Sleeping with both eyes open

[sascha]

Anyone else occasionally catch their horse napping with their eyes open? I’m always completely fascinated and completely grossed out at the same time. I’ve only caught her doing it standing. I once caught a cow who had had recent surgery (and could have easily been dead or in serious neurological trouble) flat out with all 4 legs out and her eyes wide open. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ELIZA?!?!?!?! ARE YOU DEAD?!?!?!?!?!” “Well, I WAS sleeping, but, thanks to all that racket you’re making, I guess I’m up now so you may as well attend to all of my needs once I get out of bed and get vertical.”

I have only caught my horse doing it in her stall standing up, thankfully. I don’t think my heart could take seeing her down with her eyes open.

[Scribbler]

Oh yes. In the summer I sometimes take my mare to the sand pen and she will lie down at my feet and stretch out flat in the sun and go into full sleep for 15 minutes. Her paddock is shady in summer, she can’t get a proper sunbath, she loves the sand pen for a quick nap when it’s borderline heatstroke hot in there for me. I will pull up a plastic lawn chair and hang out with her.

Very often her eyes are half open, her breathing is obvious, and of course her legs are straight out. Interestingly her ears still unconsciously track sounds even when she is right out and can’t hear me talk or move around.

[sascha]

I will have to watch for ears before I wake her up next time I catch her doing it. I don’t think she tracks though because I usually get a heads up she’s doing it by talking to her in a normal voice as I approach her stall and getting zero reaction. Normally when she hears me coming she has some sort of greeting for me before I even reach her stall.