One day my daughter watched enough Western cartoons and TV shows dedicated to horses and asked me: “Mom, how does a horse sleep?” To be honest, at first I was confused. The fact is that we are city dwellers, we do not have our own agriculture and barnyard. That is why I could not give a clear answer to my daughter. Shame on me, friends! So let's figure it out interesting question together.
How does a horse sleep?
To answer this question it was enough to open any book about the life of horses! Here's what I found out. Mostly horses sleep standing up, but not always! No wonder my instinct warned me that not everything here is “pure”! The fact is that for proper rest you simply need to take a nap for at least a couple of hours while lying down. This will allow them to gain strength for the new day. But still, their main sleep occurs, so to speak, on their feet.
Why does a horse sleep standing up?
"Mechanism" of action
And it's true! Why? To answer this question, you must first understand how they do this. After delving deeper into the relevant literature, I found out that their unique bone structure helps them sleep standing up! The fact is that the bones and ligaments in the legs of horses are designed in such a way that they become blocked very easily. It is thanks to this that complete relaxation occurs while the horse is dozing. Her muscles relax, and her overall body weight "suspends" quite securely on the locked limbs.
Why standing and not lying down?
I reported above that the horse sleeps standing up during most of its rest. But why? It's simple! The fact is that it takes a long time to rest in supine position our artiodactyls are simply uncomfortable. After all, these are quite heavy and massive animals with huge muscles, which cannot be said about their fragile bones... If horses lie in the same position for a long time, this will lead to the animal being injured.
Self-defense
Having delved into the works of some scientists and naturalists, among whom was the well-known traveler Przhevalsky, I learned not only how a horse sleeps, but also how it, roughly speaking, “came to such a life”! Scientists believe that this is a common habit that over time developed into a defense mechanism. The fact is that horse speed is their main “self-defense technique” in the wild, and a standing position during sleep can keep the animal in “combat” readiness. In other words, if they are in danger, they can immediately run away! There is probably no need to explain that any animal with long and thin legs (antelope, camels, gazelles, cows) needs to spend much more time than others in order to be able to rise from its lying position!
Mutual assistance
So, we know that horses doze lying down for a short time. But even for this insignificant period of time, they need some kind of guarantee that there is no predator wandering nearby, ready to dine on them... Their brothers act as such “insurance”! When horses keep in herds, they guard each other in turns: while one is sleeping, the other stands nearby, and vice versa.
And finally
That’s the whole answer to the question of how a horse sleeps, friends! Now I can tell my child absolutely and confidently about this! All you have to do is wait for your daughter to wake up... Good luck to you!
How do horses sleep? Many livestock breeders believe that horses can only sleep while standing. However, this is often not true. You will learn about how horses actually sleep in our article.
Those who are familiar with horses often notice that the animal stands in a stable or in a meadow with its eyes closed, one of its legs tucked hind legs for yourself. A sleeping horse can brush away blood-sucking insects without opening its eyes. The horses are not completely asleep. This condition can be compared to a light nap. Therefore, farmers often argue about whether horses sleep standing or lying down. Therefore, the question of how horses sleep often worries many livestock breeders today.
Pets actually live in a standing position most of the time. Therefore, when possible, they doze. This possibility remains from wild ancestors. In nature, predators could easily find a herd, so sleeping horses could not afford to lie on their sides. It took several precious seconds for sleeping horses to get to their feet, and this, in turn, could cost their lives. If you doze while standing, you can instantly run away from your enemies. After all, horses are noble and not warlike animals, so it is not customary for them to fight with predators.
Horses have a special structure of their knee joints. If animals want to rest while standing, the body weight is evenly distributed over four legs, the bones and ligaments are, as it were, “pinched,” and the joints themselves are blocked. Therefore, horses do not feel heavy, even spending a long time on their feet. The muscles completely relax at this time.
A sleeping horse is easy to distinguish from one that is simply standing - the animal’s head is lowered, the lower back is arched, and the legs are straight and parallel. Due to relaxation, the tail tip lowers slightly and the lower lip droops. However, this is not a complete rest for the horse. Like other mammals, horses need adequate sleep on the ground or bedding. Therefore, we can say that horses sleep both standing and lying down. It is impossible to give a definite answer to this question.
In any case, the horses do not sleep very soundly, waking up to flee at the slightest rustle. Sick or old horses sleep standing up because they have difficulty getting up. Young animals like to rest lying down. In herds, one individual usually “keeps watch” and warns the others in case of a threat. When rising, animals first stand with their front legs and then jump up sharply.
Can a horse sleep lying down?
To understand which pets need normal rest, you need to look at small foals. Babies almost always rest lying on their side when they feel safe next to their mother. Experienced horse breeders are not surprised when they find adult pets in the same position. It has been noticed that mature individuals often lie with what is called “throwing their hooves away.” Sleeping horses can even snore and it is clear from the movements of their closed eyes that they are dreaming.
Zoologists have researched that only by lying on their side, with their neck and head relaxed, can horses rest in the deep phase of sleep. In this way, a person’s dreams are similar to how a horse sleeps, since in the fast phase the brain does not rest well. True, due to the thin leg bones and decent body weight, horses cannot lie on their sides for a long time. As a rule, sleeping horses spend no more than four hours. It is important for horse breeders to know that animals may experience pulmonary edema after 6 hours in a lying position. Therefore, sometimes you need to check how the horse sleeps and for how long.
Thus, if you notice on your farm that a horse sleeps standing or lying on its side, you will understand the nature of the process. In the first case, it’s a deep, healing rest, in the second, it’s just a nap. In general, horses are fully relaxed for about three hours a day, and spend the rest of the time on their feet. Pets can fall asleep only when they feel completely safe.
If your horse never rests on his side in the stable, it means he simply cannot relax. Inexperienced horse breeders believe that best place for pets to rest - this is a stall, closed on all sides. Although you can see for yourself how horses actually sleep in it. Pets have poor rest when alone and in cramped spaces, since horses are social animals by nature.
A closed space, in their opinion, is fraught with danger, and it is much safer to be in contact with relatives (as it was in the herds of wild ancestors). In fact, if an individual is alone in the stall, then it takes on the duties of a “guard.” Take a closer look at how the horse sleeps in your premises - it should not be frightened by loud noises and rustles. But on pastures, especially near their relatives, horses can doze soundly for a couple of hours. In nature, the leaders of herds may not rest for several years in deep sleep. In addition to predators, they fear that another male may cover his mares. Sleeping horses are usually calmer.
A person needs about eight hours of sleep to fully rest. For horses, only 3-4 hours are enough. Statistics show that pets spend from six to fourteen hours half asleep. In this case, the time of short naps lasts for several minutes at a time. If you provide animals with such a regime, only a couple of hours of sound sleep will be enough for them to fully restore their body.
We should not forget that healthy rest is influenced by nutritional status, ambient temperature and the age of the pet. If young people usually have a sound sleep, then older ones often behave restlessly even in the presence of relatives or the owner.
Take a closer look at how horses sleep . If you notice that the horse lies and sleeps in the stable in front of you, this means that she is calm about herself and does not feel threatened. True, horses also have their own character. There are particularly impressionable or suspicious individuals who can truly rest only at night, when the room is quiet and there is no one around. In any case, in order for your pet to be healthy, you need to ensure its safety in the stable and in the pasture. Then his rest will become strong and restorative.
Video “Is it true that horses rest while standing?”
In this video you can find out the truth about whether horses really rest while standing or not.
Anyone who had the opportunity to observe the graceful animals at least a little could see a standing horse in a sleeping state. The animal's eyelids were closed, the lower back was arched, and the legs were steadily positioned parallel to each other. The head and tail are relaxed, as are the ears. The question naturally arises: do horses really sleep like that?
In fact, in such a state the horse is dozing, that is, the brain and muscles do not completely relax and are ready for action at any moment. This behavior has developed at the genetic level since the times when wild herds were constantly threatened by predators.
The best sleep is on the “side”
And yet, standing rest for a horse is just an imitation of sleep. In peace and security, she, like people, prefers to rest “on the side” to standing with her eyes closed, one might even say, “throwing her hooves away.”
And scientists suggest that in order to enter the deep phase of sleep, a horse must lie down. Like humans and many other animals, horses have two stages of sleep: non-REM sleep and rapid eye movement sleep (deep sleep).
But this does not mean that sleeping on your side is not necessary. On the contrary, only he is complete for this creature, while a standing horse is more likely to simply rest and restore its strength. Best option- make sure you are safe and lie down.
It is believed that otherwise the deep sleep phase cannot be achieved - which means that if the animal does not lie down, then it simply risks not getting enough sleep. It is difficult to escape from a predator when you are sleepy. Therefore, horses sleep lying down only if they are confident in their safety - and this is quite difficult to verify, especially if there is no herd of relatives around who can warn of danger if it arises.
More often than not, REM sleep occurs when the horse lies on its side rather than when it lies on its chest.
Horse dreams
Sometimes horse breeders pay attention to the fact that their pets hardly sleep in the stall, lying down. This can be seen at a stud farm, when you quietly walk between the stalls or stalls. There the stallions stand with their eyes closed, their ears and eyelashes twitching slightly. This way they relax and doze off. If the stall is dry and spacious so that you can lie down and get up freely, then the animal will feel comfortable.
Horses dream, just like people. If you look at an animal lying down and sleeping, its eyes can move quite strongly up and down. Sometimes the horses even move their legs as if they were running. This is unnoticeable, of course, when we see horses sleeping not in real life, but in photographs, but when you come into contact with these creatures in person, such details immediately attract attention. One can only guess what kind of dreams horses have.
But when a horse is alone in a stable, it feels discomfort from loneliness. It's enough for him to stay fresh air or in a herd in a pasture surrounded by other horses. This will help improve your animal's sleep.
How long does a horse need to sleep?
If a person needs about eight hours of sleep for proper rest, then 3-4 hours is enough for a horse. However, as practice shows, in a state of light half-asleep the animal sleeps on average from 6 to 15 hours a day.
With this regimen, just 2 hours of sound sleep will be enough to fully recuperate.
Safety first
Let's figure out why horses sleep standing up. The reason for this vertical nap is the need to maintain safety. The animal does not see protection in enclosures and other protective measures taken by humans. Instinct tells him that at the first danger he must quickly take off and run, hiding, for example, from predators. And in the real world, in the wild, they can appear at any moment.
It is also worth noting that horses are herd animals. It is when they are close to their relatives that they can completely relax. Therefore, they are not always able to sleep in a fenced stall. If there are other individuals nearby, then the animal may well lie down on the ground and fall asleep. Thus, a division of labor occurs in the herd. While some horses are awake, others are sleeping at this time. Then the shift changes.
And the animal can emerge from such a slumber almost instantly. If the horse had slept horizontally, it would have taken some time to get up and wake up completely - and these seconds could have been fatal. This is why it is more profitable for horses to sleep standing up most of the time.
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Out to pasture
In the wild, you can see herds of horses sleeping with their limbs tucked under them, right in the pasture. It is interesting that the horses take turns guarding while the others are resting. The “duty” mare or stallion lowers itself onto the grass, bending its legs at the joints.
The head is slightly lowered.
The animal seems to be sleeping, but the sleep is not deep, but superficial. The horse reacts to sounds and notices the slightest changes in the environment. When he discovers danger, he will inform the others.
Remember, when free-ranging, ungulates gather in herds and their behavior resembles wild horses. While walking or being in the stall, we see a picture: the stallion lowers his head, bends his neck, relaxes his ears; these exercises help you relax and doze off. Such a short rest helps to quickly restore the strength necessary for life.
If a horse owner wants his animals to at least sometimes rest lying down, he must provide them with peace (absence of external stimuli), a safe (not earthen) underlying surface and the presence of relatives who will “relax” the horse, giving him the opportunity to feel real protection.
Music
To the attention of music lovers who play loud music in the stable: a horse’s hearing is tens of times better than a human’s! A horse cannot rest in such a madhouse! At best, she becomes nervous and irritable, at worst, she becomes seriously ill. There are known cases where, as a result of forced listening to incessant loud music, horses suffered from colic due to nervousness, serious nervous disorders, and even miscarriages in mares.
Why does a horse sleep standing up?
On the one hand, this is a typical body position for horses during sleep, but in this way they rather doze off, but do not sleep soundly. Why is this happening? It's very simple. When a horse is in an upright position, due to its unique stifle structure, it distributes its entire mass over its four legs and has virtually no sense of where it is standing.
The condition when the horse has a slightly arched back, a slightly lowered head, a tail towards the floor and a slightly drooping lower lip indicates that the horse is in a state of half-asleep.
Company and comfort are the key to a restful sleep
Many horse owners note that they have never seen their horses sleep lying down. This is often due to the fact that the animal does not feel safe and comfortable in the stable or stall.
It is important to understand that horses are herd animals, so they feel calmer when surrounded by their relatives or other animals. Therefore, most often you can see horses sleeping in a common pasture. However, not only company, but also comfort affects the rest of horses. It is important that the stable is warm, bright, away from noise, the stalls are clean and dry, with good ventilation.
People who have rarely seen horses often think that these noble animals prefer to sleep standing up. In fact, the sight of a horse lying on its side and immersed in deep sleep is usually accessible to those who are involved in horse breeding or use horses in their work. The question of how a horse sleeps, standing or lying down, is not so simple. Therefore, it is worth first deciding what we are talking about.
Many have observed this picture when a horse is standing, but its eyes are closed. At the same time, she waves away annoying insects and barely moves her ears. It is this state that people mistake for sleep. Why does a horse sleep standing up?
In reality, the horse only rests in this way. At such moments she is in a dormant state. This can be called superficial sleep. These animals inherited the skill of dozing for hours from their wild ancestors.
As a rule, drowsiness is accompanied by the following external signs:
Standing sleep can be observed at moments when horses are grazing. When some of them are frolicking merrily or nibbling grass, another group of animals freezes and thus rests. Horses can remain in this state for 12 hours a day.
Despite the fact that horses and mares spend most of their lives standing, they have learned to relax in this body position. At the moment of falling asleep, their weight is evenly distributed over all limbs, knee joints and the ligaments are blocked. After that the muscles begin to relax. The horse does not feel its weight in this position and can take a nap, disconnect from external stimuli and relieve fatigue.
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Being in a standing sleep state, animals have the opportunity to wake up easily. At the same time, if nothing bothers them, they can sleep for long hours. It was this condition that became the source of the myths that horses sleep standing up.
You must understand that the drowsy state of an animal and real deep sleep are very different things.
You can see which animal sleeps standing up, like a horse, without leaving your region. Many people who love take Sunday walks with children in the parks, you probably saw how a close relative of horses, a pony, sleeps. There is a whole list that lists which animals sleep standing up. Of these we can mention:
- Cows;
- Goats;
- Giraffes;
- Elephants and others.
Why does this happen
Standing sleep comes from the wild. Since a state of deep sleep often leaves any animal defenseless against predators, horses try to rest in this way.
When a horse needs to really fall asleep, he lies down on the ground, usually on his side. Getting to your feet quickly while in this position is very difficult. A in the wild a predator attack can happen at any moment. Therefore, to be on the safe side, horses rest while standing. They have to be constantly on guard. This explains why horses sleep standing up.
In case of danger, getting out of a dormant state is much easier than getting up, interrupting deep sleep.
There are situations when a horse cannot fall asleep while in its stall. For her safety, people build partitions to separate her from her relatives. This puts the horse into a state of anxiety and does not allow him to fall asleep lying on his side. This behavior is driven by instincts. After all, if an animal senses danger, you need to be ready to immediately take off and run as far as possible. This is exactly what her wild ancestors did.
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But despite such safety measures, the horse, like other animals, needs proper rest and sleep in a horizontal position and complete relaxation. There is an intermediate option sleep for horses. He assumes that the animal lowers its chest to the ground and tucks its legs under itself. When it stands up, it only lifts the front part of the body. At some point the horse sits, but then rises sharply back bodies.
How horses really sleep
Scientists claim that the most natural sleeping position for a horse is lying on its side. You can verify this by observing the behavior of foals. Because they feel completely safe with their mother, they fall asleep easily by lying down on the ground. Adults, when there is confidence that nothing threatens them, also sink to the sand or grass, lie on their side and fall asleep.
Horses, like people, are capable of dreaming and snoring. Their limbs may twitch in this condition. But unlike humans, they don't need 8 hours a day to get a good night's sleep. Usually we are talking about 3 or 4 hours. And there is an explanation for this.
These beautiful animals thin bones And large mass. If a horse is left lying on its side for more than 6 hours, it may develop pulmonary edema. Therefore, real horse sleep does not last long. Per day it turns out that it takes about 12 hours to nap and a few hours of deep sleep. This is quite enough to relax and restore your strength.
Any information related to horses arouses genuine interest in a person. This is due, firstly, to the history of people using these animals. Yes, these include wars, agricultural work, and entertainment. Secondly, their beauty, grace and place in occult symbolism. Thirdly, the power of charm of representatives family Equidae(equine) in some cases are superior to female.
A popular question regarding horses is their state during sleep. Rarely has anyone seen these animals lying down. The expression “the horse has fallen” is associated with ignorance of the behavior of horses. Therefore, the literaryly gifted public may believe that animals lie down only when they feel very bad. And the lack of understanding of how one can live without sleep gives rise to a secondary myth about the fact that these equids do not lie down at all. What should I do? And which of this is true?
Do horses sleep?
Firstly, like any living creature, horses and foals need sleep. Secondly, sleep is possible in a standing or lying position. The position directly depends on the lifestyle that the animal leads and its individual requirements for its own safety.
How do wild horses sleep - lying down or standing?
Imagine what is in front of us wild horse, in 99 cases out of a hundred she will sleep standing up. This is due to the likelihood of attacks by wild animals, for example, on a herd of mustangs. The second delay it takes for the horse to take a vertical position can cost him his life. Therefore, wild animals prefer to rest while standing.
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Signs of a standing sleeping horse
- Legs stand deliberately straight, parallel to each other
- The lower back is arched, the body is relaxed, the tail hangs
- Head tilted
- Gently wiggle your ears to “locate” the natural world around you
How long do horses sleep?
The animal spends about 12 hours a day in this state. For the most part, sleep is similar to dozing, but it is enough for the animal to regain its strength. Although, from the point of view of a humanistic person, such a daily routine is like an endless marathon for survival.
In this case, foals prefer to rest lying down. At the same time, adult individuals set up a guard and take a defensive position towards possible sources of external threat. In a well-organized, large herd, horses rest standing, taking turns, organizing a constant guard of the most mature and experienced individuals.
How do domestic horses sleep?
Now we have before us a typical animal - a long-domesticated animal that lives in a well-equipped stable, and its owners love, groom and pamper their horse/mare. In this case, the domestic horse allows itself to lie on its side to sleep in this position.
But! Even then, certain conditions must be met. For example, the stable should be semi-dark, quiet, and dry. At the same time, the animal must sense its relatives - other horses. This is due to high level socialization of horses that perceive “solitary housing” as a potential danger.
