Horses usually sleep standing up, but they will only choose to lie down if they are sure it is safe to do so. (Schematic / PIXABAY)
If you have the opportunity to pass by the horse farm at night, you may see the horses sleeping standing up. This is their “instinct” for survival, so that they can escape when necessary. Because large animals consume a lot of energy from lying down to standing up, they will choose to sleep standing up in unsafe places to replenish their energy and defend at the same time, while adult horses only need 5 hours to get enough sleep, but when they feel the environment When it is comfortable and safe, you will still choose to lie down for better recovery.
According to the description of the science news website “Live Science”, horses seldom lie down to sleep, and most of them will replenish their physical strength in a standing position. While balancing their sleep needs, they can also instantly sense the threat posed by predators. The same goes for other large herbivores such as zebras, bison, elephants and giraffes. Karen Waite, an equine expert at Michigan State University, said that horses have a special “support device”, including their tendons, ligaments, front and rear leg bones and soft tissues, which can stabilize the shoulder joint when the leg muscles relax. , knee joint and ankle joint, so that the horse can keep standing in a labor-saving condition.
Although horses can sleep standing up, they still need to lie down for more effective restorative sleep. Sarah Matlock, a senior lecturer in equine behavior at Colorado State University, mentioned that horses cannot achieve “rapid eye movement sleep” while sleeping standing up. “In the long run, it may lead to a weakened immune system, decreased cell growth, etc. Adult horses only need 5 hours of sleep a day to restore their strength, but they need at least 25 minutes of “REM sleep” to maintain health, and this can only happen when they are lying down to sleep.
“If they (horses) don’t feel safe in their environment, or if they’re not with other horses, isolated, then they’re less likely to lie down and sleep,” Sarah said. One will remain standing, as if taking turns on sentry, to keep an eye out for potential predator crises.