How Do Horses Sleep? Learn Their Sleeping Habits

Equine sleeping patterns differ from those of other animals and humans. Unlike human sleep, which is a single stretch of about eight hours a day, horses take shorter naps. Such periods include short day lie-downs and a few deep sleeps during the night.

Also, how much a horse sleeps depends on its age. Young foals, for example, take frequent naps until they reach three months. Adult horses prefer standing up rather than lying down. Older equines are more likely to rest flat instead of dozing off while standing.

Keep reading to gain valuable insight into your horse’s sleeping scheme.

How Does A Horse Sleep?

Mature equines can rest while standing, though this position deprives them of REM or deep sleep. Hence, a horse must relax all skeletal muscles to achieve tight sleep. No such thing can happen when the animal is up on its feet.

If horses fall asleep while standing, the stay apparatus in the hind limbs gets activated. You may wonder what this mechanism is and how an animal can nap in a vertical position. Everything started a long time when wild horses roamed vast plains in herds.

As prey animals, equines were frequent targets of predators looking for abundant and delicious meat. Thus, horses developed the so-called stay apparatus, enabling them to remain alert and wake up quickly. Thanks to their unique anatomy, various equine species have survived for millennia.