Unusual sleep patterns in a horse! Question

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mar2505

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What does anyone think of this. New horse at my yard goes out at night and in for the day. Comes in about 730 am and sleeps lying down compeletly zonked until 1200, then gets up has a moouch and is down again 2ish until 4 when ridden then put out.
When I say down , he is flat out, cant finish breakfast and you can pick feet out , groom him , lay against him whatever you want he will not move.
Is this normal, as I have never seen one sleep like this. Yard is not particuarly quiet either.
 
Yes, friends of mine had a horse that slept flat out all day in a busy yard, after he had been out all night.

They spent a fortune on vets visits and blood tests because they thought he was ill or had a virus. Vet concluded in the end that he was busy scoffing grass all night and had to catch up on his sleep in the day!

My daughter's horse was never turned out at night before we got him, and we have just started leaving him out overnight this year. He comes in, eats breakfast, and then lays flat out most of the morning, making noises like a beached whale
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She can sit beside him or on him, he doesn't care, he just sleeps and groans.

Incidentally both horses were Dutch warmbloods - what is this horse?
 
Its a cob, not sure of breeding, I had never seen anything sleep so much so thats why I wondered. He seems happy enough.
 
There maybe parties in teh field at night when we're not looking? My mare was doing pretty much the same when she was on that routine. I've never in all the four years of owning her had ever seen her lay in her stable. But I'd come up after work and she'd still be sleeping, curled up like a puppy.
 
My little Dartmoor mare sleeps for England. She is out at night in during the day. She has breakfast and then zonks out. She is constantly eating when out even when my other one dozes or just rests out in the field.

Jane
 
Yep, my mare is sleepy all day when she's been partying in the field all night as well. She snores for Britain as well.

Tough life, isn't it!
 
How old is the horse? My little Dutch warmblood (rising 5) does the same - he spends most of the day sleeping. It's partly an age thing - young horses need a lot of rest to grow and develop - especially the warmbloods that mature later. Mine snores....
 
Aw, how sweet (or debauched if they were partying all night lol). I'm going to leave the Dizzy one out all night and in during the day, just to find out if she snores
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.

So long as neds are alert and active when working (given their age, their fitness, the work, the weather, etc.) then I wouldn't worry unduly.
 
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