Can You Use Essential Oils for Horses?

 

Can you use essential oils for horses? The answer is yes! In fact, some specific essential oils are used to calm horses that are just feeling moody or emotional. Essential oils are the natural, healthy way of dealing with an anxious, nervous or stressed horse. Here is a list of different essential oils you can use on horses and each of their purposes to the horse: 

1. Lavender. 

This essential oil helps relive anxiety and is perfect for calming horses down. This oil works the best when applied to the horse's poll. (The poll is behind the ears on top of the head.) This oil is also great for relieving muscle pain and spasms. 

 2. Basil. With it's muscle-relaxing effects, basil can successfully reduce tension when applied to chakra points; 

Basil is considered a "hot" oil. When first working topically with basil oil, use a dilution of one part essential oil and four parts carrier oil. Virgin Coconut oil, Extra Virgin Olive oil, Flaxseed oil (cold-pressed), Sesame oil (cold-pressed) and Soybean oil are all carrier oils safe to use on your horse's body, mixed with an essential oil as a dilution. 

3. Roman Chamomile. 

This oil helps support the body when dealing with emotions of anxiety, anger and nervousness. This oil works best when either applied to the poll, (although you can apply it to any other chakra points, the withers and forehead are also great places) or just through inhalation. (Inhalation is where the oil scent is inhaled through the horse's nose. So to do this through inhalation, all you would be doing is placing the bottle of oil (with lid off) just underneath the horse's nostrils, making sure it doesn't touch his nose, and then the smell of the oil would go into his nostrils.) 

4. Valerian. 

This essential oil has very affective calming properties. Apply this oil around the coronary bands, and to the cannon bones, then finish up with a sweeping motion from the knees or hocks downward. 

5. Frankincense. 

Application to the chakras, poll and over the heart may help improve attitude and promote muscle relaxation. Often used with medication, this oil is excellent for both humans and horses, particularly prior to competition.

6. Vetiver. 

This oil has similar effects to Valerian. Whether used alone or in a layering fashion with valerian, this oil can be grounding, stabilizing and helpful for releasing past emotional traumas.

 

7. Clary Sage. 

This oil is great for balancing out a horse's hormones. You can apply this oil either through inhalation or on any of the chakra points. 

8. Tea Tree, Lemongrass.

These oils are used for healing minor scratches and grazes. It even helps for the horse to fight off bacterial infections, such as ringworms. And it can also get rid of rain rot/scald. Tea tree oil should be diluted with either water or Aloe Vera or a type of carrier oil. These oils are also very calming. Tea Tree can also help heal thrush in horse's hooves. 

9. Juniper. 

If your horse is suffering with arthritis, this oil can really relieve the pain in the horse's joints. 

10. Eucalyptus. 

This oil is great to use on horses with overused muscles; it is very useful for treatment and helps relieve any pain. 

There are so many other essential oils you can use on horses through both inhalation and by rubbing into the skin on chakra points, and each way can be very effective for your horse. 

So when trying out new oils on your horse through inhalation, all horses react differently to the 'new' smell. Here's a quick tip for when letting your horse smell a new oil. (An essential oil) A lot of horses will have this strange behavior whenever smelling anything new. This response to a new smell is called, the "Flehmen Response." Here's what it looks like: 

This reaction is quite normal for any horses trying out a new smell. They do this to determine whether or not the 'new smell' is a good smell or a bad smell. (Bad smell meaning they don't like it. If your horse really doesn't like the smell of a specific oil, I suggest you take it away immediately.) After your horse has responded (through the Flehmen Response) once he has smelt the oil for the first time, offer it again, placing it just under his nose. If he flicks his head up, and flares his nostrils, that probably means he does not like the smell of the oil, therefor you should take it away.  

Okay so back to essential oils; essential oils can be a natural, very effective way to relieve stress and anxiety in our equine friends. Using them on a daily basis can help progress a partnership with a horse that's based on trust and confidence. 

All these oils can be purchased online, second-hand, or in health shops. (Chemist Warehouse etc.) 

TIP: A great brand of essential oils to buy is called, Doterra Essential Oils. 

 If your horse is suspected with a health issue, consult your vet straight away.

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