Sleep deprivation in horses
Dr Shelley Appleton Dr Shelley Appleton

Sleep deprivation in horses

If you ever find yourself frustrated by a horse that is inconsistent, difficult or struggles to learn, it might be suffering from sleep deprivation and is causing it to suffer anxiety and performance issues. Sleep deprivation can be caused from a reluctance for the horse to lay down and experience what is known REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. This can be caused by pain conditions or emotional discomfort where the horse does not feel safe enough to lay down.

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CAN horses suffer from ptsd?
Dr Shelley Appleton Dr Shelley Appleton

CAN horses suffer from ptsd?

Hypothetically horses can suffer PTSD. However, one of the main complaints of people that consider their horse might be suffering from PTSD is anxiousness, hypervigilance and reactivity to their environment. This blog looks at PTSD and why a problem with the emotional processing of environmental changes might be the root cause. Identifying and understanding this potential root cause can be the way forward to helping your horse feel more secure with you and because more calm, willing and confident.

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