Any information related to horses causes genuine interest in a person. This is due, firstly, to the history of people using these animals. Thirdly, the power of charm of representatives of the Equidae family (equine) in some cases exceeds the female.
A popular question regarding horses is their condition during sleep. Rarely did anyone see these animals lying. The ignorance of the behavior of horses is associated with the expression "the horse fell." Therefore, a literally gifted audience may consider that animals lie down only when they feel very bad. And a misunderstanding of how you can live without sleep gives rise to a secondary myth that these artiodactyls do not lie down at all. How to be And which of these is true?
Do horses sleep?
First, like any living creature, horses and foals need sleep. Secondly, sleep is possible in a standing and lying position. The position directly depends on the lifestyle that the animal leads and its individual requirements for its own safety.
How do wild horses sleep - lying or standing?
Imagine that in front of us is a wild horse, in 99 cases out of a hundred, she will sleep standing. This is due to the likelihood of attack by wild animals, for example, on a herd of mustangs. The second delay that a horse needs to take upright can cost him his life. Therefore, wild animals prefer to relax while standing.
Signs of a sleeping horse standing
- Legs are deliberately straight, parallel to each other
- The loin is bent, the body is relaxed, the tail is hanging
- Head tilted
- Easy swaying of ears for “location” of the surrounding wildlife
How long do horses sleep?
In this state, the animal spends about 12 hours a day. For the most part, a dream is like a nap, but it is enough for the animal to regain its strength. Although, from the point of view of a humanistically inclined person, such a regime of the day is like an endless marathon for survival.
In this case, foals prefer to rest lying down. At the same time, adult individuals establish a guard and take a defensive position against possible sources of external threat. In a well-organized, numerous herd, horses rest standing, taking turns, organizing a permanent guard of the most adult and experienced individuals.
How do domestic horses sleep?
Now we have a typical one - a long-domesticated animal that lives in an equipped stable, and its owners love, groom and undead their horse / mare. In this case, the domestic horse allows itself to lie on its side to sleep in this position.
But! Even so, certain conditions must be met. For example, the stable should be dark, quiet, dry. In this case, the animal must feel its relatives - other horses. This is due to the high level of socialization of horses, which perceive "solitary maintenance" as a potential danger.
The dangers of sleeping domestic horses
Surprisingly, veterinarians and zoologists believe that sleeping on one side is dangerous for horses. Firstly, in the supine position the arrangement of the organs of the animal changes.And his personal high weight exerts increased pressure on the contents of the horse’s inside. Secondly, sleeping more than 4 hours on the ground can cause pneumonia in the equine. Therefore, the pursuit of "normal" from the point of view of a person sleeping conditions can cause visible harm to horses.
If the owner of the horses wants his animals to at least occasionally rest lying down, he must arrange for them to rest (no external irritants), a safe (not earthen) underlying surface and the presence of relatives that will “relax” the horse, giving him the opportunity to feel real protection.
