Do Horses Sleep With Their Eyes Open?

The other night, I heard a loud bang outside on my homestead, so I went out to investigate.

I couldn’t see anything when I got out there, and everything was quiet, so I decided it must have been nothing.

Cautious as ever, though, I decided to go into my horse’s stable to check on them and make sure they were okay.

They seemed to be fine, except that I was almost frightened by the fact that one of my horses seemed to be sleeping with his eyes open!

I’d never seen this before, and I wanted to be sure it could happen, so I decided to look into it.

So, do horses sleep with their eyes open?

Horses certainly can sleep with their eyes open, although they do not always do so. They can sleep with their eyes open or closed, and even somewhere in between with their eyes half open. Whether a horse’s eyes are open or not can be an indication of how well they are sleeping.

Waking up in the middle of the night and going down to my horses to see their eyes wide open while asleep was understandably a bit unsettling, so it was a relief to learn its fairly normal.

Nonetheless, let’s look in more detail at what it might mean.

How do you know if a horse is asleep?

Given that horses sleep often not only with their eyes open, but standing up, it can often be difficult to tell if a horse is asleep or not.

The simplest way to check is by looking at the horse’s back legs.

When sleeping, they will lock one of their legs into place, and the other will be raised slightly, with only the tip of the hoof touching the ground.

A sleeping horse will essentially look as if it is cocking its hip, then.

They can rest either standing up or lying down, but either way they will likely have one of their hooves slightly raised.

When they are fully going to sleep for the night, they’re more likely to lie down.

Dozing while standing up is a good way to preserve energy while also staying alert.

Sleeping with their eyes open, at night, could be an indication of something a bit more serious.

Let’s look at why they do that.

Why is my horse sleeping with its eyes open?

Sleeping with eyes open essentially indicates a lighter sleep is taking place.

The same thing can occasionally be true in humans, too; they can sleep with their eyes open or partially open when not fully asleep.

Horses need deep sleep like any other creature, so if your horse seems to be habitually sleeping with its eyes open, this could be an indication of something preventing it from getting a deeper sleep.

Sleep goes through cycles, and one of the deepest cycles is known as REM, or rapid eye movement sleep.

For this stage of the sleep cycle to occur, the horse’s eyes need to be closed.

There are many factors that could affect your horse’s ability to get this proper, deep sleep.

Diet and exercise could be one.

If your horse is under stimulated or hungry, it’s likely to have trouble sleeping properly.

Make sure it gets enough exercise during the day, and is getting a good, balanced diet.

Beyond that, your horse may have some specific injury or discomfort that you have overlooked.

If your horse is exhibiting signs of prolonged sleep deprivation, contact your vet as soon as possible.

Do horses need darkness to sleep?

Horses are diurnal animals, as I’m sure you know.

This means they are active during the day, and only sleep at night.

Naturally, then, they need darkness to sleep, just like we do.

They need a comfortable, private, dark place to sleep at night—if your horse lacks any of this and is showing signs of poor sleeping habits, this is the first thing to check.

Make sure there aren’t any oppressive lights on outside that might interrupt your horse’s sleep.

Motion sensor, outdoor lights, for instance, which may be turned on by movement in the garden at night, could really hinder your horse’s ability to sleep properly.

So, yes, horses certainly need darkness to sleep.

Do horses ever sleep lying down?

Horses are known for their peculiar ability to sleep standing up, and indeed they’ve gained the reputation for only ever sleeping standing up.

In fact, the truth is that horses usually only doze while standing up.

During a hot part of the day, for instance, they might doze off in the shade to avoid the hot sun.

Typically, though, for their deeper sleep, they will lie down.

They need a good bed of hay to do so and they will lie down and fall into a deep sleep with no problem.

Keeping an eye on your horse’s sleeping habits is a really great way to ensure it remains healthy and happy.

Sometimes, horses will indeed sleep with their eyes open, but to get that all important REM sleep, their eyes should be closed.

If your horse is sleeping with its eyes open, this could indicate it isn’t sleeping properly, which can lead to all sorts of problems.

Make sure your horse has everything it needs for a good night’s sleep.