You might have seen a horse napping with one eye open. Well, horses can sleep with their eyes either open or closed. In fact, they can even sleep somewhere in between, with their lids half-closed.
Many horses sleep most of the time standing up. However, they will lay down a few times at night to relax and get into a deeper sleep.
Do Horses Sleep With Their Eyes Open?
Whether your horse’s eyes are closed or open is likely an indication of how sound it is sleeping. If horses are sleeping with open eyes, it indicates a lighter sleep.
Horses sleeping with eyes open or half-open indicates lighter sleep. Horses are prey animals and sleep with their eyes open. This is because they are always on predator alert. They sleep with their eyes open to look out for a predator. So, if an animal comes to attack, they can wake up and run away.
While a horse sleeping with their eyes open is still technically sleeping, they are more sensitive to changes in their environment compared to when they sleep with their eyes closed. A horse that sleeps with their eyes open will gain consciousness much quicker and be alert faster.
Horses take frequent short naps during the day. However, they have REM sleep, during midnight, mostly in the darker hours. A horse lying down on its side usually indicates that the horse is in a deep sleep.
Sleeping patterns change as the horse ages. Adult horses usually spend more time sleeping in the standing position.
If your female horse is sleeping less, it could be a sign that your horse is pregnant.
How much sleep does a horse need?
Unlike humans, horses do well with less sleep. Usually, horses take brief naps that last a few minutes each. The average nap of a horse lasts approximately 15 minutes. Every horse has its own sleep pattern and preferred time to doze off. The daily total sleep and rest time for a healthy adult horse may range from a few minutes to a couple of hours.
Horses spend approximately 5-7 hours of each day in resting behavior. In addition to taking naps throughout the day, horses generally get the REM sleep at midnight hours. Horses generally need a minimum of 30 minutes for recumbency in a 24-hour period, to achieve their REM sleep needs.
How do you know if a horse is asleep?
You get to know if a horse is sleeping while standing by taking a closer look at its back legs. Horses have a handy mechanism in their legs that allow them to relax their muscles while keeping their legs locked in position to hold him up. This allows them to run away from predators quicker when they are in the wild.
Usually, horses only lock one of their back legs into place. The other leg is usually raised slightly and just the tip of their hoof is touching the ground. Even in standing position, a horse can relax its muscles by a very unique mechanism called “stay apparatus”.
What is REM sleep for horses?
All horses require some recumbent rest each day. Usually, they take this rest or REM sleep after midnight when it’s darkest. A horse cannot enter the REM sleep stage while standing.
At least thirty minutes of REM sleep is all that’s necessary for a horse. Without this half-hour of REM sleep spent lying down, a horse can suffer from exhaustion and become sleep deficient.
What animals sleep with their eyes open?
Some animals show a different sleep behavior known as Unihemispheric sleep. In this case, one half of the brain sleeps while the other half remains awake. Animals may sleep in this way to avoid predation, to breathe underwater, or to allow the brain to recover from sleep deprivation. Animals that utilize this cool sleeping method include:
- Marine mammals
- Birds
- Snakes
- Fish
- Crocodile
- Penguins
Final thoughts
Horses generally don’t need a lot of sleep on a daily basis. They can sleep while standing up or lying down with eyes opened or closed. Horses usually can’t sleep properly when they feel stressed and unsafe.
Horses do spend a good deal of time resting and dozing. Though, most of the resting is done in a standing position, with their eyes open. Horses might get cranky when they have gone too long without REM sleep.
Each horse has its own sleeping habits. Some will sleep with their eyes open while others might sleep with their eyes closed. Some horses sleep only at night while others sleep during daytime as well. These preferences might change with age. Climate can also affect the sleep patterns of your horse.
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