did u ever thought about it.. here is the answer..
Horses have a unique system of interlocking ligaments and bones in their legs, which serves as a sling to suspend their body weight without strain while their muscles are completly relaxed. Thus, horses don't have to exert any energy conciously to remain standing- their legs are locked in to proper position during sleep.
most horses do most of their sleeping while standing, but patterns differ. Veterinarians says that its not unsual for horses to stand continuously for as long as a month,or more. Because horses are heavy but have relatively fragile bones, lying in one position for a long time can cause muscle cramps. while one can only speculated about why the hors's body evolved in this fashion, most experts believes that wild horses slept while standing for defensive purposes. wayne O.Kester D.VM. executive director of the American Association of Equine Practitioners,told us that in the wild, the horse's chief means of Protection and escapes from predators was its speed. " they were much less vulnerable while standing and much less apt to be caught by surprise than when lying down."
That is correct. Horses are not built to lie down in any position for an extended period of time. This is true of many large animals, actually, including elephants, hippos, rhinos, and cattle. In fact, if your horse goes down, it can be a bad sign. The horse might just be enjoying taking a little weight off its feet or getting some cool shade for a little bit, but if the horse cannot stand back up, the horse will die due to compression of the internal organs. Standing for a horse is a matter of life and death. If your horse is ill or injured and lies down, it is imperative that you get the horse back up quickly. If you can't, the illness or injury will be terminal. Equine hospitals actually have massive sling systems to support horses who cannot stand while they recover. They also have to do surgery very fast, because of the need to get the horse back up on its feet before any permanent damage is done.}
did u ever thought about it.. here is the answer..
