askHELTIE HELTIEhorse® Does your older horse still dare to lie down?

Does your older horse still dare to lie down?

As your horse gets older, it also becomes stiffer and more rigid. Sometimes, behavioural changes are also noticeable, or your older horse gets a different, lower position in the herd's hierarchy. It is important to be alert to this. Do you know if your horse still dares to lie down? And is it actually bad if he no longer does?

Senior

Welfare

19 January '25 • 2 min reading time

Horses require about half an hour of deep REM sleep each day. This is very important for their health. REM sleep only occurs when they lie flat on the ground. Therefore, lying flat for half an hour a day is essential for every horse. Merely resting or dozing while standing is not enough.

Feeling Unsafe

As prey animals, horses in the wild are vulnerable to predators, making lying flat to sleep a risky moment. In a herd, standing horses keep watch over those that are lying down. Even so, the sleeping horse must feel safe enough to lie flat. This also means they need to be able to get up quickly if danger arises. An older horse with some arthritis and/or stiffness may have more difficulty getting back up. At some point, this could lead to the horse avoiding lying down altogether – and, as a result, not getting enough sleep.

Exhaustion

A horse that no longer gets REM sleep because it is afraid to lie down will become exhausted. In such cases, horses may even collapse from fatigue, leading to dangerous situations for both humans and animals. Eventually, they will lie down out of sheer necessity, but if they struggle to get back up, you might notice injuries, often on their fetlocks. In severe cases, a horse may not be able to get up at all.

Check Your Horse

How can you tell if your horse still lies down to sleep? You can look for signs such as dirt marks or wet spots on the body, straw or shavings in the tail and mane, or mud on the flanks or blanket. If you suspect your horse no longer dares to lie down, you could consider installing a camera to monitor the situation. If your horse rarely or never lies down, try to determine the cause. Is the stable floor too slippery, making it hard for them to get back up? You could address this with rubber mats or different bedding. If you use rubber mats, make sure to add some bedding, like shavings. Research shows that bare rubber mats are much less popular for lying down than mats with some bedding on top.

Additionally, check whether the stable provides enough space for lying down. Does your horse feel safe in its stall? Or is the herd dynamic no longer secure for your horse? A larger stall, different neighbors, or a new group might help. However, your horse may also experience pain or stiffness when getting up. In such cases, pain-relieving medication might be a solution.

A Worrying Sign

It’s important to understand that a horse struggling to get up is showing signs of old age. While you might be able to support your horse with various measures for a while, it’s worth considering that their life may not last much longer if getting up becomes increasingly difficult. Being unable to sleep or stand up causes not only physical issues but also significant fear, stress, and panic for your horse. As horse owners, it’s crucial to recognize this and make the right decisions for the welfare of our animals – no matter how hard that may be.

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