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Discussion on Do horses dream?
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Member:
Jojo15
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Posted on Monday, Jun 13, 2005 - 11:34 am:
I witnessed the oddest thing last night. I could've sworn my horse was dreaming. My girl only sleeps between 2 and 3 in the morning (don't know why i was up). and this is usually the only time she will actually put her head down. and almost lay down.
I heard a couple of whinnies (very low in tone) and couple of knickering sounds. Lots of little cute exhalation sounds where her lips flap together. And a few little body twitches... This all lasted no more than 8 minutes, in between her coming in and out of sleep. raising and lowering her head, etc...
I immediately thought of my dogs where they dream and make movements in their sleep. So, i had to ask... do horses dream?
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Member:
Frances
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2005 - 9:11 am:
They must do, joj. Just last week I saw one of the mares at our yard fast asleep and twitching away exactly like a dog dreaming (presumably) of chasing rabbits. Her legs were moving most of all. She HAD to have been dreaming...
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Member:
Mrose
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2005 - 10:55 am:
Having spent many nights sleeping in the barn, I am convinced horses dream. They also snore.
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Member:
Sunny66
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2005 - 11:05 am:
My horse sounds like Darth Vader when he snores.. and don't wake him up...he gets grumpy when you interrupt his dreams... he also runs in his dreams...very cute to see
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Member:
Chohler
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2005 - 12:48 pm:
I believe they dream I have seen my horses do all of the above just like my dogs, and ditto on the snoring, between my husband, mother, dogs, and horses there's not a place I can sleep without having ear plugs.
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Member:
Mrose
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2005 - 1:27 pm:
Cheryl, I sympathize. If the horses aren't snoring, their playing with their feed buckets; both the inside and outside cats (total 5) snore, except for one young one that wants to play all night and sounds like a small herd of elephants running around. Husband and one of the dogs also snore. Ear plugs are the greatest! (and people envy us living in the "quiet" country!)
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Member:
Jojo15
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2005 - 11:16 pm:
Cheryl, That is funny... can you sleep in the car?
My dog snores so loud that i sometimes have to wake her up, so i can fall asleep before she starts again.
but, i have NEVER seen my horse do this. And i watch her sleep periodically. All these years, i very rarely see her actually lay her head down and i have never seen her lay down on her side with legs outstretched. Even this episode she was still in the get up position, with just her head on the hill. She created a hill so that she could do this.
Cats snoring?... too funny...
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Member:
Warwick
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 15, 2005 - 1:23 pm:
I'm surprised I'm not divorced by now. My poor husband - who actually doesn't snore - has to put up with me snoring (but only on the odd occasion of course!) and a very noisy cat who not only snores but sighs and wheezes too. In the past we've had dogs that have snored but never a cat until this one - and no amount of poking and prodding will get him to stop!
Plus when we're on foal watch things really liven up because thanks to the baby monitor, we get to spend our nights enjoying the sound of a barn full of horses that snore, grunt and groan.
Yup, gotta love that tranquil country lifestyle...
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Member:
Unicorn
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Posted on Sunday, Jun 19, 2005 - 10:53 am:
Yes of course horses dream, though they only need very short periods of REM sleep.
I have witnessed it in daylight, the horse was tired and laid down for a sleep and was a short time later, running and neighing in her dreams. She dug holes where her feet kicked in partial movement of the motion of running.
I was amused to note the speed her eyeballs were moving under her closed eyelids. I supposed that is why it is REM sleep.
Regards
Darren
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Member:
Sswiley
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Posted on Friday, Jan 19, 2007 - 10:12 am:
I had the unexpected treat of seeing my gelding dream the other day. Actually my trainer was there, I am glad someone else witnessed it too. I was in the middle of a lesson on my mare and my gelding was napping in the sun just 25 feet on the other side of the fence.
I hear this faint whinny and look down. . . "had to have been him" I think. Of course, with my experience with colic I stop and watch him lying there propped up on his nose.
What a treat! lying there twitching his feet, rocking back and forth with the occasional muffled whinny. He finally wakes up with a very groggy confused look on his face. My trainer had never seen this either. They must not dream as much or as actively as dogs.
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Member:
Corinne
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Posted on Friday, Jan 19, 2007 - 2:24 pm:
Sue...welcome back. We have missed you!
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Member:
Sswiley
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Posted on Friday, Jan 19, 2007 - 5:22 pm:
Sorry Corrine, Sue's last post was 2005 for this thread. I just added.
Now you have me wondering where she went to ?
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Member:
Hpyhaulr
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Posted on Friday, Jan 19, 2007 - 5:55 pm:
Every day, after morning hay, one of my minis loves to stretch out in the exact same spot in the sun. I have never witnessed this up close, but from the house or the barn I can occasionally see her little legs moving while she is on her side. I figure anything with a brain and a memory (and we KNOW they have memories) can dream. Shelley, that DOES sound like a real treat. Made me smile...thanks
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Member:
Corinne
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Posted on Friday, Jan 19, 2007 - 6:15 pm:
Shelley I think I read a post this last week that Sue is back and is catching up on posts as we speak. I just thought that was a new one! See what going to work at 2:30 in the morning gets you?
About this interesting post...I sure wish my high strung Arab would lie down long enough for me to see him Dream. I have only seen him lying down once since I have owned him. I would probably see him lie down more if we were lucky enough to keep him in the back yard...some day...some day. Will have to settle for my snoring, wimpering, dreaming dogs.
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Member:
Muffi
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Posted on Friday, Jan 19, 2007 - 6:22 pm:
Ya think these guys are dreaming?
No they are not my kids - some one sent this on the net to me 
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Member:
Lilo
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 - 9:17 am:
In the winter time my horses like to nap around mid-day in the sun. My mare does this twitching and moving her legs sometimes - it is almost scary to watch. I have not been close enough to hear if she makes any sounds, but when I see it through the window I keep checking until she gets up - just to make sure everything is OK.
So far so good.
Lilo
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Member:
sully
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Posted on Monday, Jan 22, 2007 - 2:12 am:
What a cute picture
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Member:
corinne
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Posted on Monday, Jan 22, 2007 - 6:09 pm:
That mare and her baby are sooooooo adorable!
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Member:
redalert
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Posted on Tuesday, Jan 23, 2007 - 9:27 am:
Oh good grief, that is the best picture I've ever seen! How sweet!
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Tuesday, Jan 23, 2007 - 11:09 am:
 I'm going to clip and save that one!!
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Member:
sswiley
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Posted on Tuesday, Jan 23, 2007 - 1:48 pm:
I keep looking at this picture, it is adorable . . . but I cant help thinking whether that teeny little foal can breath. Yes I know . . . . I'm paranoid. I should just enjoy the picture.
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Member:
twhgait
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Posted on Tuesday, Jan 23, 2007 - 9:47 pm:
LOL Shelley! I was thinking the same thing! That mare is really out too...her lips are DrOoping!
Regardless, that's the cutest picture!
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Member:
jowidner
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Posted on Monday, Oct 27, 2008 - 8:58 pm:
Today I witnessed my horse "galloping" while sound asleep on his side on the grassy slope in front of our barn. He is often reluctant to lie down and really sleep since he became the dominant horse in our little herd of two. We call him "the sentry" because he is always on the lookout for any possible threat.
So when I looked out my window and saw him peacefully asleep on his side I was pleased because many times I have seen him nearly fall down while sleeping upright, and I worry about him getting adequate REM sleep. I returned to my work, and when I looked out again his legs and head were moving furiously. I thought at first that he was just preparing to roll and scratch his back, but he continued to "gallop" on his side.
I then got a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. Was it a seizure? Did he ingest something poisonous? In the thirty seconds that it took me to grab my boots and jacket and run around to the barn he had rolled onto his chest, eyes blinking and lip DrOoping. He looked at me as if to say, "Oh hi, where did you come from?" and then jumped to his feet and galloped off flagging his tail. He did a loop around his paddock and then returned to his "sentry duty."
I'm not sure if he was the chaser or chasee in his dream but it certainly was something new to add to my list of horse observations. I have seen horses twitch and flick their ears while asleep, and even heard them snore, but I had never before witnessed a full gallop while sound asleep! Whew, I'm so glad it was just a dream, and I think that he was glad too!
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008 - 7:31 am:
I believe it a sign of dreaming. We use to see many horses do this when all we had was barbituate anesthesia to lay a horse down in the field and they were a little light and coming out of it.
DrO
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Member:
frances
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008 - 1:12 pm:
It's somehow touching to watch them dream. I remember seeing my horse "galloping" in her sleep, whinnying wildly at the same time. I so wanted to know what she was dreaming of!
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