KidZone Animals
Horses: Sleep
Since eating and staying alive are priorities, sleep is not the most important item on the horse's to-do list. As I was saying before about their impressive adaptations made over millions of years due to necessity, horses now have cool genetic characteristics in areas of sleep, especially!
Did you know a horse can sleep standing up? While this is actually a very well-known fact, its link to survival, endurance, and food intake is not often mentioned. Horses have a special adaptation called a stay apparatus to lock their legs in place once they are asleep, so they will not collapse.
Horses are very light sleepers and awaken at any sound. To enter a light sleep (kind of like a nap), horses will remain standing, close their eyes and doze off. When they hear even the slightest sound, horses will be ready to run from danger! Not surprisingly, and much like many other mammals, horses sleep much better when surrounded by others who can be on the lookout for danger... and food.
Horses need to get a deep sleep sometimes, however. A horse will sleep lying down, if so. And if a horse does not get the proper sleep it needs, it may end up feeling terrible. If a horse is not provided with the proper social environment, as well, it will not be able to sleep properly.
Young horses need and therefore get a lot deeper sleep than older horses. So, social bonding and herd dynamics are important for more than just "fun" and reproduction. These elements of a horse's life can actually result in the safety and survival of that horse. A horse's place in its community, environment, and herd becomes necessary for when a horse needs to energize safely!
As suspected, horses do not sleep the same way that most humans do. Instead, they sleep in short spurts of time, either standing or passed out on the ground. A quick google image search shows just how deeply these animals can sleep when finally on the floor.
Awwww!