Can Horses Lie Down?

Question

My Dad Said That If They Lie Down It Can Kill Them Or MAek Them Ill!??? How Do They Sleep Then Im Sure This Is Not true!!!

Answer 1

Horses dont lie down very often because they are prey animals. They need to keep on their feet to prevent any predators from eating them or attacking them. Horses sleep standing up, they are able to lock their knees and prevent themselves from falling down while sleeping.
Horses do lay down but only for a few minutes each day. Sometimes they will lay down longer if they have another horse friend with them standing guard.
The only time to be alarmed if your horse is laying down is if it is rolling around violently, sweating, looking at its abdomen and not wanting to stand up when someone goes out to look at it. This means its colicing and this can be deadly if the horse isnt treated right away.
Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Do Horses Lie Down

Answer 3

Horses Do Lie Down. Somtimes They Roll Around In Dirt Too. They May Sleep Laying Down Or Standing Up. It Will Not Make Them Ill.

Answer 4

Yes horses can lay down.
They normally only do it if more than one horse is in the pasture, as there will be a watch horse, the other horse will then feel safe enough to lie down, knowing the watch horse will alert it to any danger.
Horses are able to lock their joints too, meaning they can sleep standing up.
They do this, as it means should a predator come, they can easily run away.

Answer 5

I think horses must lie down to be properly rested. You should bed on straw and wear a dust mask and work gloves and shake all the straw loose and then shake it up very thoroughly with a fork so it is completely fluffy with no lumps at all. Really stuff the bed area, then spray fresh straw with something like Fly Free Zone to help protect against all the tiny biting bugs which infest straw and to which some horses are allergic and come out in big lumps. A whole bed should take at least six bales and when you've finished it should be at least 5 feet high. Introduce the horse carefully and get it to wade into the bed carefully, not take a running jump. Demonstrate by lifting your leg high and wading in. Your reward is to see your horse go into his bed and drop himself confidently in your handiwork, instead of having to get down carefully and to see him lying down, fast asleep, in the perfect comfort you have created. This is the least you owe any animal. Always be sure livestock are in no doubt that you care about their every little comfort, then they will dote on you and care about your welfare. Do not use shavings as it makes a very hard bed and is much more expensive. You are your horse's little servant, mind you do all your jobs properly, if you can't be bothered, don't keep livestock.

Answer 6

I believe it was Melissa M who had a good point. Horses must get some REM sleep, where they are able to dream as someone else mentioned, lying down.

The stay apparatus requires a minimal amount of muscle tension to remain locked and keep the horse standing. Some horses may go days without getting this sleep but if it were to fall into a deep sleep it's legs would begin to buckle waking it up to catch itself. At some point whether we see them or not all horses will lay down to rest a short time. The few exceptions are horses who are unable to stand again due to age or injury. They tend to remain very tired and sleep large amounts of time standing because they don't get the sleep they need. Occassionally they go down anyhow and must be helped up again.

Answer 7

They can lie down but usually do not so they can run away easily. They can occasionally suffer obstructed breathing from lying down but a horse that struggles once with this will not lie down again in a hurry.

Because of the way a horses legs are put together, they can lock their legs and remaining standing while asleep. While doing this, they actually use less energy than when they are asleep lying down.

Answer 8

Hi,
Yes horses can lie down,generally they lock there legs and sleep standing up,horses dont need much sleep and they only nap standing up, if they need a deep sleep they do lie down,this is quite safe and doesnt make them ill!

Answer 9

They can lie down, as I'm sure you have learned by now!

I've noticed myself that young horses (under three) and old horses (at least those that don't have problems getting up and down) tend to lie down to sleep more often than those in between. Sometimes they will worry you, even if common sense tells you they are probably just asleep. Horses are prey animals, so they usually sleep pretty light, so I usually just whistle and if they prick their ears up I leave them alone.

I did see one answer that rolling over can cause a fatal twist in the intestines. While I'm sure that is not impossible, my vet told me that studies have found that horses (coliced horses) that rolled over didn't "twist-a-gut" any more often than horses that were prevented from rolling. The movement of the impaction itself seems to be the cause of the twist. The biggest problem with rolling during colic is the thrashing around and hurting themselves. If a horse is battling a really bad colic, he may need to lie down briefly to rest. This is usually fine if you can stop him from thrashing around. If you keep him moving constantly and the colic isn't resolved quickly, he may become so exhausted that you can't get him up when you really need him to.

As for rolling over for fun, we always heard that every time one managed to roll all the way over he was worth another hundred bucks!!

Answer 10

Horse's can sleep laying down. They normally do this if they feel safe in their enviroment. If horses live in a paddock with other horse's you will notice that when one is laying down that the others will tend to stand over them and be on 'watch'. This is so the others can watch for predators and warn the one laying down that they must fly (as in run away).

Now if all the horse's in the same paddock lay down then this show's that the are very relaxed and safe in their enviroment. This is very uncommon but when seen its lovely. My horse lives with 3 others and they all lay down at same time as they are so relaxed in their home.

Horse's tend to sleep standing up. they have a special locking mechanishm in their knees and hocks to prevent them falling over. They sleep standing up so they can take flight if a predetor appears.

If a horse lays down it does not mean they have colic. Also Gemma W it does not cause breathing problems for them either.

Also if horse does roll it does not necessary mean they have colic. Rolling is a way for a horse to remove their sheding coat, scracth their back and camoflege themselves.

Answer 11

Horses can lie down, it's only a problem if they lie down for an extended period of time and won't get up. The pressure on the internal organs from the horse's own body weight can cause problems if the horse lies down for too long of a time. Your father is correct in that if a horse lies down for too long and won't get up, it can make them very ill and even kill them. But, healthy horses can lie down and get up with no problem. Horses generally sleep standing up, but they occasionally lie down when they are comfortable.