This weekend we caught Raven napping for a while on her new shavings. Just like with people, some horses like to nap more than others. Unlike humans, however, horses only need about 45 minutes of REM sleep a night; they can lock their stifle and doze, which is how they get most of the rest they need.
Raven naps quite a bit. It could be that she is an older girl; at 17 working on 18, she is getting pretty old for a Friesian- the average lifespan of a Friesian is about 16 years, due to genetic factors as well as size. Larger horses, just like large dogs, don’t have the same lifespan of smaller horses. Arabians, for example, can live easily into their 30s and even 40s! Thankfully, Raven seems very healthy, and it could be that napping has nothing to do with her age, and more because she is a little lazy!
Another reason Raven may enjoy napping is because she feels comfortable and safe in her surroundings. No matter the reason, we love watching our girl enjoy a short snooze!