Horses are very different from humans when it comes to sleep, and it is very rare to find your horse truly asleep. But what happens when a horse does sleep and do horses sleep with their eyes open or closed?
The reason that horses can take such short sleeps is that they can sleep standing up! This means that they can sleep pretty much anywhere, without needing a comfortable surface to lie on.
Horses are not nocturnal, but many people think they are! This is because if you went into your barn late at night, you would probably find most of the horses still awake.
So, as we have learned, when a horse is in a deep sleep he will have his eyes tightly closed. This is essential to get a good-quality restorative period of sleep. However, if a horse is in a light sleep then he may have his eyes open or partially closed.