How long can a horse safely lie down for?

L

learningcurve

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May 25, 2008
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Sorry for a slightly iffy question.:redface:
I have always been told that is can cause problems even death if a horse lies down for too long, but how long is too long.:confused:
 
Am not really sure, but I know mine lies down every night when in for the winter.

We had one racehorse who used to lie down A LOT at night and snore.

Some just feel more relaxed and some need more sleep.

Friends horse hardly ever lies down and I would worry more about that.
 
sjp1 said:
Am not really sure, but I know mine lies down every night when in for the winter.

We had one racehorse who used to lie down A LOT at night and snore.

Some just feel more relaxed and some need more sleep.

Friends horse hardly ever lies down and I would worry more about that.
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I mean in one stretch, for example would 2 hours be a worry.

This might be a fact or fiction question. :redface:
 
Don't know about fact or fiction, but my livery mate's TB Tommy, who has had an operation to sever both locking stifles, lies down ALL THE TIME because it's the only way he can sleep. He is a very dozy boy! And it never seems to do him any harm.
 
I just don't know. Bad owner really aren't I. I have no idea how long he lies down for at all.

I do know though if he has just lied down in the field and I go to get him, he won't get up until he has had a proper snore. In spite of coaxing, headcollar on, sitting down beside him. 20 mins he had me waiting once.

Google it - sure to have an answer
 
I guess it depends on the horse and the circumstances? For instance, some horses could lie down most of the night and it's not a probs. Whereas if a horse is cast, they aren't in a comfortable position and they're stressed so that is far more dangerous.

Whenever I've seen horses lying in the field it's always depended on the horse as to whether it raises the alarm bells straight away (always go over to check they're ok). Both of mine will quite happily lie down for a good snooze in the field, but there are others that just never do it so that is far more of an urgent worry if they're down.
 
So long as they can rise when they want to it's not a problem. The problem comes when they effort of getting up is too much and they get stuck down then the circulation becomes impared and you get problems. The bigger the horse the bigger the problem.

Young horses will sleep for ages lying down,
 
June has on many occasions had people worried from being spark out in the field for a couple of hours, not moved a muscle! She looks dead!!
 
I went to get my old pony out of the field one day and he has fast asleep. I managed to get him to stir enough to raise his head so I could put the headcoller on, but there was no way that he would get up. I tried everything that I could think of, and after 20 mins I started to panic as he just would not budge. I ran all the way to the yard (a good 5 minutes) and got a number of people to run back to the field with me. When we got there, he was standing up eating grass! It took me a while to live that one down!
 
The mare we nursed after she was starved could stand, (just) but when she lay down she did not have the muscle mass or strength to stand again on her own. She exhausted herself trying to stand. I made her a webbing harness that she wore over her rugs. I slept in the stable with her and she would lie down, get stuck, try to get up and I'd have to leap out of my sleeping bag, attach a chain block to her harness and haul her to her feel again.
 
Interesting. I was quite worried about Joe the other day, as we'd had to sedate him to do some things to him (poor boy) and he kept on lying down. Eventually, OH put his head collar on and dragged / coaxed him up, but the poor thing lay down again 5 minutes later! It doesn't appear to have done him any harm, but I do know that I read somewhere that their internal organs can be damaged by laying down for too long? Joe does like his snoozes - he often settles in for a lay down at lunch time.
During the winter I find them both lying down in the school together - I think the idea is that Storm is meant to keep guard, but sleep gets the better of her and she ends up joining him...........!!!
 
So long as they have free choice in the matter a couple of hours fast asleep will do them no harm. It's when they are ill it becomes a real problem.
 
Trewsers said:
Interesting. I was quite worried about Joe the other day, as we'd had to sedate him to do some things to him (poor boy) and he kept on lying down. Eventually, OH put his head collar on and dragged / coaxed him up, but the poor thing lay down again 5 minutes later! It doesn't appear to have done him any harm, but I do know that I read somewhere that their internal organs can be damaged by laying down for too long? Joe does like his snoozes - he often settles in for a lay down at lunch time.
During the winter I find them both lying down in the school together - I think the idea is that Storm is meant to keep guard, but sleep gets the better of her and she ends up joining him...........!!!
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I think the damage comes when they lie down for days at a time, not the normal sort of snooze that healthy horses do. That's why broken legs are such a problem.
 
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