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Home / Equine Research Bank / Can J Comp Med / Sleep and wakefulness in the housed pony under different die...
Canadian journal of comparative medicine : Revue canadienne de medecine comparee1974; 38(1); 65-71;

Sleep and wakefulness in the housed pony under different dietary conditions.

Abstract: For several weeks, three ponies kept in an environment with controlled light and temperature, were studied for behaviour (time spent in recumbency and time required to consume hay or oats) and for electrical activity of the brain (cortical and sub-cortical) during the night phase of the circadian rhythm. Recumbency was adopted by all the ponies for six or seven periods during the night. With a regimen of hay ad libitum, about four hours were cumulated in sternal recumbency and only one hour in complete lateral recumbency. Various degree of sleep, as identified by cortical and hippocampal electrical activities, accounted for 30% of the circadian cycle. Paradoxical sleep was calculated to occur during 7% of the 24 hours. When oats were substituted for hay or during fasting for two to five days, the total recumbency time and the total sleep time (slow wave sleep and paradoxical sleep) increased. The time in lateral recumbency did not change.
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Publication Date: 1974-01-01 PubMed ID: 4272959PubMed Central: PMC1319968
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The study investigates the effects of different diets on the sleep patterns and wakefulness in ponies under controlled environmental conditions, revealing that variations in what the ponies eat affect their sleep duration and recumbency.

Methodology

  • The study involved three ponies kept in a controlled environment with a regulated light and temperature. The research was carried out over several weeks.
  • The researchers observed the ponies’ behaviour, especially the time they spent lying down (recumbency) and the time required to consume their food. The two types of food used were oats and hay.
  • They recorded the electrical activity of the ponies’ brains (cortical and sub-cortical) during the night phase of the circadian rhythm, to measure sleep.

Findings

  • All the ponies were found to adopt a recumbent position for six or seven periods during the night.
  • When given unlimited hay, the ponies cumulated about four hours in sternal recumbency (lying on their chest) and only an hour in complete lateral recumbency (lying on their side).
  • Various degrees of sleep were identified by analyzing the ponies’ cortical and hippocampal electrical activities. Sleep approximately accounted for 30% of the circadian cycle, and paradoxical sleep accounted for 7% of the circadian cycle.
  • When the ponies’ diet was changed from hay to oats or when they were fasted for two to five days, there was an increase in total recumbency time and total sleep time (consisting of slow wave sleep and paradoxical sleep).
  • The time the ponies spent in lateral recumbency remained unchanged despite the different diets or fasting periods.

Conclusion

  • The study indicates that changes in dietary conditions influence the sleep patterns and recumbency in ponies.
  • The findings might be valuable in finding methods to manage and improve the sleep quality and overall health of horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Dallaire A, Rucklebusch Y. (1974). Sleep and wakefulness in the housed pony under different dietary conditions. Can J Comp Med, 38(1), 65-71.

Publication

Canadian journal of comparative medicine : Revue canadienne de medecine comparee
ISSN: 0008-4050
NlmUniqueID: 0151747
Country: Canada
Language: English
Volume: 38
Issue: 1
Pages: 65-71

Researcher Affiliations

Dallaire, A
    Rucklebusch, Y

      MeSH Terms

      • Animal Feed
      • Animals
      • Diet
      • Edible Grain
      • Electrodes, Implanted
      • Electroencephalography
      • Fasting
      • Horses / physiology
      • Housing, Animal
      • Poaceae
      • Sleep
      • Wakefulness

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      This article includes 5 references
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      Citations

      This article has been cited 13 times.
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      5. Lyamin OI, Siegel JM, Evsigneev RV, Nazarenko EA, Rozhnov VV. Characteristics of Sleep-Wakefulness Cycle and Circadian Activity in the Lesser Mouse-Deer (Tragulus kanchil). Dokl Biol Sci 2021 Sep;500(1):153-158.
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      11. Burla JB, Rufener C, Bachmann I, Gygax L, Patt A, Hillmann E. Space Allowance of the Littered Area Affects Lying Behavior in Group-Housed Horses. Front Vet Sci 2017;4:23.
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      13. Putyora E, Brocklehurst S, Sandilands V. The Effects of Commercially-Relevant Disturbances on Sleep Behaviour in Laying Hens. Animals (Basel) 2023 Oct 5;13(19).
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