One of the most common behavior problem senior horse behavior issues is not lying down to rest. This is often due to musculoskeletal conditions common to older horses that might make it more difficult to lie down and get up again. | Photo: iStock

—Ashley, via e-mail

A.Probably the most common type of case and questions involving senior horse behavior concerns the horse that is reluctant to lie down, or is not lying down, to rest. After about two to three weeks without even a brief session of recumbent rest with REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, most horses begin to appear sleep-deprived.

They tend to repeatedly nod down to the floor, wake up upon buckling, and might partially or fully collapse to the floor during standing rest. This can occur in younger horses as well, but more often than not the cases we see are in older animals. This is probably because of musculoskeletal conditions common to older horses that might make it more difficult to lie down and get up again. These horses usually are referred to our program because of observed collapse when standing at rest or on the cross-ties, or due to injuries consistent with