BTB: Is your horse sleep crashing?

Posted: 26 May 2010 01:10 PM PDT

Once while I was grazing Harv he suddenly buckled at the knees, bellowed, and nearly fell (he caught himself). I was pretty shaken but he seemed okay. It never happened again.

Has your horse ever nodded off and fallen, or nearly fallen, from a walk or standstill? If your horse regularly buckles at the knee, or if he falls for no reason, there may be a significant problem. One such problem is sleep crashing.

What is sleep crashing?
Sleep crashing is basically sleep deprivation. Horses only get their REM sleep lying down, and they need 20-40 minutes a day. If they don't get their REM sleep, they may sleep extra deep when standing up. Their legs buckle, and you have your basic nod and crash -- unfortunately, serious injury is possible.

When horses are not comfortable getting up and/or lying down, or when they are uncomfortable lying down due to insecurity (e.g., in a new environment), they stand continuously. Tying a horse in a standing stall is one obvious cause of sleep deprivation or crashing. Another cause of recumbent sleep deprivation could be the lack of a herdmate. Pastured horses will normally lie down to sleep while another horse stands guard.There are other causes which you can find in the article Sleep deprivation is not narcolepsy.

What is not sleep crashing/deprivation?
Narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a rare neurological problem that happens at any time, not just when the horse is dozing. Vets say that narcoleptic episode normally occur during periods of inactivity or from certain triggers like cold hosing. Owners report that narcoleptic crashes can happen when the horse is excited or moving around normally. Antidepressants have been used successfully to treat narcolepsy.

Girthing. Falling sometimes occurs when girthing, but this is not sleep crashing. Some horses fall when girthing and it's believed that in some horses the girthing process "hits a nerve." The solution is to tighten the girth very slowly.

Monotony. Horses may buckle while being braided or in almost any situation they find -- well, boring.

Back to sleep crashing...

What can be done about sleep crashing?
To help your horse do what you can to help make lying down easier, to remove things that disrupt sleep, and protect against injury in case of a fall:

Administer pain-killers such as Bute, Equioxx or feed joint supplements.
Use more, deeper bedding to minimize joint flexion when getting up or going down.
Find a bigger, matted stall.
Review herd interactions and socialization for problems.
Rule out the possibility of night noise or other things that could disrupt sleep.
Make sure cross ties have breakaway snaps.
Some anxious horses may refuse to lie down in new surroundings. Do what you can to make the horse comfortable and part of a herd. In time they usually acclimat.