Horses are herbivorous animals that were domesticated by humans as early as 4,000 years ago. A long time ago, horses were the only means of transportation, and they ran very fast, were very spiritual, and were absolutely loyal to their owners.
But no one has noticed that horses have a very strange life habit, that is, they stand all day long, even when they sleep. Why is this?
This starts with their ancestors, wild horses, which generally live in desert grasslands. In that case, the living environment is very harsh, and they are surrounded by many herbivorous animals, or some beasts often attack them. Horses also have very poor resistance and are easily injured. In addition, horses are also hunted by humans.
Horses do not have horns like cattle and sheep, which can be used to attack the enemy, but they can only avoid the enemy by fleeing. Not only that, they have to watch out for human hunting during the day; at night they have to watch out for all kinds of wild animals, because jackals and wolves hunt at night, so they can't rest. That is, they are day and night to watch out for potential hazards. In fact, if we think about this issue from Darwin's theory of evolution, we will find that if horses have not evolved a preventive mechanism, they may have become extinct long ago. It is precisely because horses later evolved a defense mechanism that they finally stayed in natural selection.
Secondly, the rhythm of the horse's heartbeat is very fast, and the energy is also consumed very fast. The heavy body will oppress the beating of its heart, so if the horse is lying down for a long time, it will lose its life. Sleeping on the ground is undoubtedly suicide for the horse. , so the horse can only stand and rest to reduce the load on the heart.
Then some people will ask, will standing sleep not fall? This is the problem of the horse's body structure. Its front legs play a supporting role. Even when it falls asleep, it supports the whole body with the front legs, so as to prevent itself from falling.
So it's all life skills that they have developed themselves in nature. Horses don't sleep as long as humans do, and they can fall asleep in any environment. It can also be sensitive to its ears and nose when it is asleep. If there is danger, it will run away as soon as possible to ensure its own safety.