Horses usually sleep standing up. The reason for sleeping standing up is that it can be dangerous for them to sleep lying down. Horses require some effort to get up, which makes them vulnerable to attacks from predators. So to protect themselves, horses fall asleep while standing. Their legs have a special system of tendons and ligaments, which enable a horse to lock the major joints of its legs. The horse can then relax and sleep on its haunches without worrying about falling. However, when horses need deep sleep, they lie down, usually with short breaks, which is about two to three hours a day. And even then they often have another horse standing and watching
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