# Horses Laying Down, how long??



## mls

You have 'heard' a lot and 'know' a lot of people. But where is your research and facts?

In fact what is your experience with horses at all?


----------



## Alwaysbehind

mls said:


> You have 'heard' a lot and 'know' a lot of people. But where is your research and facts?


My thoughts exactly!

The only people I have heard anything like you claim to hear (horses should not lay down and horses being insecure in stalls) are from people who really do not know what they are talking about. Novice lesson riding people who read the black stallion and black beauty and think they know all there is to know, basically.

I have boarded at barns with zero turn out and I have never noticed a problem with horses being insecure in their stalls. (And yes, there are horses who do not like stalls in the world, I know this.)

I know more horses that will not pee outside their stall than I know horses that are insecure inside their stall.


I will have to tell my group that they are no longer allowed to roll in the sand every day. Rolling is bad.


----------



## Lolamae

DarkHorseDream said:


> I'm just curious on your input on the question, how long can horses safely lay down? Here's is what i have learned from research and people who know what they're talking about who I know personally:
> 
> horses that stay in stalls 24/7 lay down much less often because they're more insecure
> Not in my experience at all. I bring horses in for the day in summer and all of them, without fail, lie down within half an hour, and will lie down periodically throughout the day.
> 
> horses need to sleep laying down to get REM sleep, they requires 1-2 hours of REM sleep every few days or they'll get sleep deprived
> horses KNOW when to get up, lol.. unless cast, they will stand up before their organs get impacted or their lungs fill with fluids
> Don't all sentient beings move automatically when a position becomes uncomfortable? I don't believe that a horse *knows* it should move because of it's lungs filling up, they don't have that kind of awareness, and that would have to be for an extended period of time anyway in which case the horse would be ill, or unable to move (as you say)
> 
> horses at pasture and in herds lay down more often due to the feeling of safety
> Surely that depends on the situation, whether a horse is comfortable in it's group, by itself, what the pasture is like, where it is, all kinds of factors.
> 
> if they're rolling, thrashing, sweating, panting, biting at abs, obviously, something's wrong, most likely colic
> 
> my question is how long can they lay.
> As long as they like, I have seen horses down for an hour or so, usually shorter periods, but I don't hang around for hours at night time so I don't know if mine all crash out for longer.
> 
> i have heard paranoid people say 20-30 min or "they'll colic and die". bear in mind, these same people see a horse laying down and IMMEDIATELY run up and kick the stall door or run at them to scare them and wake them up,
> Glad I am not a horse in their barn then, I'd be a nervous wreck and worried about ever lying down at all :?
> 
> and claim if a person doens't get them up, they'll forget to stand up and colic and die.. LOL...
> OK. Bit of misinformation going on there I feel.
> 
> but more realistically i know people who say their horses are lazy and will lay 1-2 hours straight on a given day, or on lazy days, and they haven't coliced (how do you spell coliced?)... nor have they even had to see a vet in over a decade. and i READ online that it takes like 6 hours for their lungs to fill up with fluids. so is that time-frame true?
> I have no idea
> 
> and how long does it take for organ damage due to pressure to start becoming a problem?]
> Again, I have no idea, but now would probably be a good time to try to find out...a quick Google finds this
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.saveyourhorse.com/morecast.html
> 
> A quote from the above, referring to cast horses in particular:
> 
> [Horses are not designed to spend much time lying down. In the wild, a downed horse is a dead horse. The sheer weight of that large body can cause problems with circulation, just like what happens to us if we spend the night lying on an arm. It falls asleep. The pressure on internal organs makes it difficult to breathe properly after time.
> 
> For all that horses are big and strong, they have very delicate digestive systems and respiratory systems. The blood flow to the legs would also be compromised since they would be up in the air and gravity would be at work, pulling the blood back into the core.
> 
> While rumor has it that the lungs will fill up with blood, they don't. They do, however, fill with fluid after a couple hours. It's called edema. Edema is swelling resulting from a buildup of fluid in tissue. In the case of pulmonary edema, it's the accumulation of fluid in the lungs.]


----------



## riccil0ve

Unless something is wrong, I'll let my horses lay out in the sun as long as they please. And by something wrong, I mean distress or a pre-existing issue. It's absurd to scare a horse up and awake. Ask those people how they would like it if you barged into their room when they were sleeping yelling, "fire!" or some such.

I think when a horse gets up is more based on them being prey animals who do not normally stay in the same place for long. Plus, they only need a couple hours of REM.

Where a horse is more comfortable is an individual preference. If a horse is picked on during turnout, it will probably be more comfortable laying down in its stall. If the horse is claustrophobic, for lack of a better term, they will probably wait for turnout to lay down. 

Also, tell these crazy "know everything" people to read Seabiscuit. That horse sprawled out on his side and slept for _hours_ daily. Obviously, it had no ill affect on him. :wink:


----------



## kitten_Val

My horses can sleep out there for an hour, even longer. Especially when it's nice, warm, sunny, and no flies. 

BTW I disagree with the statement about laying less in stall. Again both my horses sleep there all night long (when I stall them) with no issues (can tell that by the amount on shavings on them from top to the bottom).


----------



## DarkHorseDream

i'm real flattered that such knowledgeable people such as yourselves took the time to respond to my question with "you dont know anything about horses, your research is from green riders who got their facts from black beauty, and you're an idiot", when it was just a question.


----------



## Speed Racer

My horses, JJ especially, make most of your statements a lie.

Mine sleep lying down regardless of where they are, stalled or outside. All of them lie down for quite awhile, and JJ lays flat out, snoring away for hours.

Haven't had any trouble with edema or their lungs filling with fluid. Sounds like a bunch of hogwash by someone who doesn't know or understand horses very well, but thinks they do. Kind of in the same vein as thinking that_ tight_ stirrups are better than loose ones.


----------



## riccil0ve

And replying in such a way is productive how? You did get answers, perhaps focus on those and not the other unproductive posts. :wink:


----------



## FoxyRoxy1507

Swoop lays down for a nap almost every day around the same time. i have seen him take naps on nice sunny days for up to 3hrs before and he has never had a problem


----------



## Fluffy Pony

I believe every horse is different. I know my horse pretty well and know his pattern with daily routine. If im not showing and dont ride him hard the day before he typically sleeps on the ground for about a half an hour in his stall around ten at night to around three in the morning. When we turn them out in the morning he takes a hour nap after breakfast then graze for the rest of the day. 

If im showing and was on him all day before, I have caught him sleeping for over an hour in his stall, even at a show. It all depends how quiet it gets in the stall area.

He normally naps after break fast and dinner basicly lol.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Speed Racer

Fluffy Pony said:


> He normally naps after breakfast and dinner basicly lol.


That's because eating is hard work! :wink:

All joking aside, the work of digestion_ can_ make them sleepy. Heck, it makes people sleepy too, since the body puts a lot of energy into digesting food, especially large meals.


----------



## Fluffy Pony

On the subject of eating is hard work. Ive also found it warms them up in the winter lol!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## DarkHorseDream

speed racer: u dont have to say it's a lie. im just listing stuff i "learned", for the purpose of conversation and other peoples' views. now im learning otherwise, and of course there will be exceptions, i never meant "this is the way it is, period" haha

the bit about laying in stalls less, laying outside more , i heard from "rick gore horsemanship"s "think like a horse" youtube channel and website. he's really anti-stall. he's a little crazy too but that's besides the point.

the "knowing when to get up" is from my own common sense, i tried to tell the girl who makes horses get up when they try to lay down.

the REM sleep needed and only get while laying down i read on some wiki horse behavior page and also from that rick gore guy.

the colic bit i read in a couple horse books i own

*do ya'll think it's true that they "only get REM sleep while laying down and need 1-2 hours of it every few days" ?????*


----------



## sarahver

Sleep, even in humans, is still being characterised and researched. So in horses it is even less understood. But there has been some work done:

From Practical Horseman 2000:
How Horses Sleep

Part 1 talks about sleeping standing up/lying down and SWS/REM sleep.

Part 2 talks about the periods of time spent in each.


----------



## riccil0ve

I can't answer how much REM sleep horses need, but I has always heard 1-3 hours at least every few days.

But yes, they must lie down to get REM sleep. If they fall into REM while on their feet, they will fall down. The mechanism they have that "locks" their joints will "unlock" once the brain falls into REM. At least that's what I've always heard/read.


----------



## Fluffy Pony

On them having to lay down for REM. I can see how that is true. Ive seen quiet a few horses, including my own, 'sleep thrash'. Like cantering in their sleep and such. I always keep on eye on the ones who do it in stalls since getting stuck is never fun.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## DarkHorseDream

thanks guys. def some good insight here


----------



## mls

DarkHorseDream said:


> speed racer: u dont have to say it's a lie. im just listing stuff i "learned", for the purpose of conversation and other peoples' views. now im learning otherwise, and of course there will be exceptions, i never meant "this is the way it is, period" haha
> 
> the bit about laying in stalls less, laying outside more , i heard from "rick gore horsemanship"s "think like a horse" youtube channel and website. he's really anti-stall. he's a little crazy too but that's besides the point.
> 
> the "knowing when to get up" is from my own common sense, i tried to tell the girl who makes horses get up when they try to lay down.
> 
> the REM sleep needed and only get while laying down i read on some wiki horse behavior page and also from that rick gore guy.
> 
> the colic bit i read in a couple horse books i own
> 
> *do ya'll think it's true that they "only get REM sleep while laying down and need 1-2 hours of it every few days" ?????*


So you have three resources?


----------



## JustDressageIt

Bookmarking for later.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Delfina

The horses where I board have all day turnout and are stalled at night. It's highly unusual to see them lying down outside as they are much too busy munching on grass, I will see them lay down outside if they are in the dry lots instead of pasture though. All of them lay down in their stalls, shavings all over them in the morning to prove that!

Now my young gelding gets pretty anxious if he's in an "open" stall. Something about the sides being open and all the activity going on around him is too much for his lil brain, so he was moved to a closed stall and he's great in there. He was moved to an open stall last weekend as we had a visiting horse that needed a closed stall and even though he was being wacky, more alert, going around in circles, much more excited/anxious than normal he must have gotten tired as at one point he lay down, had a good ol' roll in the shavings and took a nap. So even though that stall does make him anxious, it obviously wasn't enough to keep him from sleeping when he got tired.


----------



## kitten_Val

sarahver said:


> Sleep, even in humans, is still being characterised and researched.


I look for the good nap after every heavy lunch I have! No research needed! :lol:


----------



## NorthernMama

mls said:


> You have 'heard' a lot and 'know' a lot of people. But where is your research and facts?
> 
> In fact what is your experience with horses at all?


Well, that wasn't very nice. It was just a question with some input that the OP had gathered so far. How about some of your own input to the question instead of criticizing right off the bat?

To the OP:
I see my horses lie down for probably an hour at a time. It is possible that in the early morning they are down for longer because often when I get up, they are still sleeping, and will stay there for another hour or so.

I have no experience with stalls to speak of, but I definitely wouldn't wake up or disturb a resting horse unless some activity was going to be done -- cleaning, riding, grooming, farrier, vet, etc. etc. and if so, I would be calm about it. I can't see that a horse would be insecure in a stall and therefore not lie down if the horse is used to the stall. I have heard this before and I wonder if it comes from places where the stalls are too small for the horses to lie down comfortably?

The only time I get concerned about lying down is if a horse is doing it repeatedly for short times -- 20 minutes or so. If a quarter of the day is spent lying down in these short sessions, I would suspect a physical problem. Just my experience (with arthritis).


----------



## sarahver

kitten_Val said:


> I look for the good nap after every heavy lunch I have! No research needed! :lol:


:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Me too, I think it's called three-thirty-itis!


----------



## corinowalk

Froggy sleeps wherever there is a place to lay. In the barn, out of the barn, in a puddle, in cow poop. He is a napper and couldn't care less who is around.


----------



## Beauseant

Our two horses are the only horses on the property, which they share with 18 chickens....they take about two naps a day. One around 10 am and a second one in mid afternoon. Surprisingly, they both go down at the same time....which we found unusual......2 horses in a place they've only been at for 6 months, no other horses in the vicinity....and there they are...both flat out on the ground, snoring away. The chickens are the guards.:lol::lol: sounds funny, but EVERYTHING eats chicken...so if they aren't worried, our horses figure they shouldn't be. Their naps are around 30 minutes or less...and they WILL come in to the dry lot off pasture just to nap. They do not nap in the open field...they come in to the dry lot where the chickens hang out...to sleep.


FYI, they DO sleep in their stalls!!!! I've brushed bedding off Epona's eye and poll many times. Same with Beau. And Epona HATES being stalled....but she'll snooze in there anyway.


----------



## DarkHorseDream

there, so source +1. for those guys at the beginning who said i got my facts from newbie riders who saw it on black beauty (err black stallion? haha)... and said horses don't sleep better/more outside than in stalls. i'd say Sue McDonnell, PhD, head of the Equine Behavior Lab at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine is pretty good credentials, and she backs up what i said exactly:

"You’re probably not surprised to hear that horses sleep best when they feel safe from danger. But the factors that help them feel safe may not be what you think. When you put your horse in his stall and close the door, you know he’s protected. But he likely feels isolated and confined-and for a horse, isolation and confinement can be dangerous. As part of her work at U of P, Sue McDonnell has studied the behavior of a semi-wild herd of ponies over time. She says feral horses actually sleep more than stabled horses. They also get more down time: As members of a herd, they’re able to relax because one horse acts as a sentinel, standing guard while the rest snooze. “In feral groups, all individuals tend to rest together, eat together, go to water together. The young may get additional rest and sleep during grazing, with the protection of the adults.” The adults share the sentinel duty, so everybody gets to lie down. Solitary adult horses tend to get less deep sleep than horses in groups–probably because, with no sentinel on guard duty, and no other horses to help deal with danger, the solo horse feels he has to look out for himself at all times. He startles out of sleep at the slightest disturbance. In many cases you’ll see horses stabled next to each other rest standing against the two sides of their shared stall wall, Sue McDonnell says–probably to take advantage of the sentinel effect."


----------



## sarahver

DarkHorseDream said:


> there, so source +1. for those guys at the beginning who said i got my facts from newbie riders who saw it on black beauty (err black stallion? haha)... and said horses don't sleep better/more outside than in stalls. i'd say Sue McDonnell, PhD, head of the Equine Behavior Lab at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine is pretty good credentials, and she backs up what i said exactly:
> 
> "You’re probably not surprised to hear that horses sleep best when they feel safe from danger. But the factors that help them feel safe may not be what you think. When you put your horse in his stall and close the door, you know he’s protected. But he likely feels isolated and confined-and for a horse, isolation and confinement can be dangerous. As part of her work at U of P, Sue McDonnell has studied the behavior of a semi-wild herd of ponies over time. She says feral horses actually sleep more than stabled horses. They also get more down time: As members of a herd, they’re able to relax because one horse acts as a sentinel, standing guard while the rest snooze. “In feral groups, all individuals tend to rest together, eat together, go to water together. The young may get additional rest and sleep during grazing, with the protection of the adults.” The adults share the sentinel duty, so everybody gets to lie down. Solitary adult horses tend to get less deep sleep than horses in groups–probably because, with no sentinel on guard duty, and no other horses to help deal with danger, the solo horse feels he has to look out for himself at all times. He startles out of sleep at the slightest disturbance. In many cases you’ll see horses stabled next to each other rest standing against the two sides of their shared stall wall, Sue McDonnell says–probably to take advantage of the sentinel effect."


Dr. Sue McDonnell is also one of the sources in the Practical Horseman article :wink:

What I understand from the article is that horses need to feel comfortable and safe in order to be able to lie down and get their REM sleep. Now one example of a comfortable situation might be in a herd where one horse can act as sentinal. However it doesn't _exclude_ a stall environment as a place that horses will lie down and sleep.

In fact, the article suggests that horses will choose the periods directly after times of high activity in the barn to lie down and have a sleep (i.e. feeding times, lesson times etc). Obviously each horse is different - some may be comfortable enough to sleep in their stall all the time, others may be less so. Also depends on the stall itself, size etc but hopefully most stalls would be big enough for a horse to safely lie down and get up again.

In fact a lone horse outside in a large pasture might have less REM sleep if he feels more vulnerable and won't lie down in order to sleep regularly enough.

Lastly, I see you are new, sorry for the harsh introduction! Just a friendly word of advice: Introducing discussion topics is great, particularly one such as this one as it is interesting and worthwhile. Beware that if you are going to make a statement, or several statements it is best to have a couple of reliable resources to begin with :wink:


----------



## faye

my boys lie down all the time. I only get worried when the get past the 3 hr mark. Then I will go out and check them, I can see both the field and the stables from m house. Often my horses will stay lieing down when I check on them. If they are not distressed and are happily sleeping i will leave them too it.

When and how horses feel safe enough to have a sleep is a very individual thing. My boys will both lie down in the field and have a sleep, often at the same time. They both come in and have a nap after feed time.

Harvey even felt safe enough to have a flat out sleep on his side at a horse show, no idea why he felt safe enough but obviously he did.


----------



## capades

My yearling, Nico, could have a clock set by his naptime. Without fail between 1 and 1:30 every afternoon, he is down for the count and typically stays that way for at least an hour and a half. My OTTB, on the other hand stands guard. In fact, now that I think about it, I have never caught her on the ground sleeping-though I have only had for 3 months. 
No problems with either regardless how long he stayed down.


----------



## smrobs

It entirely depends on the individual horse. I have a couple of horses that I have never seen lay down and take a nap and I have others that are content to lay out for hours at a time. My old Belgian Mule Tiny is one of them. His arthritis is bothering him worse this year so he spends more time laying down than my others. On that same hand, my 2 year old BelgianxQH Rafe also has a tendency to lay around for extended periods of time simply because he has a lazy nature LOL.

Zeiner, on the other hand is one that I have never seen lay down and go to sleep. He is a more high strung and temperamental horse, bordering on schizoid, who is always very alert and on guard whenever humans are around. I don't know if he lays around at night or during the day and just gets to his feet whenever he senses a human on the property or what. All I know is that during the few months he's been turned out in my pasture, I've never seen him laying down.

I only really worry if something is laying down for a good portion of the day and not moving (many will alternate between laying flat and sitting curled up like the horse Faye posted) or if they are laying out by themselves away from the herd.

I think it's safe to say that mine feel fairly safe in their paddock. They are all laying down at the same time and the dog is running past LOL. Of course, it was all of about 8 degrees that day so that probably had something to do with it.


----------



## Alwaysbehind

Faye, those pictures are too cute! Hey, when you need a nap you need a nap.


----------



## Beauseant

Apparently my horses didn't read Sue McDonnel's article on how they should act!!:lol::lol::lol:

They REGULARLY both do flat out on their side sleeping at the same time, with NO EQUINE GUARD on duty as they are the only horses on the property except for some free ranging chickens.

They also BOTH sleep regularly in their stalls. And again, they are the only two horses or animals, except chickens, on the property.


Generalizations on ANYTHING, are nice to read, but I wouldn't take them to heart. There are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule, and variables that affect the situation. A variable to consider is the type of horse.... Beau doesn't fit into sue's generalization because he is an OTTB. As an ex racehorse he spent mucho time stalled....too much time....however, it has affected his overall behaviour. He feels quite safe and comfortable being stalled as it is all he used to know....sleeping in the stall comes easily to him. sometimes when he is stalled for the night, and we let him out in the morning, he will refuse to go outside right away....he'll turn and go walking through the barn, sniffing and exploring. After about 15 minutes, he'll walk slowly outside as if it were not something he desperately wants to do. A few times, when it was raining, he REFUSED to go outside at all. He just stood in the barn aisle and stared outside, then turned and went for a barn walk. He is very much an indoor horse. And that makes me sad...but that is something that sometimes happens with OTTBs. Sometimes they develop indoor horse tendencies.

Epona the Belgian draft is the complete opposite, she is an outdoor horse...being stalled upsets her, even if only for a few hours. 

BOTH, however, will sleep lying down flat...whether outside or in their stalls.

With no sentry or guard to watch over them....except God. And the chickens. Also not considered in Sue's article is the temprament of the horse. And that matters because the horse's mentality is what will make him feel safe....or not. Our Beau is an extremely dominant alpha. He fears little, including barking dogs in his face. He attacks them, which isn't good as the barn owners have two. He has tried to hurt them, so the barn owners try to keep Beau and the dogs away from each other. Being a calm and extremely dominant alpha, he feels that sine HE is God, there is nothing to fear. Hence, he goes out flat for snoozes in situations a spookier horse might not. 

The surprise is Epona, who IS a spooky horse who is not the least dominant. Why she goes down flat at the same time Beau does is a mystery.... she should feel nervous and on alert since her leader is napping....but she doesnt.


----------



## mls

NorthernMama said:


> Well, that wasn't very nice. It was just a question with some input that the OP had gathered so far. How about some of your own input to the question instead of criticizing right off the bat?


Not nice? It's not nice to stop a person from causing panic?

If you read any of my responses that require facts, I typically insert links so that individuals can read for themselves. I certainly do not make outlandish blanket statements without back up.


----------



## NorthernMama

Does every discussion have to have an encyclopedia set involved? She is looking for a dicussion, some other input. She did not state that she had a bunch of facts, but just what she had heard. A lot of very interesting discussions come about from something like this. 

I just think it would have been more productive to offer up some of your desire for research and facts rather than a two-liner that, to me anyway, came off as rather dismissive. If your responses generally give links to research, where was it this time? Maybe an off day. We ll get those, for sure!

And, yes, facts are definitely better than panic, but I didn't see where the OP was panicking.


----------



## Beauseant

Agreed, NM. 

I saw nothing wrong with the original post on this thread. I also thought that the reply in question was uncalled for, so I just dismissed it as if it weren't there. On forums like these, replies like that pop up off and on, and we all know to just overlook them....

I think this is an interesting thread. It is very productive to hear about other people's horses and their habits. 

I also "heard" that horses cannot lie down for long periods of time because of the weight on their internal organs. I personally believe there is some truth to that as these animals were not created by God to live a sedentary life. They are not cows. HOW MUCH time down is too much is a subjective question with no steadfast answer.....hence the value of this thread. Some horses are down far longer than I expected to hear about....like 1 or certainly 2 hours. I accept that some horses may be down that long, but I personally would be seriously checking mine for issues if they did that. The max they've been down, approximately, is 30 minutes at one time...though they often go down more than once a day.

I hope that EVERYONE feels free to open threads based on things they've heard....without feeling intimidated by harsh replies. THAT is how good discussions get going. THAT is what the forum is about.....discussing horsey issues with other horse owners/lovers. You don't need to state sources or give links unless you are quoting someone's website directly. 

Ignore the inflammatory replies, and let's keep discussing horses...


----------



## sarahver

Beauseant said:


> Apparently my horses didn't read Sue McDonnel's article on how they should act!!:lol::lol::lol:


Heh, I doubt most of our horses have had a chance to flip through that article :wink:

I didn't post that article because I thought it was 100% true or applies to every situation, I only posted it because it backed up _some_ (not all) of the OP's statements and I thought she was copping a hard time for introducing a topic that was actually quite relevant and not entirely 'made up'.

As for my personal experience, I have NFI how long/when/how my horse lies down and gets her REM sleep as I am yet to catch her lying down at all in her pasture. But I assume she does one way or another when I am not looking since she is one healthy and happy little booger!



Beauseant said:


> Agreed, NM.
> 
> I saw nothing wrong with the original post on this thread. I also thought that the reply in question was uncalled for, so I just dismissed it as if it weren't there. On forums like these, replies like that pop up off and on, and we all know to just overlook them....
> 
> I think this is an interesting thread. It is very productive to hear about other people's horses and their habits.
> 
> I also "heard" that horses cannot lie down for long periods of time because of the weight on their internal organs. I personally believe there is some truth to that as these animals were not created by God to live a sedentary life. They are not cows. HOW MUCH time down is too much is a subjective question with no steadfast answer.....hence the value of this thread. Some horses are down far longer than I expected to hear about....like 1 or certainly 2 hours. I accept that some horses may be down that long, but I personally would be seriously checking mine for issues if they did that. The max they've been down, approximately, is 30 minutes at one time...though they often go down more than once a day.
> 
> I hope that EVERYONE feels free to open threads based on things they've heard....without feeling intimidated by harsh replies. THAT is how good discussions get going. THAT is what the forum is about.....discussing horsey issues with other horse owners/lovers. You don't need to state sources or give links unless you are quoting someone's website directly.
> 
> Ignore the inflammatory replies, and let's keep discussing horses...


Agreed, sometimes I struggle to find reasoning behind some posts other than to be cutting for the sake of it. I have no problem with people disagreeing, or even being rude about disagreeing with something, but the least you could do is ADD something useful to the discussion rather than making snide remarks about everything but offering no input other than that.


----------



## Alwaysbehind

I thought of this thread this weekend when I went into my barn on Sunday morning and all three of my horses were curled up sleeping in their stalls (which are open to their paddocks).

I started doing chores and they all stayed right where they were until I started handing out hay.

No stress in their stalls.



Some of the attitude regarding the OP in this thread might be the post this poster posted in another person's thread right before posting this.


----------



## usandpets

DarkHorseDream said:


> I'm just curious on your input on the question, how long can horses safely lay down? Here's is what i have learned from research and people who know what they're talking about who I know personally:
> 
> horses that stay in stalls 24/7 lay down much less often because they're more insecure
> *If they are stalled 24/7, that is their secure zone, where they are used to. If you put those horses outside they would sleep less laying down. If you take an outdoor 24/7 horse and stall them, they wouldn't sleep much either. It all depends on what the horse is accustomed to.*
> 
> horses need to sleep laying down to get REM sleep,
> *I would agree with that.*
> 
> they requires 1-2 hours of REM sleep every few days or they'll get sleep deprived
> *I've heard that they need 20 to 30 minutes/day.*
> 
> horses KNOW when to get up, lol.. unless cast, they will stand up before their organs get impacted or their lungs fill with fluids
> *Not likely. They will get up, I think, because they get uncomfortable like we do laying down to long.*
> 
> horses at pasture and in herds lay down more often due to the feeling of safety
> *Possibly, but also depends on how safe they feel.*
> 
> if they're rolling, thrashing, sweating, panting, biting at abs, obviously, something's wrong, most likely colic
> 
> my question is how long can they lay. i have heard paranoid people say 20-30 min or "they'll colic and die". bear in mind, these same people see a horse laying down and IMMEDIATELY run up and kick the stall door or run at them to scare them and wake them up, and claim if a person doens't get them up, they'll forget to stand up and colic and die.. LOL...
> 
> but more realistically i know people who say their horses are lazy and will lay 1-2 hours straight on a given day, or on lazy days, and they haven't coliced (how do you spell coliced?)... nor have they even had to see a vet in over a decade. and i READ online that it takes like 6 hours for their lungs to fill up with fluids. so is that time-frame true? and how long does it take for organ damage due to pressure to start becoming a problem?


Here's a kind of funny thing about one of our horses and laying down. When I first started working with Ghost, starting undersaddle, he was stalled. Every morning after I worked him, he would not get up from laying down. He didn't even get up to eat his grain. He would scoot himself over to his bowl to eat. After he was done eating and it was time to go outside, he would stand up. I really don't think I worked him all that hard the night before, but he seemed so exhausted in the morning!

As for our horses laying down, we have four that will lay down regularly and two that seldom do. They are outdoor 24/7. This spring has been really wet and 4 of them got rain rot/scald on their belly and back of their rear legs from laying on the wet ground. Two didn't get any and all six are in the same paddock. 

I think that if the horse feels that they are safe, they will lay down. We have gone camping with our horses in places we and they have never been. There have been coyotes and mountain lions in the area but they still laid down at night. We would wake up and check on them during the night, so we did see them laying down. Unless the horse is showing signs of distress, I wouldn't worry about how long they are down.


----------



## sarahver

Alwaysbehind said:


> Some of the attitude regarding the OP in this thread might be the post this poster posted in another person's thread right before posting this.


Ah AB, I know there have been some colourful discussions lately but this made me giggle (a genuine giggle :wink because it reminded me of something:

_'Theophilus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter_
_In sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistles,_
_Thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb._
_If Theophilus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter,_
_Can thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb,_
_See thou, in sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistles,_
_Thrust not three thousand thistles through the thick of thy thumb.'_


----------



## MN Tigerstripes

Soda lays down to sleep all the time. Heck he'll lay down and graze when he's feeling really lazy! I've seen him stay down for about an hour when I'm home, but I wouldn't be surprised if it stays down longer then that when I'm not.

I have yet to see Lily lay down, but I've seen the evidence on her body so I'm sure she does. 

The Walkers laid down regularly, but I never thought to time it. 

On a horse trip to MT our horses had a temporary paddock in the mountains. After a particularly grueling ride Indy (paint) and Soda (dun) laid down for a good couple of hours. They alternated between lying flat and lying on their chests/stomachs.


----------



## QHpaintlover

hello every one
well my horse has been down for 24 hours not do to colic but a bad leg injury. she was hit by a hay trailer when they droped a round bale.let me just say that im in NH with a hubby that has cancer and she is in tx with friends of ours we moved to Az and had to build a barn befor they could come and well hubby found out he has cancer so we moved back home where we both have family and friends..... so heres the story of cinnie. cinnie loves hay very very much and is not scared of cars trucks. they guys went to bring hay with out telling my friend he was coming or there. he drove in to the field where there are 7 horses and got them away but cinnie wanted that hay so very badly. he backed the truck up and didnt see here and bam hit my baby girl in her hing leg now there is a 18 in cut part of hit cut her muscle. the vet came out and druged her mind u she is a QH 15.2 maybe 1000 he shot her with enough drugs to knock down a full size draft horse his words not mine. mind u cinnie does not handle drugs very well it may take 5 more mins for them to kick in with her but they mess her up. he knocked her down and stitched her up. well in the mean time my friend is by herself with 7 horses in this field and tring to get them away from my horse. the vet leaves her seeing her tring to move the other horses. and leaves her. well he little yearling goes over to cinnie and starts messing with her and knocks her down and she roles down a hill. so at this point she has been hit by a trailer roled down a hill and her body is all messed up. the next day she was up for a few hours and lays back down the next night shes up for a hour then lays back down..... yesterday she didnt get up. so hearing about colic if they lay down for to long i call vet this morning telling him whats going on. he say he was happy she was laying down that she needs to keep the wieght off the leg and her body is in alot of pain andits ok as long as she is eating and drinking pooping and peeing. and she is doing all those things. my froiiend tried every thing to get her up and cinnie said hell no im not moving. mind u she has no signs of colic and just feels better laying down vet said she could stay like this for a nother 3 to 5 days with out worrying so there the story. lol sorry its a long one.


----------



## smrobs

^^QH, next time, you might try breaking that into paragraphs. That one large block of text is very difficult for some of us to read.


----------

