Horse falling over when sleeping

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Bojingles

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Over the last couple of months, the comedy cob has developed a habit (condition?) of nodding off when tied up then falling over. Generally her front knees buckle and she sinks down but she has also ended up on her backside like Eeyore. I'm always on the look-out for it now and wake her up when she starts to sag but she sent the farrier flying yesterday, even though I'd warned him.

Does anyone have any experience of this? It's not like narcolepsy - she doesn't suddenly fall asleep, just when she does, she seems to lose control of her limbs. She doesn't have any other symptoms except an exceptionally droopy lip but she's always had that. She's really well and hacking out nicely. She's 7. I don't know if it's something related to her legs not locking or something neurological, or just nothing to worry about!

A vet visit, do you think?
 
A friend used to have a horse on loan who did this, I never found out why but another friend thought it was neurological, also my old loan pony collapsed once and it was something to to with the headcollar blocking a nerve/blood supply/airways (unsure how exactly as I wasn't there)

Not much help I'm afraid, but something to think about x hopefully someone else will shed some more light
 
It is narcolepsy. Horses with the condition do not always suddenly fall asleep. Usually it is more like you describe.
 
Bojingles said:
A vet visit, do you think?
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Try to get a video of this to show your vet. Your vet may want to contact a specialist vet and send the video to them for advice. There used to be a vet in Edinburgh who specialised in unexplained sleep attacks - he may still be there.
 
Narcolepsy usually has a trigger(s), and from what you've described being tied up is the trigger for your horse. If that is the case and she doesn't 'nod off' at any other time other than when tied up, it would be a case of trying to manage the condition to lessen the risk of injury to herself and those in close proximity, IMO.

I would discuss it with your Vet though. Good luck!
 
Does she have the opportunity to lie down and sleep? I know two horses that did this, one had been sold on to someone that kept him out 24/7 and when the weather was bad he didn't lie down. Vets and specialist neurologists were called in but eventually they sussed out that if they brought him in for a few hours each day he would lay down and rest properly and never had an issue since. The other one is an elderly mare that won't lie down in the stable and is quite often seen stumbling when she dozes off. She will lie down and sleep in the field though so isn't affected in summer - horses eh!
Hope you get to the bottom of it soon
 
She's out 24/7 at the moment, which I've always thought her to be happiest with, but the herd has changed recently. She's coming in pretty stained as if she's been lying down, but I haven't seen her lie down. One day I did notice her front legs were muddy, but nothing else was, as if she'd gone down in the field. She definitely lies down in her stable but really doesn't seem to like coming in over winter and gets stompy and impatient. Horses indeed!
 
I know all about this (unfortunately) and indeed, it is not the same as narcolepsy (which is brought on by excitement rather than rest)
My horse suffered from this, and as I have camera's in the stables and fields, I have hours of footage of my horse nearly falling over. I was at my wits end when I contacted a USA vet who has done 20 yrs of research on sleep deprivation in horses, Joe Bertone; http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.co...t-narcolepsy-horses-proceedings?rel=canonical many emails and exams later, overies, sand, bloodtests, painting the stables white, enlarging the stable... hell, I was ready to hire an exorcist! it turned out to be ulcers. See here a summary by Joe Bertone; http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.co...t-narcolepsy-horses-proceedings?rel=canonical

I was living out in the sticks at the time, no good vets and I couldn't get hold of gastroguard (as I had a hunch) but on chronohorse forum I found what they called "blue pop rocks" ; abprozole which is the same as gastroguard, but a whole lot cheaper (see www.abler.com )

2 weeks on the stuff she lay down to sleep again every night and the problem was solved.
Looking back, my horse got it from bute, when she had an accident which cast her in the stable for 18 hours, we couldnt get her up. I took off the roof and hired a crane in the end. The medication, one of which bute did not do her much good
\
hope this helps.
 
Gosh that's interesting, legs. Did the problem just remain solved for good? I guess with mine it could be REM sleep deprivation caused by any number of things, or narcolepsy. It's very strange, that's for sure!
 
yes it was solved once the ulcers were healed. But ulcers can be only one of the causes, there are numerous reasons for horses not to want to ly down to sleep, unfortunately it is a question of ruling out....
 
Illusion100 said:
Narcolepsy usually has a trigger(s), and from what you've described being tied up is the trigger for your horse. If that is the case and she doesn't 'nod off' at any other time other than when tied up, it would be a case of trying to manage the condition to lessen the risk of injury to herself and those in close proximity, IMO.

I would discuss it with your Vet though. Good luck!
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You mean Joe Mayhew? I think he has moved on.
 
I worked with a horse that used to fall asleep over the stable door and then collapse, we would see him doing this multiple times every day, he never did it out side the stable or when ridden, with vets investigation it was found he did not have the ability to 'lock his joints' to enable him to sleep standing up.
 
Sounds exactly like my old horse who did have narcolepsy. She would do the whole legs buckling but before she went down she would sometimes wake up with a jerk, other times she would go down properly. We never actually saw her doing this and it was actually when riding her that we knew she had narcolepsy as she done it with me twice when i was on her whilst at show and waiting in between classes. It was after this that we watched her more or heard her in the stable going down.
 
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