HOW DO HORSES SLEEP — AND HOW MUCH DO THEY NEED?
Horses are like other mammal species in terms of not needing a lot of sleep. Their sleep is divided up into three types:
1 A snooze-type sleep.
2 A secondary sleep that is true sleep.
3 Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. A horse can stand up during types one and two, but in order to have REM sleep he has to lie down because it involves complete relaxation.
So what can cause horses to not want to lie down?
One common reason is that they have pain or lameness that makes it uncomfortable or difficult for them to both lie down and get up again. As a result, they’re unlikely to lie down, so they become exhausted.
Another aspect can be linked to their management, such as keeping a horse in a stable that’s too small, meaning that they can’t get down or back up again, or where there isn’t enough bedding, making it uncomfortable.
Other common causes are linked to a horse being fearful in his environment, perhaps because he’s being bullied in a herd. Others don’t like being stabled and therefore don’t feel safe enough there to lie down.
Horses expose themselves when they lie down, so they need to feel in a safe environment to do so.
Just like people, horses are individuals and have different sleep requirements, so knowing what is normal for your horse is key.
Just because a horse isn’t sleeping for a certain period doesn’t mean that he has a problem — we don’t want people to overreact.
It’s useful to use a system such as the Trackener if you’re concerned
(see panel, page 96), but often people can monitor it themselves by looking for signs that their horse has been lying down, such as flat bedding in the stable. If you never see your horse lying down, it might be worth investigating further. Also look out for those subtle signs of sleep deprivation, such as scuff marks on the lower limbs, particularly the knees and head, which indicate that a horse may have collapsed in his stable.
If you suspect that your horse is suffering from a lack of sleep, assess his environment.
Some horses prefer to be out in a field in a herd to lie down, whereas others like the safety of a stable.
Once you know the cause, you can attempt to address it.
“Horses expose themselves when they lie down, so they need to feel in a safe environment to do so”