Horses | The Mules

Horse Sleep Patterns

A horse does, in fact, sleep, and often needs two to four hours of sleep a day to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and two hours of REM sleep a week, or else the horse could become sleep deprived and sick, resulting in spontaneous REM sleep while those around it are not expecting it. Horses like to sleep standing up, and laying down - although standing up is more common. Once a week, horses will lie down to sleep so that they can get their 2 hours of REM sleep (which can only be accomplished while laying on the ground). the reason horses do not like to sleep laying down is that it will feel vulnerable - unless there are other horses nearby who can keep a “lookout” for predators.

Horses are herd animals, and always sleep easier when there are more horses around them - this means that more horses will be “on watch” for any “predators”. It is, however, unlikely that your horse will be very comfortable if they are a lone horse - as it will feel alone at night and remain alter rather than sleep. Instincts tell it to not sleep, and so the horse drains its energy and becomes deprived of sleep. That hazard of this is that when it takes a standing nap (15 minutes to an entire hour) it may experience REM and hurt itself by reacting - whereas when it is lying down it will not do so (since it is… lying down after all). Some people have the misconception that a horse that lies down is sick, this is untrue as all horses lay down at least once a week for sleep and rest that involves REM. Other symptoms of lack in sleep include being easily spooked or distracted, sluggishness in obeying orders and commands, along with turning slowly when riding and possibly stumbling.

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What are Worms?

Worms are parasites, and can be found in horses, dogs, cats, and also… people. All horses have a burden for parasites and the management and treatment is necessary on a periodic basis, such as once every year or two, unless evidence is found of an active infestation in the horses’ feces. Worms are one of the most common parasites to afflict a horse, as several can be transmitted fairly easily between horses, and humans to horses - along with horses to humans through contaminated fecal matter and consumption of it. Worms cannot be completely eliminated in horses, therefore most modern horse owners and caretakers give them wormers to reduce the amounts inside a horse.

There are risks to worming a horse, with some of them causing blockages in the intestines should the animal be heavily infested with live parasitic worms in the small intestine, these blockages could become quite painful, and the body may be overwhelmed by the toxins released by the dying worms (this is also true in humans who are infested with worms in their intestines). The best way to prevent problems like this is to use a less powerful agent that gradually kills them off, and then later doing a large dose to clear their system of worms. There is also the possibility (as in humans, and dogs, and many other animals) that the chemicals used on the worms could also kill the healthy bacteria normally found in the small intestine of the horse - thereby causing discomfort and colic, so it is common now for horses to be administered (and humans) probiotics (healthy bacteria) after the worming to stave off any ill effects from such a massive cleaning. Although many humans do not realize it, about 1.5 billion (25%) of humans have worms too - but do not notice it until the infestation grows to an exponentially dangerous size.

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What is Lameness?

Lameness is laminitis, or inflammation of a part of a horses foot called the laminae. It can afflict just one foot, or all of them depending on the severity and has many causes. The front hooves are the most common to be afflicted with this deadly disease - deadly because it hinders the horse and often they are put down to prevent further pain and suffering. Thankfully for humans we can go through life with one or two bad legs - dogs can have one bad leg (and sometimes two if proper replacements are supplied for hind or front legs where mobility is restored) however a horse can not suffer a leg failure because of their weight and size. The causes of laminitis (lameness) are varied, and often compounded by more than one issue. The most common causes are carbohydrate overload, insulin resistance, nitrogen compound overload, hard ground, lush pastures, frosted grass, freezing of the feet, overheating of the feet, untreated infections, colic, Cushing’s disease and its variant peripheral Cushing’s disease, retained placenta, drug reactions and exposure to agricultural chemicals.

Lameness presents itself in many symptoms, the most common being trouble walking, sweating, flared nostrils, walking tenderly, repeated easing of affected feet, increased vital signs and body temperature, visible trembling, anxiety, and a pounding pile in the digital palmer artery. The destruction of the laminae results in the hoof wall separating and pus leaking out from it - along with rotation of the third phalanx that causes immense pain for the horse, and if untreated it can rotated and crash through the sole of the foot causing extreme pain for the animal. However with intense treatment it can be cured in some cases. There is no direct cure for laminitis, however with proper treatment a horse can recover fully, or partially and remain active for many years. It is important to keep treatment consistent so the horse does not get worse, as it will eventually be fatal.

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Horse Lifespan

In the wild, horses live about nineteen to twenty human years, while domesticated horses live about twenty five to now thirty years, with many reaching the golden age of forty or more. Some are record holders still alive to day at more than an entire forty five years! With advancements in horse nutrition, care, handling, and medications it is expected that horse lifespans will increase further, and so will their working ability. Much like dogs today, horses are living much longer than they were half a century ago, and with that comes more health problems that we normally did not see. Horses, like humans, apes, dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals can develop dementia and also some forms of animal alzheimer’s where their minds gradually deteriorate over time. It is important to keep the animal active, as the horse’s lifespan increases you can prevent dementia and other behavioral problems by keeping their minds active. Letting them do things, taking them on walks, and if they can handle it, still ride them to new areas and let them see new things. It may sound somewhat inane to think an animal can learn new things when they are older - but Mythbusters proved age is not a factor in the ability of an animal to learn new ticks or new commands. Horses can be verbally trained to do certain things if enough patience is given, and teaching your old horse something new for treats can be both rewarding for the horse and for you.

In addition to the horses lifespan causing problems with the mind, it can also play a number on the joins and bones. As all animals seem to do, horses develop arthritis and other ailments that we do, and it is through our advancements in pharmaceutical chemicals that we now have adequate pain relievers for older horses, that can keep them spry and feeling young without side effects. there are also joint lubricants that can be given to horses to help keep cartilage sustained, and if given while still young and throughout life may decrease the effects of arthritis and slow down its progression significantly.

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Horse Teeth

A horses teeth grow continuously throughout its lifetime, and all horses have between thirty six and forty four teeth with twelve premolar and twelve molars, along with twelve incisors. Additionally horses may have four canine teeth between the molars and the incisors, which is usually in the male horse, although some females do have them as well. Some horses may also have wolf teeth, between one to four, but usually none. Like human beings, horses can develop problems in their teeth and are usually of the same variety, however because a horse uses their teeth more than we do (being that they eat food which is rougher on them, and to compensate the teeth never stop growing) it is important to have a horses mouth checked regularly for problems and issues.

Most dental issued involving the teeth of the horse come from normal wear and tear and wear patters (Areas that are used more than others) and can often be because of the feed. Since horse teeth are designed to continuously be used they grow at a consistent rate, however if they are fed softer foods their teeth may become too long, or parts of their teeth may become sharp because they are not worn down as much - this requires immediate action and dental care. Hooks are sharp points on their teeth, and usually develop on the outside of the teeth - but can be cured by dental care with filing or sometimes in extreme cases removal. Other problems are open sores, loose teeth, cracked teeth, infected teeth, or retained caps. if you notice any problems with chewing, weight loss, or anything else that may seem off (and especially if you see blood) contact your vet for an evaluation immediately. If it doesn’t go away in a day, then it is probably here to stay; unless you do something to fix it.

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Horse Sleep Patterns

What are Worms?

What is Lameness?

Horse Lifespan

Horse Teeth

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