Pretty water for the nervous horse
August 10th 2007 01:51
pic from freefoto.com
When it comes to calming a horse, you can also use water as a carrier for essential oils.
A simply spray bottle with a dash of liquid soap to help disperse the essentials can carrier a blend of relaxing oils to spray in your horse’s environment.
Again you don’t need to use a lot of essential oils. In a 1oz bottle you can add 30 drops in total of essential oils including Lavender, Cedarwood, Chamomile, Patchouli, Bergamot, Frankincense, or Ylang Ylang.
Some of these essential oils have the added action of repelling insects as a side bonus.
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Comment by Rosemary
Alpaca Notes - Tasmania
The animals seem to know what they need, so I offer, and they decide. Sometimes they're interested, other times not.
Comment by katyzzz
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I'm wondering what kinds of plants? etc do horses have in the wild to help them cope with these sorts of things.
Is it the humans who cause the stress, and could there not be ways to avoid it?
The essential oils sound divine but I have my doubts of any lasting benefits, like when I go to have a dental clean the technician has lavendar essence there and it is really a lovely perfume but the reaction is only an initial one really.
I think it's a pleasant thing to have but have my doubts as to whether it is necessary.
I liked Rosemary's comments about the alpacas too.
katyzzz
Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
And yes, Katyzzz is right - domestication and humans have caused the vast majority of stress disorders in horses.
Im a bit old fashioned, and Im not too sure about the naturapath approach with horses. We wash them in a dermatitis wash for dogs, tee tree and lavendar, which cures dermatitis and sweet itch instantly. We even wash their rugs with it. But Im still not sure on direct herbal remedies.
Comment by Catherine
Natural Animals
Katyzzz we are most certainly to blame for most of the stress either directly or them sensing ours. I find with horses the use of the scent holds longer. The oflactory nervous system doesn't fatigue like ours, and also too they don't have an ego/mental agenda going on. They just want to feel better, there isn't the workers comp payout they have to wait to happen; or the husband at home they get sympathy from if they are not well etc.
I also find if I have a nervous horse, I get the owner to drink a nervine tea combination, then the horse needs the herbs or oils for a shorter time to come into balance and teh owner breaks their cycle.
Kleo the same with horses to your dogs. If a skin prob doesn't clear with the topical stuff, you tehn go to the layers underneath, usually the gut.
Rosemary, letting them decide is the best way. when I go see a horse for a consult, I always offer them the separate bottles to see what they want, helps me be more effective.
oh and Katyzzz when we let horses do as they pleased years and years ago they may not have had essential oil bottle laying around, but they could self medicate with the herbs (which are often weeds) in the pasture, but we have domesticated some of this natural instinct out of them and they are not as discerning. One reason why we have them poisoning themselves so much during the drought with patternsons curse.
it is always fascinating and if a horse really refuses a scent or a herb, I take notice and find something else for them. They might be telling me they could reactive in a negative way.
I think realy as we are more aware of our stuff, then our animals are more at ease. Just my thoughts
Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
Thats a good point - that horses would self medicate if we didnt confine them and dumb down their instincts so they couldnt.
And I utterly love your approach - to let the horse choose. Ive just seen a lot of 'horse naturopaths' cause allergic reactions, like the 'horse chiropractors' that end up making matters worse. But I love that, to let the horse choose. My fat ponies dont do anything they dont choose to do!