Is it ok for a horse to lay down??

Question

I read a book that said that if a horse lied down it was bad for it and that if it started rolling it could twist its organs. I was wondering if this was true. And if a horse starts to lie down should go imediately and check on it?

Answer 1

umm depends on the situation.. if a horse has colic they might lay down to roll and if they are sweating and look colicy than YES THATS BAD!! maybe the book was talking about something else????

but horses lay down natrually, and when a horse lays down it means they are really comfortable and feel safe enough to lay down

and horses roll all the time to scratch there back or just because they like too.. if you have a pony like mine..he loves rolling in the dirt right after i groom him.... that little stinker

Answer 2

Horses lay down to sleep and it is totally natural and correct for them to do. Although they can sleep on their feet, they do lay down for deep sleep for about 45 minutes per night. They also lie down to roll which is how they groom themselves.

A horse that is THRASHING while he is down could potentially damage himself, but a horse that is just lying down is fine.

I don't think there is a difference in lying down positions - probably just preference by the horse.  

Answer 3

My horses, especially the young ones, lay down for a few hours a day to rest. The babies will stretch out on their sides to bask in the sunlight, sometimes she sleeps like this, and sometimes she sleeps with her legs underneath her. It is normal for horses to lay down every once in a while.

As for the organs twisting, that is when they are about to colic, when they pace, and paw and the ground and look restless, then lay down and roll. This is abdominal discomfort, and the horses roll to try to relieve the pain, twisting their intestines in the process.

When one of my older horses lay down, I do sometimes walk out there and check on them if they have been down for a while. I make sure their breathing is normal, and that they are just resting.  

Answer 4

My girls loves a good roll, and to lay down and take a nap.  It's okay, and no worries,  it's when they are in pain, sweating, kicking, looking at there belly's that they may be in colic and you need a vet asap.  But just to take a snooze, and itch a spot, is great:)

They lay either way, depends on how deep of a sleep they want.

Answer 5

its not bad if they lay down, but constantly laying down could mean they are colicing. its alright for them to roll too,

Answer 6

Well there is 2 answers to this question.

In the winter horses lay on the ground for warmth. But in the summer time you normally wouldn't see it. cause well its hot out. and if you do see it in the summer dont go running up to it. Go tell someone or if you know what your doing try getting the horse up.If the horse is having trouble than it can be serious. Which is what you said the horse's organs are binding up or twisting. Sometimes its just the horse's leg is a sleep or something non-serious. But it isn't a good sign if the horse is laying down in hot weather. You may also see a horse go down but they are just rolling to get an itchy spot. But that is natural and nothing serious.

Hope this helps.

Answer 7

It is normal for horses to lay down after they have gotten wet, but if they are constantlyy rolling then it could be collic the best thing to do is absolutely DO NOT let him/her roll right after eating and if they roll then stop then roll it could be collic(Which is where they twist there organs and its usually fatal!!) So keep an eye. If you suspect collic try to get him up and walking and call a vet. If he does have collic don;t let him roll it could make it worse!!If it has its legs tucked under it could just be tired. You shouldn't let your horse roll a lot because my mare, Bella, had just gotten a bath and doesn't like to be wet. So she went in her pasture and rolled just on her back then when she tried to get up she got her foot cut on the fence and she was in a bit of pain. But it healed. Still it could have been A LOT worse

Answer 8

Horses do lay down to sleep. The only time you should worry is if the  horse is initially looking at its stomach, groaning and sweating. If it lays down in this situation, then do not hesitate, but call a vet as it has a bad case of colic. Otherwise do not worry as they sleep just the same as we do. Enjoy the fact that your horse trusts you enough to lie down when you are around.

Answer 9

Sorry, that book is lying. Horses roll to have a good scratch when they get itchy, and laying down is okay if they feel relaxed and safe somewhere and want to rest.

If a horse is colicing it is bad for them to roll because they can twist their intestines, especially since colic is mostly a twist or blockage, which, if a horse has then rolls, can cause twisting, making colic a lot worse.

If a horse decides to lie down it means it feels safe wherever it is. Since horses are prey animals laying down obviously puts them at a greater risk to predators. So, if a horse is comfortable and safe it will lie down, which is okay.

If a horse decides to lie down, you don't need to check on it. It'll be fine. However, if it is showing signs of colic, then it's laying to roll which can twist it's intestines. However, if it is relaxed and not showing colic signs, it's all good.

Personally, I love seeing a horse rolling or seeing one happily laying down in a paddock sleeping. I love how much happier they are once they've had a good scratch or just how relaxed they are when they lay down.

Edit: To galloppal, where I work with horses a horse we used to have used to do that. We arrived one day and some people were staring at him because they thought he had died. Then we called his name and he looked up, annoyed we'd woken him up, then he stood up, had a shake, and gave us a look like "what'd you wake me up for?!".

Answer 10

Horses lay down to sleep all the time. In fact, we have one horse who is so lazy that she lays down to nap for like 6 hours during the day!Horses actually have a hard time breathing when they lay down for extended periods of time, which is why they normally lay down for a while, then stand for a whie.

A horse that is getting up and down, pawing, and rolling around is probably colicking, so that's when you should be concerned. If you just turned them out and they roll once or twice, they're just scratching their backs and stretching their muscles - no need to worry about that :)

Answer 11

yes, its all right for a horse to lay down, mine lays on her left side with her neck against the stall wall, and other ways

Answer 12

sometimes horses usually sleep standin up but if there really tired like if they just ran a big race they might lie down to sleep.the only time u should worry is if the horse is atta weird angle and kinda looking at his stomack or if hes having trouble getting up. Hope this helps!!!

Answer 13

i have never herd anything about this, but i don't know there are a lot of crazy stories out there... although i do know if a horse rolls over while they have colic they could die!

Answer 14

Yes, it is bad for them. Even just laying down can severely harm their organs, not just when they roll.

If the horse doesn't get up within an hour, you should probably be concerned.

Answer 15

Horses not only do lie down, they should lie down, and will if they feel safe and have enough room.  The only time a horse enters into a deep state of sleep is when lying down.  In pasture, one horse will stand guard while the other stays standing watch.  they usually only sleep for short periods....15 minutes or so, but it is deep and replenishing sleep.  Mine stretch out and look dead...it scares people when they aren't used to seeing it.....and they never both lie down at the same time. Years ago I boarded at a 200 acre place where the horses were kept in a herd.  The groups, or pairs, could be seen scattered around  some days with one sleeping and one guarding, then trading places.

Recent research suggests that rolling does not cause twisted bowel...the jury is still out on that.

Answer 16

It depends on how they are laying down.  And that has to do with how their lungs and heart are positioned in their chest.

Because of the massize sive of the heart and lungs in a horse, and because the lungs (while the horse is standing) wrap further down and around the heart than they do in most other animals - a problem exits if they lay flat on their sides for too long.  Fluid begins to collect in the lung - particularly the one closest to the ground.  1/2 - 1 hour is usually the max amount of time that a horse will lay on its side.  At that point the fluid build up can get so bad that it begins to effect breathing.  That is a reason why a horse that is layed down during surgery needs to be periodically rotated to keep the lungs healthy.

The horse can lay sternally (upright, with the legs under them) as long as they want as it does not increase the amount of fluid retention in the lungs.

Other things get affected besides the lungs.  Internal organs only seem to get affected if they are laying down and thrashing, but the nerves - particularly in the shoulders - can become effected if the horse is laying for to long on its side with poor leg placement.  that condition is usually called radial nerve.  That comes more into play when a horse has been layed down for surgery or is cast in the stall.  Because of the massive weight put on the horses lower side as it lays down, they can also develop blood clots - but that is fairly rare.

So a horse can lay down sternally (legs under itself), and for small amounts of time it can lay flat out on its side.  If it is thrashing, or been down on its side for a long period of time, yes that is bad.

Answer 17

Its is if they lay down while they are colicing, that is when their organs will twist if they rolls.  Normally horses do lay down to get deep sleep.  They do that for approximately for  1 hour a night. They sleep more than an hour, but their deep sleep where they need to be lieing down is only about an hour.  They may lay down for more or they may sleep standing up. But they also lie down if they are tried, just to rest.  My horse use to lie down completely out in his paddock in the middle of the day.  My mom freaked out and thought he was dead.  Most horse sleep like that at night in their stalls. They only lay down where they feel really comfortable and feel safe   where they are unless they are sick.

Casting is not were their feet get stuck necessarily.  It is when they are lieing in a position that they can't get up, their feet don't have to be stuck, it can happen that way, but it doesn't have too.  How ever their body is positioned they can't roll or position their weight to get up.  You just have to help them shift their weight.

Answer 18

It is fine for a horse to lie down.

You are not supposed to let a COLICKING horse lie down and roll. This is because colic is blockage of the intestines and therefore while a horse is colicking his intestines could twist. Horses can lie down with their legs tucked or on there side or they can roll and it is perfectly OK.

Hope this clears things up.  

Answer 19

Horses often do lie down to rest for short periods of time if they feel comfortable doing so; they generally do not stay down for long periods of time, however, as their circulatory and respiratory systems are not designed for being on the ground. Horses that are stuck on the ground for some reason-- called being "cast", for example, their legs caught under a fence-- can suffer from brain damage or suffocation from lying down for too long.

Horses do most of their sleeping standing up. Their legs can lock in place, enabling them to fall asleep without falling over. Because they are prey animals, horses often don't feel comfortable sleeping on the ground, and most of their sleeping is done during the day rather than at night when the predators are out hunting.

Horses have straight backs, so they cannot get up quickly. If a predator were to come while a horse was on the ground, they might not be able to get up fast enough to get away. However, horses do occasionally take short naps laying down during the day. This helps them to rest their legs.

It's believed that in order to get a deep, REM sleep, they need to lay down. You can sometimes find a horse stretched out on its side, asleep in the sun, or laying on the ground with its legs folded under. When horses are in groups, they will often take turns 'guarding' each other as they rest, with one horse standing up near the sleeping horse. This behavior would help to keep a wild horse from being attacked during a nap.

Answer 20

No, it is not only natural for horses to lie down and roll - they love it.

Horses sleep lying down for an hour or so a day. They sleep standing up much more (one rear foot bent and head low, but eyes open). When they sleep lying down, they sometimes dream, and you can see their feet twitch - maybe they are dreaming of galloping with a herd across the plains (who knows?)

They roll to get rid of itches and to soothe / prevent bug bites. My horse loves to roll in sawdust and the fine dirt of our indoor arena, especially when sweaty or (of course) right after being bathed (thus I always dry him with a towel and a walk before turning him loose).

The first time you see them do this, it will look very odd. They fold up like a switchblade and might even roll their eyes so they seem to be fainting. But a horse who lies down or rolls in your presence deeply trusts you - they are very vulnerable in this position.

My horse rolls and makes little grunts of pleasure. Then he gets up, shakes, and if he didn't get both sides, he'll lie down and roll on the other side with his legs kicking up in the air like a silly dog. Which, given his size is all the more fun to watch!

Enjoy any sleeping or rolling horses you get to see. It's a privilege, not something to worry about.

Answer 21

Okay, that book was describing an illness called Colic...yes, horses can twist their intestines and then it can kill them without immediate surgery...these cases of colic are serious, but thank-god, they are rare...Minor colics happen all the time...its like a tummy ache for the horse, they try rolling to relieve the pain.....

but your horse can SLEEP laying down, for short periods of time (usually less than an hour...) and they commonly roll to get dirt on them which helps protect against flies....most horses will roll and then stand up & shake...if your horse doesnt shake after, it may have colic, so watch the horse, if it goes down a lot in a short period of time (20 minutes) call the vet..if its just an ''i need to itch my back'' roll after a ride, its normal...my horses do it all the time...they also tend to roll after getting groomed and getting a bath...they want the dirt on them to help with bug protection!

Answer 22

No its not really bad for them at all. Yes that can happen, but its very rare. I have never heard of a horse that has had it actully happen.

Horses dont lay down all that much anyways. The sleep standing up, and lay down if they are extremly hot. but if your horse is sweating, groaning, looks uncomfortable, laying down, getting up, laying down, then there could be something wrong with it.

But other wise, yes it is perfactly fine for a horse to lay down.

Answer 23

yes its is bad for them but weather they roll or not there is still a chance that they could twist there organs or do some damage.if your horse lays down keep an eye on it and if the horse has been laying down for more than 20 mins then you should get the horse up and walk them around.

hope i helped!