It is true that horses sleep standing up. How do horses sleep: standing or lying down

Most people believe that horses sleep standing up because they often see them standing still with their eyes closed. In fact, such a dream is a nap, and it cannot be called a good rest. When asked how horses sleep, the answer is unequivocal - lying down. Only in the supine position the animal completely relaxes and fully rests. Although such a dream, as a rule, in horses is quite short. At the same time, the older the horse, the less often it falls asleep lying down.

A wild horse will sleep standing up 99 times out of 100. Every second of delay for a herd of mustangs when attacked by a predator will cost the animal its life. If the horse lies down, then it will take time for him to take a vertical position. Therefore, wild horses rarely sleep while lying down.

But the foals always sleep lying down, under the supervision of vigilant mothers. At this time, adult animals are in a defensive-observant position in order to save themselves and the baby from attack in time.

For domestic horses, the attack of predators is not dangerous. The horse lives in a warm, equipped stable, the owner takes care of it. But anxiety, inherent at the genetic level, still does not allow you to completely relax. The horse will sleep lying down only in a quiet, dry room, in twilight. If such conditions are not provided to the animal, it will not feel completely safe. In this case, the horse will sleep lying down only if he gets sick or exhausted.

The myth of sleeping while standing

The opinion that horses sleep standing up was formed for the reason that rarely anyone saw these animals in a lying position. The fact is that the caution of behavior is inherent in these animals at the genetic level.

Wild horses could not afford to completely relax and fall asleep in a lying position for a long time. Predators could attack the herd at any moment, and the horses could only escape by flight. Therefore, wild horses were able to learn to doze off in a standing position. To react quickly in case of danger and save your life.

Horses feel absolutely calm when sleeping on their side.

The ability to sleep while standing is also associated with the special structure of the limbs of horses. When the animal wants to take a standing nap, the weight of the body is distributed on the four legs, while the joints are blocked by clamping the ligaments. The horse does not feel the weight of the body and can temporarily turn off. Her muscles are completely relaxed, and she rests, restores her own strength.

But do they sleep when they are in this position? Half-asleep cannot be considered a complete rest for a horse. Despite the general relaxation - a dangling head, a lowered sacrum, a arched lower back - a complete "switch off" does not occur. The horse cannot reach the phase of deep sleep in this position, so the animal still needs a good rest while lying down.

The myth of sleeping on your side

Deep sleep occurs in the horse exclusively in the lying position on its side. At the same time, she stretches her neck and legs, the body is completely relaxed. It was from this position on the side that the expression "kick the hooves" arose. Sometimes the animal sighs, heavily and even upset, makes other strange sounds. Such a dream is the deepest. Scientists say that when sleeping on the side of a horse, they even dream. The horse does not respond to external stimuli. In nature, in this way, horses sleep in turns and for a very short time.

Horses sleep soundly, being in the usual walking conditions.

A domestic horse cannot sleep on its side for a long time either. Animal body structure big mass bodies, especially pronounced in, and thin bones - do not allow holding in this position for a long time. On its side, the horse sleeps only a maximum of 3-4 hours, more often even less.

Important! Veterinarians say that if a horse spends lying on its side for more than 4-5 hours, it will develop pulmonary edema. Indeed, a long position on one side can lead to disruption of the internal organs. However, a sleeping animal perfectly feels when it needs to change position. Therefore, after 2 hours, the horse turns over to the other side or is understood.

Since the horses still sleep

So do horses sleep lying or standing? The answer is obvious: a horse can sleep standing up and lying down. It all depends on the conditions of the animal and its age. The younger and calmer the horse, the more often he lies down to fully rest.

A standing horse sleeps when anxiety interferes with full relaxation.

The question of where the horses sleep is also important. Some horse breeders claim that the ideal place to sleep is a comfortable stall, completely closed on all sides. In fact, a completely isolated room is not the best option.

Attention! The closed space causes stress and anxiety in horses.

The horse is a socialized animal, and it constantly needs to feel the presence of relatives or a person. An animal can completely relax only when it understands that its brethren or its owner are somewhere nearby.

The atmosphere inside the stable is also important. If the room is stuffy and dirty, ammonia vapor formed by urine stagnates above the floor. The horse will not lie down, as in this case it will be difficult for her to breathe. The lack of air is especially felt in winter, when all the windows and doors in the stable are closed. In this situation, the horse not only cannot fully rest, but also runs the risk of acquiring respiratory problems.

Sleep duration of horses

Horses cannot sleep on their side for more than two hours, as this leads to pulmonary edema.

In a state of half-asleep, horses are from 6 to 15 hours a day. This allows you to spend only 2-3 hours in a state of deep sleep lying down. This type of combination physical activity and rest ensures the normal state of health and preservation of the health of the animal.

Lack of proper rest in a comfortable room will adversely affect the health of the horse. The owner should be attentive to the pet so as not to provoke the development of diseases and mental disorders in him.

The video debunks the myth that horses sleep standing up:

Many people believe that horses sleep exclusively while standing, but it’s worth figuring out if this is true. In this article, we will explain why horses sleep standing up, whether they can do it lying on their side, and also how long a horse sleeps.

Why do horses sleep standing up

You can often see a horse that stands with its eyes closed, and at the same time draws in its hind leg. He does not react to anything, sometimes twitches his tail or ear. Based on this, some believe that this position of the animal is its full sleep. This opinion is erroneous. The rest of the animal in this form can be called half-asleep, and not deep sleep.

Did you know? Horses have voluminous eyes, thanks to which the viewing angle is almost 360° (unlike ours, which is about 90°) . In addition, they have the largest eyes among all living creatures.

Due to the special structure knee joints, in horses, the body weight is distributed between the four limbs. This feature allows these animals to doze in an upright position and not feel the weight of the body, providing a kind of relaxation of muscle tissues. Being in a state of half-asleep, they slightly bend their backs and lower their heads.

The main reason for resting an animal in an upright position is to maintain its safety. They do not feel that the enclosure where they sleep is a guarantor of protection; their instinct calls at the first danger to immediately run away.

Dozing while standing up, horses can instantly react to danger. That is why it is believed that they sleep with their eyes open. However, this is only an assumption, and it is not true: the eyes of the horses are closed.

In a confined space, the horse also does not always feel protected. Often this is hindered by isolation from other animals and restriction of freedom. By staying alone in the stall, the horse feels the responsibility of protecting his life.

Important! In order for the home horse to fully sleep, it is necessary to create suitable conditions in the stable: silence, twilight and dryness of the room.

Do they sleep lying down

Although the horse spends most of the day standing, he needs a good sleep. To dive into the deep phase of sleep, the animal adopts a characteristic pose on its side.
His actions are:

lies on its side;
relaxes the body;
slightly bends one of the forelimbs;
stretches the hind legs.

At the same time, the horses breathe evenly and noisily; sometimes animals make sounds resembling snoring (they intensify when waking up). Lying horses sleep soundly enough and ignore external factors.

During this period, they are almost unconscious and are vulnerable, because they will not be able to instantly react if they are in danger. To wake up from a prone position, the horse needs some time.

Experts recommend providing him with a full-fledged sleep lying down every 2-3 days to maintain energy balance.

How much do horses sleep

The sleep time of horses can vary depending on several factors. The amount of time for its proper rest depends on the position in which the animal sleeps (and how it feels):

with great fatigue, the horse can sleep on its side from 3 to 4 hours (sometimes even a few minutes are enough for them to fully restore their strength);
in a vertical position in a state of dormancy, he can spend 15-20 hours, but this does not guarantee full restoration of strength.

Important! Sleeping a horse on its side for more than 6 hours can cause pulmonary edema. This also applies to ponies.

Horses can actually sleep standing up. But a deep and full sleep of a horse is possible only in a supine position.

Once my daughter had seen enough Western cartoons and TV shows about 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 answer my daughter unambiguously. Shame on me, friends! So, let's look into this interesting issue together.

How does the 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 and horses sleep standing up, but not always! No wonder my instinct warned me that not everything here is "clean"! The fact is that for a good rest, it is simply necessary to take a nap for at least a couple of hours lying down. This will allow them to gain strength for a new day. But still, their main dream falls, so to speak, on their feet.

Why does a horse sleep standing up?

"Mechanism of action

And the truth! Why? To answer this question, you must first understand how they do it. After digging deeper into the relevant literature, I found out that the unique structure of the bones helps them sleep standing up! The fact is that the bones and ligaments in the legs of horses are arranged in such a way that they are very easily blocked. It is thanks to this that complete relaxation occurs while the horse is dozing. Her muscles relax and her total body weight hangs fairly securely from her locked limbs.

Why standing and not lying down?

I said above that the horse sleeps standing up most of the time of his rest. But why? Everything is simple! The fact is that it is simply inconvenient for our artiodactyls to rest in a lying position for a long time. After all, these are rather heavy and massive animals with huge muscles, which cannot be said about their fragile bones ... If horses and horses lie in the same position for a long time, this will lead to the fact that the animal is 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, roughly speaking, it "has come to such a life"! Scientists believe that this is an ordinary habit that has developed over time into a defense mechanism. The fact is that horse speed is their main "self-defense technique" in wild nature, and a standing position during sleep is able to keep the animal in "combat" readiness. In other words, if they are in danger, they can immediately run away! Probably, it is not necessary to explain that any animal with long and thin legs (antelopes, camels, gazelles, cows) needs to spend much more time to rise from its lying position than others!

Mutual help

So, we know that horses doze lying down for a short time. But after all, even for this insignificant period of time, they need some kind of guarantee that a predator is not wandering nearby, ready to dine with them ... Their brothers act as such "insurance"! When horses are kept in herds, they guard each other in turn: while one sleeps, 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 exactly and confidently about it! It remains only to wait until the daughter wakes up ... Good luck to you!

Not every person in life manages to get an animal, take care of it, study the habits of a pet. For many people, the question is: how do horses sleep? remains a mystery. There are two answers: standing or lying down. Which one is correct? This dilemma, for several years, did not allow scientists to sleep peacefully. And now, the report has been received.

The horse can sleep both standing and lying down.

How do horses rest?

Stable owners notice the picture when the animal stands motionless for several hours in a row. Questions arise: is the horse sleeping? Why do horses sleep standing up?

Looking closely, you notice a picture: a slight movement of the ears, a swaying of the tail, to get rid of the annoying midges. This state can hardly be called a dream. This is a dr.

Rest in this position is available to wild animals. After all, a predator, taking advantage of the sleepy position of a horse, attacks without hesitation. The time it takes a horse to get up can cost him his life. Therefore, an ungulate, untouched by a human hand, sleeps standing up in order to take flight at the right time.

Horses spend a long time standing. Horses need rest after a day on their feet. An animal that sleeps standing up is easy to distinguish from the herd by several distinctive features:

The location of the limbs (they are parallel to each other and stand straight).
The loin is bent.
The tail is relaxed.
The head is tilted.

Horses nap standing

I hasten to remind you that this is not a sound sleep, but a nap that takes twelve hours. But this time is enough to rest and gain strength. Scientists have come to the conclusion that wild horses sleep standing up. And, nothing threatens domestic horses, so they can take a nap, sitting on soft grass or bedding.

Looking at the newly appeared stallion, you can understand what kind of sleep is needed. Lying down, of course. The baby, being under the care of a mare, can rest easy and gain strength in this position. He is calm because he is safe.

The same applies to the adult. The pet is protected from the predator, and can relax and pamper in a comfortable position. But, there are times when a horse, being in a stall, cannot sleep lying down. In this case, you need to pay attention to his place in the stable, identify and, if possible, eliminate distractions, whether it be light, midges, moisture. Also, when creating a separate secluded corner, it is advisable to remember that horses are social animals and in captivity they live in a herd, so the herd principle remains with them to this day. And a separate, closed place for them, on the contrary, is fraught with danger.

Foals love to sleep lying down

Sleep lying - rest for the animal

Scientists - zoologists say: "... only in a position lying on their side with a relaxed head and neck, horses fall into a deep phase of sleep ...", therefore, if you notice a pet in a current position, do not be alarmed. Remember, being on the ground is bad for the health of the ungulate. Indeed, due to the large body mass and thin bones, the load on internal organs increases.

For a good rest, herbivores need three to four hours spent lying on their side. This time falls on the deep phase of sleep.

With prolonged rest (over six hours), pneumonia is possible, which is fraught with death.

The answer to the question: how do horses sleep? Ambiguous. It all depends on the breed, lifestyle and age of the animal. If this is a representative of the wild fauna, then he lives in a kind of society (herd), in which his own laws reign. Such an ungulate rests mainly up to 15 hours sleeping while standing. Such a long sleep will help the body of the artiodactyl to recover. But it is worth remembering that this is a superficial rest or slumber.

Sleeping lying down should not last longer than 4 hours

While part of the herd grazes and occupies vigilant posts, the other sleeps, then a shift occurs. In case of danger, the rest is interrupted.

In this regard, things are easier for domesticated animals. Horses most often sleep lying on their side because they feel safe.

Remember, when free-range, ungulates gather in herds and their behavior resembles wild horses. Walking or being in a stall, we see a picture, the stallion lowers his head, bends his neck, relaxes his ears, these exercises help to relax and doze off. Such a short rest helps to quickly restore the strength necessary for life.

In order for a domestic ungulate animal to sleep peacefully lying down, certain conditions must be created, namely: proximity to other horses, space and safety. Otherwise, horses sleep standing up. And most importantly, keep an eye on the pet, whose behavior will show the causes of discomfort. Keep an eye on your pets, and they will definitely answer you with love and devotion.

» » » What kind of sleep is preferred for horses

The horse has been a faithful companion of man for many centuries, and people knew about his way of life to the smallest detail. Now not everyone is given the opportunity to watch the graceful animal, which creates many myths. For example, some believe that animals sleep standing up. However, in reality, the process of a good rest is different.

Those who had the opportunity to watch the graceful animals at least a little, could see a standing horse in a sleeping state. The eyelids of the animal were closed, the lower back was arched, and the legs were stably located parallel to each other. The head and tail are relaxed, the ears too. 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 time when the wild herd was constantly threatened by predators.

To rise from a prone position, the horse will have to spend enough precious time. Standing horse, as they say, "always ready." Hence the conclusion that horses rest even when they are on their feet, but this state cannot be called a full-fledged sleep, but drowsiness.

Attention! The dominant individuals in the herds constantly monitor safety. In addition, the strongest stallion has to make sure that the rivals do not cover the mares. As a result, such horses do not completely rest for several years.

From the point of view of science

From the point of view of animal physiology, there are several conditions:

drowsiness;
nap;
deep dream.

After considering each of the states, it is easy to distinguish them from each other. The horse spends most of his free time half asleep. This state does not allow a complete shutdown. An annoying fly will be chased away by its tail, and at the slightest suspicious noise, its eyes will open. A similar "sensitive" dream is observed in horses in harness, in a stall or in a pasture.

The half-asleep horse is described as follows:

The neck is extended horizontally, the eyelids are lowered, the ears are relaxed.
The lower lip droops.
Emphasis on the front limbs. The hind leg is at an angle, and the second rests on the toe of the hoof.
The croup is lowered.

In this state, remaining on its feet, the horse relaxes its muscles and rests in a turbulent environment. Perhaps this is due to the special anatomy of the limbs - the joints are fixed without active muscle tension.

The next stage is slumber. She is considered a real, albeit rather superficial dream. In order to relax in this way, the horse sinks to the ground and assumes a squatting position. The slumbering horse looks like this:

The head is raised or lying on the ground.
All 4 legs are bent and under the body.

In this state, the horse does not completely switch off and continues to react to stimuli with flinching and twitching of the ears.

Attention! Horses quickly come out of a state of half-asleep. In case of alarm, the animal extends its front legs and immediately rises.

Complete relaxation

To understand in what position the horse plunges into a good sleep, you need to watch the foals for at least one day. Babies feel completely safe next to their mother, so they sleep at any time. When in deep sleep, a horse looks like this:

The animal lies on its side.

The hind legs are extended along.

The forelimbs are bent.

Horses sleep soundly in this position. It is believed that during this period the animal is very vulnerable, since it takes some time to fully awaken. Deep sleep is characterized by regular and noisy breathing. Sometimes snoring is heard near the stable. Eyeballs and limbs can move. The latter allowed scientists to suggest that graceful animals dream.

Attention! In the supine position, the horse can be no more than 4 hours. If you increase the time to 6 hours, the animal develops pulmonary edema. The reason for this is considered big weight and anatomical features.

Relaxation of the horses comes with a feeling of complete security. For example, in the herd there is hope for relatives, and in the stable - for the owners. A few hours a day is enough for them to recuperate and be ready for action again.

The question of how horses sleep is of interest to livestock breeders who plan to start these noble animals. The main thing is to provide pets with a sense of security and then the rest will be complete.