing” or monotony, but they’re not the same thing. social groups, stimuli, time of day), and poor conditions can lead to sleep deprivation. Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D, an equine nutritionist based in Lewisville, Texas, recently shared her expert views on this topic in a press release on “ Three Not-So-Common Myths About Feeding Horses.” If a horse is stressed or sick, and especially if he doesn’t or can’t lie down to get daily deep REM sleep), stay vigilant and call your vet if the behavior persists. Down Time: Do horses sleep on their sides? lying flat on one side) allows for the deepest rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Move him inside to a stall at night for a few days so he can catch up on sleep without worrying about herd dynamics or weather. What animals sleep standing up? Horses can sleep both standing up and lying down. According to Kentucky Equine Research, horses require 5-7 hours of slumber per day. By this … Again, don’t feel badly if you can’t self-diagnose your horse’s symptoms. Adults only sleep about three hours per day. However, many horses lie down just because they feel comfortable or want to do so. Though this type of sleep is “light sleep” versus deep REM sleep. You may also notice that horses position themselves strategically while snoozing. That’s when the horse’s muscles relax enough to reach a state of deep slumber. I have more pillows on my bed than any person needs! Sleep-deprived animals often become week and lose the ability to control their body temperature. The average nap lasts approximately 15 minutes. Sign up for free now! Suddenly it feels like one side of your horse dropped six inches… because it did! Lack of sleep has an undesirable influence on the physical activity of humans and animals. Is it dead? Get 7 Creative Ways to Lower Your Horse Expenses: You have successfully joined The Horse Rookie Herd! These types of products lubricate the joints and help decrease discomfort and inflammation associated with OA, potentially making it easier for horses to become recumbent and more easily stand after REM sleep,” advised Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research (KER). If a horse isn’t getting enough quality rest (especially his daily recumbent REM sleep), he can become physically and mentally exhausted. But horses don’t sleep in a single block of time like humans do. I’d never been close enough to really watch a sleeping horse before, and it’s one of my favorite memories. I may catch my horse snoozing a dozen times in a single visit to the barn. In another case, a 6-wk-old pony crossbreed had frequent episodes of falling asleep and collapse triggered by excitement (play time and going to pasture with mom), eating (nursing and chewing hay), and drinking that almost caused the colt to drown.”. During REM sleep, the brain enters a period of “low voltage and mixed frequencies with episodic fast eye movements.” (Source), Disorganized brain waves aren’t the only indicators that a horse has achieved REM sleep. We don’t take our horses to posh sleep clinics like we might if we’ve been tossing and turning. If you’re around horses long enough, though, you’ll see they can sleep lying down in one of two positions. Horses spend most of their time either eating, resting, or sleeping; Approximately 5-7 hours of each day is committed to resting behavior, with actual sleep usually occurring after midnight in the dark hours; Horses can rest and achieve certain types of sleep (e.g., slow-wave sleep) while standing; however, the rapid eye movement (REM) phase cannot be entered without recumbency due to loss of … He let me lay in the grass next to him for half an hour, petting him as he snoozed. Now that you’ve got a basic knowledge of how horses sleep, let’s go deeper on a few key topics and common #horserookie questions. I can feel him cock one leg, then the other, and simply settle in for a little snooze. They might even occasionally blink as they move in and out of alertness while dozing. Space allowance of the littered area affects lying behavior in group-housed horses. The stay apparatus allows animals to relax their muscles and doze without collapsing.” (Source), Fun fact: This physical trait can be traced all the way back to the now-extinct wild horses called Dinohippus, the first to show an early form of horses’ modern-day stay apparatus. It’s scary to witness, startling for your horse, and can result in serious injury. Although sleep requirements in horses remain largely unknown, some facts gleaned from various research groups include: Unsuitable environmental conditions (e.g., lack of available space, weather), social insecurity (low standing on the pecking order), and physical complaints (musculoskeletal discomfort) all limit the ability of some horses to lie down.