Is Your Horse Sleep Deprived?

Is Your Horse Sleep Deprived?

Is your horse sleep deprived? With sleep being arguably one of the most beneficial parts of your horse’s routine, how do we know our horses are making the most of their resting time and should we intervene?

Horses are known for their ability to sleep whilst standing, however all horses must have a period of sleep whilst lying down in order to achieve full sleep cycles, therefore quality sleep.

There are three stages of quality sleep, which horses physiologically need. Stage one and two of sleep can be achieved whilst standing; these stages consist of light sleep and slow-wave, deep sleep, respectively. However, stage three of sleep is the ‘rapid-eye movement’ phase, otherwise known as REM sleep, can only be achieved when lying down.

REM sleep is only required for 30 minutes of horse’s total resting time, which is approximately 5-7 hours per day. This may not seem like a lot, compared to humans who need around 2-3 hours of REM sleep per day, however horse’s can easily forego this phase unlike humans. Although horse’s modern-day environment poses no threat to their safety, the species has evolved to postpone their rest and REM sleep in order to survive.

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However, REM sleep is vital to ensure essential bodily process can take place. During REM sleep the body works to repair tissue and process the events of the day, therefore this phase of sleep is also vital for memory and learning. Like humans, horses can experience large episodes of sleep, which is poor quality. Similarly, they will wake up feeling less than refreshed and may struggle processing any task asked of them.

Sleep deprivation can cause a variety of problems in horses, effecting both health and performance of our horses.

A symptom of sleep deprivation, commonly spotted by horse owners, is partial collapses. These are displayed as a buckling of the joints, following with a sudden recovery. This occurs due to the body’s physiological need for the REM phase sleep. Sleep deprived horses will unwillingly enter the REM phase of sleep whilst standing, causing total relaxation of muscle and the collapse of support muscle. Horses will usually recover suddenly from the partial collapse and awaken, however further postponed sleep could result in total collapse.

Keep an eye out for un-explained injury to the knees, fetlocks, hocks and even the head, as one study found that over 90% of horses suffering from partial collapse episodes suffered an injury in one or more of these areas.

Further symptoms of sleep deprivation may be spotted on veterinary examination. Symptoms such as hypoglycaemia, electrolyte abnormalities and disorders at nerve-muscle junction are associated with sleep deprivation and may slip under the owner’s radar, due to their difficulty to diagnose.

However, the removal of continually aggressive members from herds must be considered, as this may disrupt the entire cohort’s sleep patterns. Alternatively, large paddock areas may be a solution to allow horses more space to remove themselves from aggressive encounters. Ensuring your horse is comfortable through supporting underlying medical conditions, such as arthritis, is also suggested as this may discourage lying down behaviour due to discomfort.

Finally, quieter yard will aid sleep as noise and activity commonly disrupts sleep cycles. Yards should aim to have period with no visitors and be located with minimal noise.

The Take-Away

Lack of quality sleep can be detrimental toward the health, well-being and performance of our horses. We must consider horse’s instinctual needs, when we look at the causes of possible sleep deprivation. Spotting the signs and ensuring to carry out steps to encourage lying down behaviour and quality is vital to support sleep patterns.

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