Did you know.. REM Sleep

Did you know..

Horses sleep standing up by locking their joints, but only experience REM (Rapid Eye-Movement) deep sleep when lying down, requiring total relaxation of the muscles to enter this stage.

Horses sleep for averagely 3 hours a day, with 30 minutes of those being REM. Those horses that don't get their required REM sleep suffer from sleep deprivation which effects cognitive function, health and performance.

A horse that lies down will only do so in an environment in which they feel safe and secure, with sleep patterns varying on management. It is a very vulnerable position for a prey animal to be in, and one reason I don't like to halter a horse when lying down; if they have trusted me to approach and interact at their most vulnerable time, taking advantage of that isn't something I would morally want to do.

REM sleep is the stage of sleep needed to dream; I do wonder what horses dream of?