b"Arizona Ask the VetREAL COUNTRY SWEET DREAMSthe magazine THE SLEEPING HABITS OF HORSES ARE QUITE DIFFERENT Mike Barna THAN HUMANS.Most human sleep is usually a long, single stretchabout eight hours Publisher in a 24-hour day. Horses doze for various periods during ArizonaRealCountryMagazine@gmail.com the day and have short bouts of deep sleep lying down in the middle of the night. Horses sleeping patterns change depending on their age. Foals lie down for frequent naps Erika Smith Royal and spend about half of their day sleeping until they are about three months old. As the foal gets older, the Editor frequency of the naps becomes less, and they are more erika963realcountry@gmail.com likely to stand rather than lie down. Adult horses spend more time dozing while standing up than in deep sleep lying down. a long period. A horse can usually only lay down for a Misty Voitovski maximum of 45 minutes at a time.Creative Director Many horses are so regular you can set your watch toSleeping Positionsthem; others vary their patterns for whatever reason - season, weather, light, how much food he has in front ofMature horses most frequently rest in a standing him, you name it. position, but this does not provide deep, or REM, Contributing Writers sleep. To fall into a truly deep sleep, all skeletal muscles Lee AndersonKris Johnson Every horse has its own sleeping patterns. Since must be relaxed; this cannot happen when the horse is Justin LeglerMark Melkowskihorses are neither nocturnal nor diurnal, each willstanding. However, when standing, horses will fall into develop his own preferred time to doze off. Because ofa deep doze but can wake up and become alert very Betsy NunnJim & Bobbi Jeen Olson this, any changes we make in our horses schedules mayquickly. This is a survival mechanism for horses since Edward H. Peplow Jr.Alan Rockmanvery well affect their sleeping routine. Just something tothey evolved as a prey species. Horses have a unique be aware of! anatomical mechanism in their hind legs called the stay Bob RoloffJohn Samsill apparatus. This allows a horse's knee cap to pop out of How Long Do Horses Sleep? place and lock the hind limb in a standing position. Hank ShefferMichele Wilson Horses are notorious for surviving with minimalAlthough it sounds painful, in horses, it's no problem amounts of sleep. They only sleep for around threeat all. When dozing while standing, this stay apparatus to four hours within 24 hours but never rest for largewill lock in place in only one hind leg; the other hind periods. A few minutes of napping is all that a horselimb will be relaxed. Often, the horse appears to be 801 W. Wickenburg Way needs at various points of the day but throughoutleaning on one hip. The head and neck droop, the ears Wickenburg, AZ 85390 24-hours, these minutes should add up to a total of threeare relaxed, the eyes are closed and the lower lip may to four hours sleep. droop or twitch.(602) 254-6644 The length and type of sleep are affected by diet,A horse cannot achieve REM sleep while standing temperature, workload, gestation, and gender. Thebecause the muscles must be completely relaxed. Just like ArizonaRealCountry.com period of each sleep phase is very brief, lasting only a fewwhen humans have that falling sensation and jerk awake minutes at a time. Senior horses (just like some seniornow and then, horses also twitch and move in their sleep. people) may doze more frequently. Control of muscle function is lost during REM sleep and even the stay apparatus isnt sufficient to allow the horse Horses, like humans, sleep in different cycles, or degrees,this much relaxation.of rest. Just like humans, they can doze, experience Slow Wave Sleep (SWS), and also need Rapid Eye MovementMost horses will lie down for deep sleep a few times each (REM) sleep. REM sleep is the deep sleep in whichnight if they have a comfortable place to do so and feel Follow Arizona Realdreaming occurs, and yes, horses also dream. Whensafe. This is why it's important to provide a dry, sheltered your horse is enjoying REM sleep, you may notice thatareaso your horse can stretch out safely for a snooze. Country for news, events,they move their legs whilst lying on their side. If this happens, it may be safe to assume that is when yourWhen your horse is on his chest or flat out on his side, giveaways and more! horse is dreaming! Some horses talk in their sleep. Ithes most likely slow-wave sleeping.Their muscles are isnt unusual for horses to occasionally nicker or gruntrelaxed and they are definitely resting! When horses while sleeping. experience deep sleep lying down, they will stretch flat out on the ground.Arizona Real Country is owned andA horses sleep is composed of three stages:Drowsiness, published by Barna Broadcastingfor about two hours, slow-wave sleep for about threeWhere Horses SleepLLC. No person, organization or partyhours, and REM sleep, for about 45 minutes.HorsesIn a barn setting, the horses in stalls must feel like its enter the drowsiness stage standing up, with one hindsafe to lay flat and sleep. For horse owners, this means can copy or reproduce the contentleg cocked. ensuring a quiet, safe haven for either stall or pasture. on our website and/or magazine orHere are a few tips to keep in mind when considering any part of this publication withoutMost experts say anywhere from 30 minutes to threewhere your horse sleeps.a written consent from the editorshours a day is sufficient for the REM stage. Horses panel and the author of the content, aswill only sleep this deeply during the dark hours afterMost adult horses can be comfortable enough to lay applicable. The publisher, authors andmidnight unless there is a sleep disorder. Experts alsodown in a box stall that is 12 x 12. Horses will not lie agree that this REM sleep only occurs in short bursts,down if they feel the space is too small, and for good contributors reserve their rights withusually 10-20 minutes at a time. The reason for this isreason. A horse that lies down and cant get back up regards to copyright of their work. likely due to the horses anatomy and physiology, thebecause the space is too small is cast and this may require restriction of blood flow to vital organs when lyingexpert help using ropes to get the horse standing again.down, which makes it difficult for them to lie down forObviously, a bare concrete floor wont do as a mattress. continued on page 7ArizonaRealCountry.com January 2021 5"