Your horse is just dozing off, circling to lay down and get a good sleep in, when cars go whizzing by and startle him. Your horse starts to doze off again when a truck uses its airbrake to slow down, and your horse is once again startled awake. All through the night, the noises continue, sometimes less, sometimes more, deep sleep just isn't possible on most nights. Your horse is exhausted and trying to tell you, they need sleep. They try really hard to be good but little things shock them, or they start to see things as they are being ridden.
You try everything, but nothing seems to help. You take your horse to a show and there, he is so good, he sleeps deeply, and is refreshed for once. You ride and he just seems like a different horse. It isn't conscious really, but you can feel the shift. One day, you move barns, and all of a sudden, your horse is different. Now, not only is he trying to be good, but he is good. He is different, relaxed, calm in his being. It takes some time, but you finally make the connection, he was sleep deprived.
It can be anything. It can be the neighbors' donkeys braying all night or the packs of coyotes hunting and howling all around the property. It can be PTSD from past trauma that is keeping the horse from getting a deep sleep. It can even be a horse with restless leg syndrome, that runs in their sleep and tears their legs up. These horses need compassion and understanding. They are trying to tell us something that we often don't think about.
I do night checks here usually around 10pm and I can tell you, it is loud. Owls, coyotes, fox (which sound like women screaming), and any number of other critters hooping and hollering. I now know why my horses lay down and sleep hard in the warm morning sun. It is so quiet here in the mornings.
If you horse is always on edge, or just can't seem to fix the training issues, expand your vision. Look outside what you have thought about. I would have never really thought of this but the freeway to a quiet place was drastic and dramatic and is a great example of taking a step back and really looking at the big picture along with the daily details.
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