Do Horses Really Sleep Standing Up? 9 Facts About Horses

Horses are incredibly interesting creatures that have existed alongside humans for many centuries. Films like “Spirit” and “Black Beauty” dive into the study of horses, bringing their nature and actions to the masses. Horse shows and races showcase their speed, agility, and beauty. Needless to say, people are fascinated by horses. They are complex animals with many unique qualities. Below are some notable facts about horses, but there are many more.

9 Facts About Horses

People who do not live around horses tend to have a plethora of questions about them. Farmers and handlers deal with horses every day. People in rural areas like Pennsylvania or Texas grow up next to them. Still, some people have never seen a horse. The following facts about horses answer some of the most common questions.

1. Horses Sleep Standing Up

Horses can sleep standing up, but they also sleep lying down. They cannot lie down for long because their weight puts pressure on vital areas like their lungs and nerves. Horses can stand while they sleep because of the stay apparatus in their bodies. It keeps them upright with minimal effort, allowing sleep. Also, horses are polyphasic sleepers, meaning they sleep in increments throughout the day rather than all at once. They are not standing for eight hours straight at night.

2. Horses Eat Fiber-Rich Foods

So, what do horses eat? Horses are herbivores, meaning they are animals that eat plants instead of meat. Their teeth are ideal for grinding plants down for digestion. In fact, they cannot digest foods like dairy or meat. The following is a list of some common foods horses eat.

• Grass
• Hay
• Grains
• Carrots
• Apples
• Horse cookies
• Horse feed

Horse feed typically contains ingredients such as oats and rice. Carrots, apples, and horse cookies are more like snacks than nutritional meals. Horses typically eat grass and hay the most.

3. Horses Have Hundreds of Breeds

Horses come in a ton of different breeds. Below is a table of 10 horse breeds accompanied by a fun fact for each. Keep in mind, there are many more breeds beyond these few.

Breed	Fun Fact
Friesian	Has feathering on the lower legs
Paint	Excels in barrel racing
Thoroughbred	Known for speed
Appaloose	Can see whites of eyes, similar to humans
Quarter Horse	First breed created in the United States
Oldenburg	Originally a carriage horse
Morgan	Versatile
Icelandic Horse	Has a thick winter coat
Miniature Horse	Can be a service animal
Arabian	Good at endurance riding

4. Horses Possess Heightened Senses

Horses have extremely heightened senses compared to humans. They have 10 muscles in their ears that allow them more control and enhanced hearing. Humans have 3. Horses can also react faster than humans. They can switch from standing to kicking in under a second. Humans take over a second to respond. 

They almost have a complete field of vision with only two blind spots, directly in front and behind them. This is because their eyes are on the sides of their head. When hand-feeding an apple or carrot to a horse, shove it near their eyes first so they can see it.

5. Horses Are Extremely Smart

Horses are brilliant animals. They can learn tricks through positive reinforcement, just like a dog. There was a study completed where horses used symbols to communicate whether they wanted their blankets on or off. They eventually learned and could even do it on command. 

Horses can also read body language remarkably well. They can even understand humans’ facial expressions. When they see an angry face, they respond in fear. They can adapt to humans’ moods as well. Although they cannot speak or operate machinery, their intelligence is still notable compared to other animals.

6. Horses Have Three Body Types

Horses come in three standard body types. The first are small and stocky ponies, typically used as service animals or at children’s birthday parties. Light breeds are suitable for riding or racing because of their long legs and necks. Their back is also ideal for a saddle. Heavy breeds are huge horses that carry wagons with their muscular backs and stocky legs. Farmers utilize this type for pulling large equipment across fields.

7. Horses Love to Socialize

Horses are very social creatures. They feel safest in a herd or around others, including humans or dogs. Horses build relationships among themselves and seek out their “friends.” They can also smell familiar horses. In a herd dynamic, one horse stands watch while the others eat and interact. Horses struggle when left alone. That is why farms often have more than one.

8. Horses Have Multiple Coat Colors

Horses are beautiful animals with a wide range of coat colors. Some colors, such as chestnut and bay, have variations within themselves. Others, like black and palomino, are more straightforward. Below is a comprehensive table of horses’ coat colors. 

Color	Variations (if any)
Chestnut	Sorrel, liver chestnut, dark liver chestnut
Black	N/A
Bay	Dark bay, light bay, blood bay
Gray	Dapple gray, fleabitten
Palomino	N/A
Roan	Blue roan, strawberry roan
Dun	Grullo
Spotted	Leopard, blanket
Pinto	Tobiano, overo

Chestnut horses are native to Bulgaria, whereas pintos are commonly found in Spain. Palomino horses are a North American breed, originally from Mexico, and then migrated to Texas. The legendary horse, Black Beauty, obviously has a black coat.

9. North American Horses Came From Europe

A common misconception is that horses in North America today have lived here as long as Native Americans. The truth is, horses evolved in America originally and then traveled across the Bering Strait into Asia. The remaining species went extinct in North America before the Vikings arrived. The ancestors of North American horses today came over on Spanish, British, and French ships around the 15th century.

Europeans believed people in North America started integrating horses into their daily lives after the Pueblo Revolt in 1680. Recent evidence suggests Native Americans achieved this decades earlier. Archaeologists found horse bones in areas only inhabited by Native Americans at the time. Horses today descended from European horses, but lived with Native Americans long before European settlers.

Horses Are Unique

There are many more facts about horses, but this list outlined a few big ones. Horses are incredibly unique creatures with many defining attributes. They eat fiber diets, have extreme senses, and are incredibly social. They can be a fun animal to study and make an even better companion.