There are so many interesting facts about horses out there who have left us speechless when we learned about them. Turns out that one of the most famous facts declaring that horses sleep while standing up is not entirely true. Yes, they do doze while standing on their feet but they won’t sleep deeply or enter the REM phase of sleep. It’s actually a popular misunderstanding to say that horses sleep while standing up because when they need to sleep deeply they have to lie down.
The actual motive that horses do stay standing while they nap is because they’re prey animals and if there’s a predator around them, horses don’t need to waste valuable time getting up, making their getaway much faster and eventually helping to save their life.
If you ever wondered how horses sleep, your questions will be answered today. The average horse spends around 3 hours a day asleep but they spread their sleep out throughout the whole 24-hour period. Actually, it’s unusual for an adult horse to spend more than 10 minutes straight asleep.
Sleep is very important for horses and they can suffer from sleep privation if they’re not able to get between 30 and 60 minutes of lying, REM sleep each night. Horses that don’t lie down may be anxious or in pain and sleep deprivation can lead to “sleep attacks,” where a horse falls asleep without warning. This can cause a horse to trip and fall, injuring themselves or those around them, so be careful to check them out regularly.
