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Horse Behavior and Training

Is Your Horse Sleep Deprived?

By:

beryl

Date:

2014-Mar-17 at 01:30PM

This is a very interesting article about the need of REM sleep in horses & how they may be deprived of it due to their management.

http://equusmagazine.com/article/horse_sleep_deprived_092308-10689/?utm_source=EQUUSNL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter

I've checked the link & it is working.

Miriam (Holland&Germany) 2014-Mar-17 at 04:48PM

Thank you very much Beryl! This is so interesting!
Who knows how many behavioral and physical problem are caused by mere sleep deprivation, even if the horse doesn't collapse.
Miriam

beryl 2014-Mar-17 at 07:21PM

Absolutely miriam! That looks a very informative site, only just found it!

interesting about keeping the mixed herds as you refer to in another post.
Also about the lead mares being an influence.

Mel - Ramsgate UK 2014-Mar-17 at 10:06PM

Excellent article, I wonder how many horses do suffer with it with being disturbed out of their rem sleep when owners or riding schools wake them wanting to ride. even the best of us get cranky with insufficient sleep.
I also read in the British Horse magazine that horses on sawdust get less rem sleep than those on straw. it showed that horses on straw would nibble at the straw Inbetween eating their hay and sleep patterns making them more relaxed and hence better sleep.
X

vicci - UK (North Wales) 2014-Mar-20 at 03:48PM

Thanks for that Beryl, very interesting. I had a client recently whose other horse (not the one I was working with) had collapsed unexpectedly and its made me wonder if this is a possible reason. She is an elderly lady and quite stiff now (the horse not the owner!!!) and may have trouble lying down/getting up. Vet and blood checks showed nothing. useful info, thank you.

beryl 2014-Mar-21 at 09:31AM

your welcome, MSM or Bute Free may help the old girl. Yes people worry about horses being unable to get up again, but not that they can't get down to sleep, if it helps a few horses, I'm very pleased i found the article.
Don't know about you, but i've found people can be reluctant to give anti inflammatory's or pain killers to older horses when they rush to the pills if they have a bit of an ache!

Loes K 2014-Mar-25 at 09:54AM

I had wondered about this ... my pony, in the Scottish Highlands,doesn't have a stable or field shelter and we only had a handful of dry days since october. He is constantly standing in mud and as often as I can I take him in for a break from the weather and for food. I had wondered if he would be able to get enough sleep but then felt silly as noone else seemed to worry about this at all. Even when I get him in I don't have access to straw or shavings, just a concrete floor... :-(

beryl 2014-Mar-25 at 10:10AM

You could put stable mats down, he wouldn't need a bed if he was only in for a short time, but he would need bed on top if he were in for longer, they need bed to stale on.