Horse lying down in a field?

[mloo]

Is it always bad?
Not mine, just spied it whilst cycling by today. Lying very still. Not very hot here today, but hot enough.

I had no idea how to find the owner, and I was in a rush to get somewhere, but if I did see such a thing again, would it be good idea to find owner if I could?
TIA.

My horse lies down all the time in her field!

Oh, right ; okay then, I won't worry! I thought it was quite unusual, as they are prey species and usually even sleep standing up (?)

They can doze standing up, but all four of ours lie down to sleep in fields or stables.

My first horse didn't, so when we got the big lad and he did, I would regularly trek up the hill sure he was ill / dead only to have him raise his head when I got near, as if to say "What do you want - I'm kipping"

At this time of year when we check them at breakfast time they are nearly all either lying down (flat out) or sitting down (lying down but with their heads up). Quite often though one of the 4 is standing guard over the ones resting.

One time our connemara looked as if she was dead but when we got close she was snoring loudly!

Tis quite natural! My friend had an old who would either be flat out and looking dead, or 'chasing cats' in his sleep! The first couple of times we saw him do this, we went haring over thinking he was having a fit, to be faced with a most put out pony, who we had woken from his afternoon nap!

They quite often have a lie down in the morning as they've been up all night making sure they don't get eaten by marauding wolves.

Mine snooze for a couple of hours every day, and sometimes when my old horse is lying down his hooves are twitching, like he's galloping around in his dream!

Several times we've had strangers coming to tell us that there is a dead horse in the field but they are just sunbathing. The one who does freak me out sometimes is the shetland as she often has birds standing all over her (no not vultures luckily ) and doesn't react when we call. the times I've rushed up the field rehearsing in my head the phone call I'm going to have to make to her owner!