Question for Horse people!

[AprilShowers]

Stupid question: Do horses lay down? If so, do they do it regularly and why or why not?
We're having a conversation and someone thought that if they lay down, they have trouble getting back up. I swear I've seen horses lay down, but now I'm not sure sure.

 

[jeepgirl30]

yes they do lie down but they also sleep standing

 

[mickeylove2]

Yes, they lay down, periodically, I guess for the same reason people do..i.e. tired of standing, who really knows. When they get up, they have no real trouble, unless they have leg problems I assume. They will prop their front legs up first and then push up onto all fours. They also roll in the dirt and will roll in water as well.

 

[Jennasis]

Horse lay down to sleep and also sleep standing up.

 

[legalsea]

Some horses lay down to sleep. Other horses can sleep standing up. I know this from watching Mr. Ed (in one episode he was woken up by Wilbur while he, Mr. Ed, was laying down; in another episode Mr. Ed was standing up and sleeping and Wilbur thought it best to wake him up by slapping Mr. Ed's behind; the result was edited out of the episode).

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Horses will sleep lying down as well as standing, moreso when they're young. If they are old or injured, they may have trouble getting back up, but not usually.

 

[Jennasis]

Horses will lay down to sleep generally when they feel safe, as in, in their stall, or surrounded by other horses (the herd) who are awake and watching for potential predators. In the wild, laying down means getting back up to RUN from a predator, which wastes precious minutes. Sleeping in a standing position makes fleeing much faster.

 

[AprilShowers]

Ok, thanks everyone! But this leads to another question: Once they are too old/feeble to comfortably get back up, do they just always stand? Don't their legs get tired since they're old and can't lay down?

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Well, what they feel is somewhat subjective. We don't really know what they think about standing vs. lying down. However, I think it's safe to say that standing bothers them considerably less than it does us. They do have more feet to balance out their weight with, so that probably helps.

There are some issues with always remaining on one's feet that do bother them. Horses usually rest on 3 feet, so that one leg gets a break (take a close look at a resting horse and you'll notice one leg is usually cocked). If one foot is hurting them, they pretty much have to stay on the same 3 feet all the time. This can lead to a horrible condition called laminitis, which is where the hoof wall starts to separate from the rest of the foot. A functional equivalent in humans would be having your nail systematically peeled back from your finger. Most horses don't recover from it.

 

[yoopermom]

My last gelding (god rest his soul) lived into his mid 30s, and laid down to sleep in his stall, often having to really thrash around in order to regain his feet. I would say 80% of the time, though he'd sleep standing up, often leaning against a wall. DS used to call him "the leaning tower of Woody"!

Terri

 

[momo3hods]

Horses get the deepest sleep laying down but will only do so if they feel safe. They also do not generally lay down for long (an hour is considered a long time) as their bodies are so heavy their organs can't support the weight when laying down.

 

[m&m's mom]

Some horses lay down to sleep. Other horses can sleep standing up. I know this from watching Mr. Ed (in one episode he was woken up by Wilbur while he, Mr. Ed, was laying down; in another episode Mr. Ed was standing up and sleeping and Wilbur thought it best to wake him up by slapping Mr. Ed's behind; the result was edited out of the episode).

You live in Ft Worth and you take your horse knowledge from Mr Ed????
You better hope no other FW residents see this or you just might get kicked out of the city.

 

[legalsea]

You live in Ft Worth and you take your horse knowledge from Mr Ed????
You better hope no other FW residents see this or you just might get kicked out of the city.

Well, I mean, of course I have horses. I do live in Fort Worth.

Mind you, ignorant, evil people have called my cage of horses 'toads', but they are not: they are horses. Hence my knowledge.

Fort Worth is the home of the TCU Horned Frogs, which are a type of horse. TCU is ranked number four in the nation (at least, for football).

I also have cows (this is Cowtown). One (Sassie) is the cutest cow you ever saw, and likes to jump up on my lap and make sounds just like a mewing kitten! I will post pictures someday.

 

[horseshowmom]

My last gelding (god rest his soul) lived into his mid 30s, and laid down to sleep in his stall, often having to really thrash around in order to regain his feet. I would say 80% of the time, though he'd sleep standing up, often leaning against a wall. DS used to call him "the leaning tower of Woody"!

Terri

The senior horses that I have owned have always laid down to sleep too. It was just a little harder for them to get up than my other horses (kind of like I don't get around quite as well as I used to do! ). Some of mine preferred to curl up kind of like a dog while some liked to lay flat out on the ground. I had one that was very old that used to scare me quite often because I wasn't sure she hadn't died in her sleep! She could sure look like it so I would run out into the pasture to check on her (always to find her annoyed that I had woke her up! ).

Well, I mean, of course I have horses. I do live in Fort Worth.

Mind you, ignorant, evil people have called my cage of horses 'toads', but they are not: they are horses. Hence my knowledge.

Fort Worth is the home of the TCU Horned Frogs, which are a type of horse. TCU is ranked number four in the nation (at least, for football).

I also have cows (this is Cowtown). One (Sassie) is the cutest cow you ever saw, and likes to jump up on my lap and make sounds just like a mewing kitten! I will post pictures someday.

 

[Jennasis]

Horses get the deepest sleep laying down but will only do so if they feel safe. They also do not generally lay down for long (an hour is considered a long time) as their bodies are so heavy their organs can't support the weight when laying down.

Not true. Horses don't sleep for long periods of time because they are prey animals. LONG sleeps mean easy targeting for the predators. Cat naps, save lives.