Why horses sleep standing up

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Tuesday, February 1. 2011

Why horses sleep standing up

I planned to post one of my dreary links about the modern state of uneducation, but on this cheerless, sleeting day I felt like tackling a more uplifting topic.

Horses, like many large running mammals, lock their leg joints to sleep standing. The reason they are able to do this makes plenty of horse sense.

Posted by The Barrister in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 13:06 | Comments (7) | Trackbacks (0)

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Grammar police: Too bad the person who wrote that answer doesn't know the difference between "lie" and "lay" or that it's "horses that," not "horses who."

#1 Agent Cooper on 2011-02-01 13:19 (Reply)

Dreary here in Nebraska as well Barrister. Barely above zero with snow coming sideways and a 30 mph wind.

Re Cooper:

I once asked my brother-in-law (Masters Degree in English) about the use of "who' and "that'. Example '..children who talk late.." vs '..children that talk late..'

He told me that while 'who" is preferred and more commonly used, "that' was also acceptable.

So my question to you is why is "who' not acceptable when referring to horses? Not trying to be a smart aleck. Am asking out of curiosity.

#2 feeblemind on 2011-02-01 13:51 (Reply)

"Am asking out of curiosity."

No problem. Dictionary definition, courtesy of Webster's: who = what or which PERSON or PERSONS. Children are little persons, BTW, so who is the right call. /Lecture

#2.1 Agent Cooper on 2011-02-01 16:00 (Reply)

I've always used this simple rule to deal with "who" and "that":

Who refers to people. That and which refer to groups or things.

So, I might say, for example, "I once had a girlfriend who slept standing up just like my horse that did the same and not at all like my scout troop that never could decide which way to sleep."

#3 Knucklehead (Link) on 2011-02-01 15:10 (Reply)

Deborah Butterfield reclining horse
http://www.bcx.org/photos/art/exhibits/artists/deborahbutterfield/DeborahButterfieldHorsesMarketSF20090622_03_155426_5377BCX.jpg

#4 rhhardin (Link) on 2011-02-01 17:35 (Reply)

We used to sleep standing up, in the morning chow line at PI. Course, we were all asshole to bellybutton so that made it easier.

#5 xray on 2011-02-01 17:39 (Reply)

Horses have a natural ability to lock and unlock their front legs for standing and resting. However there can be problems in unlocking their back legs, and if one gets stuck in lock position surgery is necessary to restore function.

#6 MissyW on 2011-02-01 18:23 (Reply)

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Tuesday, February 1. 2011

Why horses sleep standing up