Horses with over 30 minutes of REM sleep show better persistence in learning tasks

Just as for humans, sufficient sleep supports learning and coping for horses. A recent study at the University of Helsinki indicates that short periods of REM sleep impair horses' perseverance and performance in demanding learning tasks. In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, an entirely new learning test suited to field conditions was developed to measure the learning capacity and motivation of horses in their own enclosures and other familiar environments.