How long is your old fart's nap time?

[Ruth0552]

Just curious…

My 23 year old OTTB has always been a fan of napping. Lots of long naps in the sun, long naps with snoring/groaning in his stall, lots of rolling, etc. I’ve had the horse since he was 4 so this is well documented behavior.

This spring the naps (I think) have gotten a bit longer. He took about a 2 1/2 hour long nap in the sun yesterday afternoon and I got worried so I went out and checked on him. He got right up, acted alert, asked for cookies.

Right now he’s right about at the 2 1/2 hour mark, unless he got up while I was gone and went back to bed in the same exact place. He lies upright at times, nose on the ground, then lies back down.

I’m going with pathetic coupled with good napping weather but just curious if others’ horses do this.

[2DogsFarm]

My 20+yo TB had a morning routine that always included a nap in sternal posiition right in back of his stall in the morning sun.
1/2h or more as witnessed going back & forth doing chores (back of stalls not visible from the house).
He’d also do a flatout nap in the pasture - no timing for these.
Scared the bejeebus out of me once by appearing to be having trouble getting up, turned out to be skritching shedding hair off his belly by rocking back & forth.
And another time - recovering from a bad abcess - when he did not respond to me calling until I was right on top of his completely prone self.
At which point I got the hairy eyeball “Whaaat?” before he heaved himself up.

Now I have a 15yo Hackney Pony who is a marathon napper.
Goes down sternal or flat right alongside his buddy the 17h+ WB usually in front of the barn in the mornings.
But also naps in his stall as evidenced by the breading of pelleted bedding along one side or the other.

[Ruth0552]

Thanks. I was just a touch concerned about how long he should be napping. He seems totally fine and is eating great so I guess just a long nap!

[Flash44]

Oh horses…thought you were talking about husbands…

[TullyMars]

I have my old fellow who is 36. He spends about 3.5 hours down. He goes down just after dusk. Not uncommon for him to be asleep also for a shorter length of time just before dawn. He mostly lays flat. Rarely on his sternum. Have had him 26 years and is pretty normal for him. He is VERY vocal when sleeping. Big long sonorous snores and what I call “humming”. Whenever he moved to a new barn I had to warn the BM about the noises that this horse made. He also used to hum going down the trail. Usually would lead as the other horses hated him making all that noise behind them. Really odd old guy. Thought I was the only one with a horse like this.

[FatDinah]

My mare in her 30s had a regular 2 hr nap at 10 amish, in the sun in the barnyard. Head rolled back, teeth open. BO had quite a few lunches interrupted with “OMG a horse is dying right by the barn!” Her last week she started spending a lot of time down and trouble getting up so vet urged euthanasia, tough call but right one.

[AKB]

A 2-3 hour daily nap is part of our 27 year old’s routine. The neighbors have stopped calling and telling us he looks dead!

[FraggleRock]

I have a 8 year old Standardbred gelding who sleeps more than any other horse I’ve ever known. I would say he naps for a few hours every day, sometimes 2 or 3 long sleeps. It does not matter where he is, he sleeps when he wants to, curled up in a stall, flat on his side in the paddock or he paws at hay to make his own bed, he frequently looks dead ==> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155167367425319&l=d0e7f79cd6

[alibi_18]

My 10 yrs old mare takes a nap every day around 10-11 am for about an hour or two, be it at the barn or at the show! She also sleep tight at night.

When she doesn’t get to sleep enough, I can tell because she gets cranky!!!

She was flat out sleeping at 10 am and snoring extra loud, right before my first class at 11 am… We had just got there at 8 am. Stressed? Not so much.

[SaratogaTB]

OK, this doesn’t completely fit here, but I thought I’d add my little story. On Saturday my 10 year old OTTB was on the cross ties and it was lovely and warm and quiet. I saw his eyes close as I was grooming him and saw his head start to droop down. Suddenly both front knees began to buckle! I said his name loudly and he opened his eyes and stood up straight. His look was one of exasparation. Has anyone ever had a horse fall asleep on the X-Ties? I’m convinced that the spring grass is cutting into his nap routine and throwing him off.

[Ruth0552]

LOL Saratoga- he is too busy eating grass to take his nap!

I’m glad everyone else has serious nappers too. This guy has always been a good napper but lately the naps are longer and more frequent, which I’m attributing to age!

I’d kinda like to be him actually- long nap in the sun at 10 am and another at 2.

[TullyMars]

My guy is only in the dark…nobody can see me sleeping… If I leave bedroom window open I can hear him snore though.

[SueNH]

My 65 yr. old husband naps longer than my 40 yr. old horse.