Horse care

Question
Do horses need to lie down to sleep? My neighbor has a stallion in a small muddy pen where there is no place to lie down. Thanks, Bob.

Answer
Hi Bob. Thank you for your question and your concern. Horses are animals of prey and therefore have special "stay" mechanisms in their knees that allow them to lock them in place so they can "nap" while standing up. This allows them to run away instantly in case of any perceived threat. However, they are also herd animals and generally won't nap much unless feeling very secure or they have another horse or "buddy" nearby to act as a "sentry". They will lie down when given a comfortable, safe place to do so and for optimal health they need at least 20 mins. or so of REM sleep in a 24 hour period of time.

:) -- Gwen