Essential oils & horses - quackery or useful?

[little_flea]

Has anyone here used essential oils on their horses? I am strangely drawn to the idea of letting the horse choose oils/herbs themselves, yet I am a skeptic and feel that it is a bit too near "dangling crystals from the head collar to realign the chakra" territory...

Anyway - essential oils - quackery or useful? And if I wanted to try it, how would I go about it? Could I have a go myself?

 

[horses13]

No idea. A lady tried it on mine along with Reiki.
I learnt to understand the Rieki but not the oils. One actually became realy ill after. Most likely not connected but it is in my mind as it all happened at the same time.

If it does no harm why not give it a go?

 

[little_flea]

Is it something that it is ok to read up about and try myself, or would I need to get a qualified specialist out?

 

[dominobrown]

we used aromotherapy oil with a mare that stressed out when travelling. It would calm down for about 30 seconds then starting kicking and carrying on again. Smells quite nice though. I once kept my horse at yard where there were crystals in all the water troughs for various things, not sure why, at to be honest scientifically it has no effect unless the 'crystal' leeches some mineral of something?
I know the placebo effect can be very useful on humans but I can't see it working on horses.

 

[lillith]

Don't like it, no scientific evidence, too fluffy.

However a specialist who can to the yard correctly guessed out of 4 horses their major issues simply from which oil they chose and what that oil reperesented.

The one who coliced as a passtime but looked great at the time chose peppermint (good for digestion) the nervous worrier who internalised it then exploded (so no obvious nervous behaviour) chose a calming one, the one with a healing tendon injury (not obviously lame) chose and anti-inflamatory and the one with mild COPD (no cough at the time) chose one for respiritory support.

Still don't like it though.

 

[Natch]

it has no effect unless the 'crystal' leeches some mineral of something?

I have no idea which crystals they used or why, but it would have had an effect on the water, which could be measured scientifically. The crystals that water forms when it becomes ice have been proven to be very different shapes when exposed to different natural crystals. It changes the frequency things vibrate at. Even words have the same effect on these water crystals, so something must be going on. Have a google for work by masaru emoto.

I know the placebo effect can be very useful on humans but I can't see it working on horses.

Thats exactly why a lot of sciency people are uncomfortable about the results they see with animals. They automatically assume its a placebo effect and won't work on animals, and therefore don't want to see the results when, for example a horse relaxes so much during a reiki session that they lie down, or when an aromatherapist offers a horse the bottle to sniff and he ignores the first one then practically snatches the second one out of their hands, or when a chronically scared stiff, withdrawn cat is offered some rescue remedy and within 24 hours is alert and curious. Same with homeopathically treating an animal. And how many of the cynics use arnica for bruises, (its a homeopathic remedy) or lavender to unwind, or products containing tea tree on their horse's sore bits? What about the famous citronella in fly sprays? All essential oils.

These types of therapies are hard to measure scientifically. Doesn't mean its all nonsense, just because science can't explain it yet.

I'll get off me high horse now, it does irk me when people dismiss it all as quackery and they haven't thought it through, or even researched (despite how hard scientific evidence of these therapies is to validate, it IS out there, and 1,000s of case studies). There must be something in it, even if we're not quite sure (scientifically) what.

 

[ThePony]

I don't use essential oils for aromatherapy (they get more back lady visits than any human I know so they are fully pampered!), but I do use essential oils when I make up the fly spray I use on them. Works at least as well as any I have bought to try and masses cheaper.

 

[Shysmum]

I'm an aromatherapist for humans and animals ( after 3 years training) so I guess I'm biased ! I work mostly with horses and dogs now, and the results can be amazing - but you have to know what you're doing, or it's hopeless.

There is a really good book by Caroline Ingraham on animal therapy, and she does one for horses only too. But that said, it really is a science as well as an art, as animals take the oils internally (banned for humans) as well as apllied externally, and I would try to contact a local therapist thru GEOTA if you really want to try it. Many of the oils are not readily available either, e.g seaweed, violet leaf, blackcurrent bud and hay/flouve. Others are contra-indicated for use on humans but can be used for horses externally, eg wintergreen and birch.

The main things I use it for are cuts and swellings, behaviour, arthritis, abcesses, fly control, breathing, thrush and mud fever...oh all sorts.

But if you don't know about the safety side...... e.g a lot of horses are allergic to citronella, a lot of dogs have neurotoxic reactions to tea tree, you could find yourself making the situation worse. Therapist should work alongside, or with the blessing of a vet, and be fully insured too. Trust me it ain't fluffy, it can be complicated to get the oils right. But the results can be amazing ! What do you want to use it for ? If I can help ...

Pm me if you want to, sm x

 

[Shysmum]

double post

 

[Bojangles]

Shymum- I have got carole faith esstential oill book horse one. One of the recipes has got Wintergreen oill and White Birch in it which is very comfuseing??? As Ive been told only experince people should use both theses's oills?? Due to the toxins?? It's for a strained injury. I use oills on myself and Beau with loverly result's Im carefully during summer don't want to burn him. The one's I thought would be good for him he hate's like Ginger he likes the sweeter ones like Bergomt sp? I love the smell of all of them.

 

[HorseWhisperer21]

mix with a carrier or base oil... sweet almond is popular, and massage. can be used for healing physically and mentally. not sure how it would work with reiki though!!!