Essential Oils

[mcnaughty]

A friend of mine has given me some essential Oils:

Tea Tree
Lavender
Citronella
Eucaliptus
Peppermint

Anyone out there have any ideas what I can use these for and how do you "apply" it to your horse? Would a spritza bottle with water do?

 

[YasandCrystal]

Lavender is great for calming and can be used neat. I have in the past soaked a rag and tied it up in the stable to infuse the stable. It can be used neat on the skin for humans too and on burns to minimise scarring - one of the few very safe antiseptic oils.

Peppermint can be offered as an inhalation (as with most of the oils). Keep the bottle opening just beneath your fingers in a closed fist and offer for your horse to sniff. He may try with both or just one nostril. Let him have access until he loses interest. Peppermint is good for gut and digestion.

Tea Tree is an antiseptic/anti fungal oil - not one I would offer to a horse to sniff. And neither would I offer Citronella which is commonly used in fly sprays etc.

Eucalyptus is a decongestant and can be offered to clear the airways as with humans. Always take care that your horse cannot grab the bottle from you.

Caroline Ingraham has written an informative wittness guide to Aromatherapy in horses, which is cheaply available - see link below. Aromatherapy is of interest to me as I am an aromatherapist (human).
My horses have had allsorts of oils offered to them . the floral ones are good for bringing out emotions and past memories. It's a very interesting subject. You can mix a few drops of oil with water but for it to actually mix properly you need to buy a dissolving agent called sorbitine. I made my own 'calming' spray using this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aromather...0730529453?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item23183d5aad