Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Why do horses sleep standing up?

HI,
Think about the question above. what are your theories?
We'll talk more about it tomorrow.
Terri

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Posted by Terri Farley @ 4:55 AM

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Comments: Well by nature they are prey animals. Which means they need to be ready to "flight or fight" in an instant. Meaning that lieing down would give the predator the advantage of a quick attack. I think by instinct horses stand up even in their stalls. If your horse does lie down or if one does in the wild then they feel very secure in their envionment and trust their owner or in the wild, the lead stallion to protect them. What y'all think?
~Rach
  I think they sleep standing up so they're ready to run. Foals however rarely sleep standing up. :-)
  In the wild they can't affort to be caught on the ground so they sleep where they can just start running.

violet
  YES! Horses need to be able to make a quick escape. But it is important that they get their laying down sleep. If a horse lies down it means he feels safe and secure.
  The other reason they stand is the weight of their bodies is too heavy for them to lie down all the time. If horses were to sleep lying down, it would affect their internal organs.
  I think they stand up because they need to be ready to run from, or attack, a predator. Even though they may live in barns or in pastures, they still have their instinct in the back of the brains that something wants to attack and eat them. I don't know if this is right, what I'm about to say, but I used to think when I was little, maybe 8, that they had trouble breathing when they lie down. I'm not sure which one is right, but please let me know!
Katie
P.S. I used to have a blogger account, I still do, but I use my livejournal page now. I used to be Katie Katt.
  So they can run at a moments notice!! Horses only lie down when they are comfortable, at ease, and trust their surroundings!
  Hi!
I think it's instinct because they're prey animals. If they're standing up they're able to break into a run pretty much right away and so they are able to escape quickly if they need to. Horses in a herd situation, for example, take turns with some standing on guard, while the others will lay down to sleep or roll. This way there are horses that can alert the others if there is danger nearby. =) xo
  I agree with the first person. They only lay down when they are safe. Of course they may also when they are sick, hurt badly, or when they are going to give birth. Also fawns sleep on the groung because they are protected by their mothers, but also becaouse they are a little weak.
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