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Horses/sleeping horses

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Expert: Anne - 10/13/2004


Question
I just want to know if horses sleep standing up? My boyfriend says our bodies relax when we sleep so they can't sleep standing up. Thanks!

Answer
Yes, horses can sleep standing up.  It's a defense mechanism; if a horse is attacked in the wild it is able to flee immediatly.  Though horses can sleep standing up, they must lie down to sleep deeply.  They can get sleep deprived if they are prevented from lying down, but this takes weeks.  When standing, horses nap and when laying down, they sleep deeply.  A lot of horses sleep laying down when they are in their stalls, as they know that they are safe from predators there.
~Anne

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Anne

Expertise

I can answer questions about hunt seat (english) riding, jumping, breeds, and showing. I can also answer questions about basic horse care (like grooming, leading, and turning out).

Experience

I ride Thoroughbreds (mostly), and show in the hunter division. I ride in jumper, equitation, medal, and hunter under saddle classes. I am on my high school equestrian team, and there I jump, do showmanship, bareback, and equitation classes. I just bought a Thoroughbred off the track, and I am re-training him to jump. I have been riding and working around horses for 7 years.

Organizations
Michigan Hunter Jumper association (MHJA, Michigan Interscholastic Horsemanship Association (MIHA)

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