Now we just have to wait and see who will be the first to put them down for their non-REM horses and report back. A deep, deep peatmoss bed and deep straw has not persuaded mine to lie down. I’d gladly spend the money IF it would work!
If the problem is inability to get up, or lung compression I don’t think the bedding will help, although maybe if it is a non-slip surface it could help. Some have mentioned smart older horses using a hillside to sleep on, and using the hillside to assist them getting up. But that relies on the horses intelligence.
Resurrecting an old thread to ask a question: has anyone tried Robaxin to help a horse lie down and sleep?
I have an oldster in pasture with all the symptoms people have discussed here and nothing so far has helped (as far as I know - he might be flat out sleeping at night when I’m not there!)
I had a recipient mare that would not lay down after she foaled. She would fall asleep standing over her foal and my heart would skip a beat watching her buckle and trying to catch herself. A few times she did land on her baby. Baby was ok…tough little guy.
Sorry, didn’t realize this thread was soo old.
I think I have finally solved the problem by separating my mare Tess and putting a deep pile of bedding in her paddock. Originally she was in a 1/2 acre paddock with a mare whom she adored, but one day I saw Tess lie down to roll. After rolling, she started to get up, then laid her head down as if thinking about snoozing. As soon as she put her head down, the alpha mare put her ears back and took a few steps toward Tess, making her get up. So I realized the problem was social/herd dynamics.
I put Tess in her own paddock which shares a fence with another mare. She still wasn’t lying down (which means the problem was twofold, social and physical), so I made a big pile of straw, which succeeded in getting her to finally lie down. (I had tried the big nest in her old paddock with no results). I am now using the expanding wood pellet bedding that someone recommended because they are easier to maintain. Tess’es scabs are almost healed. She did the falling down/sinking thing the other day and I realized I needed to add more pellets to the big “nest” to keep it comfortable.
So for what it’s worth, I learned in my research about this problem of lack of R.E.M. sleep that the main causes are as follows (sorry for repeating some of what others have mentioned):
-Age or injury which can make it difficult or frightening to get up and down. A horse with this problem will also avoid rolling.
-Discomfort while lying down. This can be caused by hard or uncomfortable bedding or it can be due to an injury or soreness which makes the horse hurt while it is recumbent.
-Social problems. This can be caused by several factors, such as a herdmate who is a bully, or being alone and fearful of lying down unguarded. My mare is blind in one eye and I think that adds to her anxiety and makes her spookier and more fearful.
-Environmental changes. A horse which has always been in a stall may be afraid to lie down in a wide open pasture, just like a horse raised in a field might be uncomfortable and fearful in a stall.
[QUOTE=Xanthoria;7043256]
Resurrecting an old thread to ask a question: has anyone tried Robaxin to help a horse lie down and sleep?
I have an oldster in pasture with all the symptoms people have discussed here and nothing so far has helped (as far as I know - he might be flat out sleeping at night when I’m not there!)[/QUOTE]
I have tried about everything, but not robaxin. I have a gelding who is quite bad about this and has injured himself pretty seriously. If you find something that works, let us know!
My experience
The only horse I have had that did this was an EPSM (EPPSM) horse. He went from a horse who laid down a lot as a young horse to a horse who rarely laid down after 8 and when I saw him get up from laying down I understood. Due to the weakness in the large muscles due to EPSM he would basically run up and needed space to get up. So he never laid down in a stall. He rarely laid down in a field though he would go down to roll which I think was easier on his muscles as he was not having to activate his muscles from a sleep state. He was weak when he stood and would get his sea legs back in a few moments. He had a particularly hard time in a stall. PatO
My mare does this too!
[QUOTE=Cindy’s Warmbloods;3951327]
I am not sure that physical would be the problem with this mare as she does roll quite often so gets up and down without any problems but it is something to keep in mind.[/QUOTE]
Spooks: "There was a good article in Equus a couple of years ago and they identified what they felt were three common causes:
- Pain (e.g., arthritic joints that made getting up and down difficult)
- Uncomfortable surroundings (e.g., lots of noise)
- Social/buddy: this was a broader issue and they did mention that alpha mares have this problem because there is no one to be the “lookout” for them while they sleep, since they are the alpha"
My mare has the same problem. I’ve had her for 4 years and we couldn’t figure out why she kept getting hurt all the time (bumps and scrapes). We bought our house and moved her home and that’s when I finally discovered that she wasn’t laying down at all and then falling trying to sleep standing up. She is the alpha of our 2 horses as well. The other horse takes her siesta every day at noon like clockwork, and she lays down at night too, but not our thoroughbred. She did get a bad hock injury, but she is recovering well and pretty much has full range of motion. She rolls all the time and gets dirty, but won’t just lay down. We’ve changed her diet to treat ulcers and re-balance her GI tract, so I’m hoping that will make a big difference. I’m wondering like many of you if it’s because she is an alpha and doesn’t feel like there’s anyone else around to keep watch.
My horses lie down in daytime and night time to sleep. Which is good for them maybe your horse is nervous and doesn’t want tp ;oe down? Make her more secure and comfortable and see if she will relax and lie down.
