Activity patterns of domesticated animals have largely focussed on hours of daylight and relatively few studies include detailed observations of night time activity. This has the potential to overlook behaviours of significance to the assessment of welfare. For example, stereotypic activities in laboratory mice are largely confined to dark periods, and consequently are not commonly reported by daytime laboratory workers. Use of low light video cameras coupled with infra-red or low intensity lighting now makes observation over entire light-dark cycle practical, whilst minimising disturbance to the sampled population. This paper describes the activity patterns of stabled horses over 24 hour periods. These observations can then be used as baseline for investigating the effects of changes to the stable environment on horses’ behaviour and welfare.