Do you need essential oils for horses? If so, then you are in the right place to find it. Well, nowadays it becomes much popular because people want more information that can help to maintain their horses and become healthy.
Essential oils supplement is great for maintaining the health of the horse and keeping them happy. More than that, it offers significant benefits like keeping their skin shiny and intact.
Hence, you need to find the best oil for horses. To avoid your searching hassles, we provide you here with the good essential oils for horses so that you can quickly buy the best one.
We have done intense research, reviewed so many essential oils, and concluded that these are the best for your horse’s health.
So, let’s take a deep dive into the post and choose the right one for your horse.
But before that, let us understand why your horses need the essential oils.
Why Do Horses Need Essential Oils?
It sounds odd to you that horses also need a therapeutic massage to bring back their health. Like us, they also need essential oils that keep them active and healthy. Oils help them in healing naturally and act as therapy for them.
These oils help them bring optimum health and aid for faster recovery from muscle fatigues and other issues. Essential oils get diffused easily to the horse’s skin and reach the core of the muscles.
Moreover, these essential oils also help to improve the deficiency of essential minerals in horses. Plus, these essential oils will act as a natural remedy for them to treat their illness and heal them faster.
However, these essential oils are expensive but helpful in healing your horses faster and recovering their health. These essential oils help deal with the hoarseness, sore throat, stiffness, and stress in the horses.
You can also, check our article about Best Calming Supplement for horses to achieve striking calmness
Other common causes that suggest that your horse needs the essential oils are as follows:
- Injuries to the muscles
- Depressed condition
- Anxiety and dehydration
- Poor shoe support and stress
- Extra pressure on the muscles
Best Essential Oils For Horses Guide
Ideally, there are various types of essential oils available in the market for horses. You can choose a different type of oil that suits your horse the most. There are different oils available, so based on the effect, scent, and other general reviews, you will find these essential oils are the best to buy.
1- Lavender Oil
This essential oil is commonly used for a soothing fragrance. You can use this oil to calm the horse because lavender oil is best known for the calming effects. You can mix this oil in the bathing water and bath your horse with this oil. It will help to keep your horse calm and make them relax after a stressful workout or running session.
2- Thyme Essential Oil
Thyme essential oil has the antifungal property that helps to deal with the fungus issues in the horses. Moreover, it is also boasted with essential vitamins such as Vitamin A and C. These essential vitamins help in dealing with the infection and help release free radicals. When you apply this oil on your horse’s skin, it will relieve them from pain, bite itch, and aches. Moreover, it is also helpful in sorting out bacterial infections as well. This essential oil will help to calm down also. Learn about how long do horses live?
3- Peppermint Oil
The refreshing smell of peppermint oil helps to keep the horse calm and cool. Many horse owners add peppermint oil to their food as well. The soothing effects of the peppermint oil will help to relax the muscles of the horse. Above this, it helps to relieve the tension as well. The best way to apply this oil is topical. Put some oil in your hand and massage gently on the affected area.
4- Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Eucalyptus oil is highly effective in dealing with gingivitis, nail fungus, lice, and Asthma. But in horses, it helps to deal with inflammation, pain, and other issues. This oil contains chemicals that help to deal with fungal growth and other inflammation issues in the horses. You can directly apply the oil to the affected areas, such as muscles. Rub it gently and leave it. This will help to heal the pain faster and effectively.
5- Marjoram Essential Oil
Marjoram essential oil is extracted from the plants and acts as a remedy also. This oil helps you to get relief from the muscle aches and sprains faster. Moreover, this oil is also helpful in dealing with nerve pain and muscle fatigue as well. For faster application, you can apply as topical on the specific areas and treat it adequately.
6- Bergamot Oil
Bergamot is the best essential oil for horses. This will help to get relief from skin irritations and itchy skin. Moreover, the oil will also help treat skin eruptions caused by allergic reactions and even insect bites. Usually, horses feel nervous irritation in the stomach after eating food. This oil will help them to get relief from the anxieties and prevent jitters. Also, check the Mountain horse winter jacket collection for the rider.
7- Basil Oil
Basil oil is best known for a soothing effect and used in some sort of spas. Using this oil on the horse will help to deal with the new and old muscle spasms. This is great for jumping and athletic horses.
Usually, the horse’s shoulder gets tightened up and comes in the front of the shoulder blade. Most of the dressage horses always get benefit from the basil oil. It sharpens the mind of the horse and also helps to retain their focus on the given task. Using this oil on the targeted areas will help them in dealing faster with the muscle spasms.
8- Chamomile Oil
Chamomile is one of the expensive essential oils available for horses. But it’s worth your back by maintaining the health of the horse. This oil will help to utilize the magnesium in the body to get relief from the muscle’s cramps and other spasm issues after an intense workout. It will help to calm down the horses within a minute and relax their muscles quickly.
9- Geranium Oil
Geranium essential oil is another useful oil that helps to address the aching muscles and locked joint muscles. Besides that, this oil will also help relieve the spasms and provide a mild analgesic effect. You can massage the oil directly on the muscles when needed. This oil helps create the balance between the mood of the horse and other hormonal balance. Geranium oil is perfect for temperamental racehorses.
10- Lemongrass Oil
Lemongrass is another best value essential oil with a high affinity for the recovery of muscle fatigue and tendon ligaments. This oil is also helpful in dealing with the shin soreness problem in the horse. Slightly sniffing the oil will help to enhance the learning power of the horse. This will help them to remember the things during the event and racing as well. Massaging on the affected area after the race event will help to prevent muscle fatigue.
11- Tea Tree Essential Oil
Traditionally, Tea Tree oil is used for the aboriginal horseman. It helps to deal with the issues like ringworm and healing the wounds faster and excellently. Tea Tree oil is also helpful in refreshing the mood of the horse. Applying on their skin will help to make them calm within minutes.
12- Ginger Oil
Ginger oil is used as a powerful home remedy for several reasons. Its anti-inflammatory property will help the horse to get rid of common cold and flu symptoms. Moreover, it is also applicable to aromatherapy. It also helps in eliminating the toxins from the body of the horse.
13- Juniper Berry Oil
If your horse is suffering from bloating issues and flatulence, then Juniper oil is good to have. Even if your horse suffers from heartburn, this oil will help to treat it. Direct application to the skin will help in dealing with joint and muscle pain.
14- Frankincense Oil
Frankincense has antiseptic property. This essential oil helps to deal with the old wounds and heal them permanently. The oil is also helpful in dealing with respiratory disorders. If your horse feels the heart-beat rises in between your legs, you can apply this oil. It will help to calm them down. This oil will help to deal with the bloating issues and keep their stomachs calm.
15- doTERRA Wild Orange Essential Oil
Wild orange essential oil is useful in treating the depression condition in horses. Moreover, it helps to get relieved from the stress and anxiety which they suffer from prolonged running. You can apply directly over their hair or skin to make them calm. The aroma and essential minerals will help them to relax and calm them instantly.
Selection of Essential Oils for Horses
Each essential oils are the only thing that can cure all those diseases. but all oils are not the same, find the issues for what reason they are suffering and then apply for perfect oil (dedicated oil for each problem)
- Clary Sage: after real hard work, the horse body cant able balance hormones, so you should take this oil and apply it to your horse body.
- Thieves, Myrrh: horses hygienic process called Sheath cleaning this occasionally needed by male horses.
- Cinnamon, Palmarosa: horses are very hard working, so they are always in the dust woundy area it’s very normal that they into Skin Infections, so if your horse suffering from itchy skin, try these oils.
- Eucalyptus: This oil can use in most horses to relaxing the muscles because you know how tough is a horse life.
- Kopertox, Copper Sept, and Thrush Buster: one of the most solid parts of the horse body is the hoof, through this, the horse can run faster even it was a rough surface, to help prevent and maintain cracking of the hooves, you can use a variety of oil: sunflower, olive, and safflower.
How to Use Essential Oils for Horses?
The best way to use essential oils is to apply them topically. But first, bring a few amounts of oil near the nose of your horse before applying. This will help to note down the reaction of the horse easily. Notice the reaction; if they put their ear forward and smell the oils consistently, then you are good to go.
However, after smelling the oil, they turn their head and show a negative response, then try another oil and test them. But be sure to dilute the oil on your palm before bringing the oil near the horse’s nose. Know if you can ride a horse with hives or not.
If they like the essential oil, then you can apply the oil to their back and muscles and massage it thoroughly. You can also apply the oil to the specific targeted area. But before you apply the oil, make sure to dilute the oil as concentrated oil is not good for their health.
Ideally, you can also apply the oil after the running session or post-workout. This will help to relax their muscles faster and keep them calm.
How to calculate the right dilution:
100ml of carrier oil at 2.5% dilution = 2.5ml
2.5ml of essential oil = 50 drops (2.5 x 20) of essential oil
Essential Oil Application Tips Around Your Horses
- Keep in mind that not all horses react to the essential oil in the same way. So, be sure to follow the tips before you apply the oil to them. Let’s read further.
- The skin of the horses is sensitive, so do not apply the oil directly on their skin. Make sure to dilute the oil by mixing coconut oil
- 2.5% to 3% dilution will be the ideal strength of the essential oil to apply on the horses’ skin. Don’t fool by adding more drops, as it may provide you a negative reaction. Maybe it’s possible that the horse will not respond the way you want. So, keep the concentration ideal.
- Check if your horse has an allergic reaction to the essential oil or not? If in case you accidentally spill in their eyes, use milk or vegetable-based oil to remove it. Don’t try to wash it off with water because it may create more irritation. Milk will help to dilute the essential oil and soothe the eyes by reducing irritation.
- Not trying to feed your horse with any essential oil as it will affect their health. Most essential oils are made for topical application only. There are rare essential oils that are used for investing purposes.
- Do not use the essential oil on the wounds or during the adverse health condition. Make sure to take the advice of the veterinarian and diagnose the problem first before you apply them. Today most Vets also prefer to have essential oils for treating the horse exterior wounds. But before you move ahead to the essential oils, be sure to take the Vet’s advice.
- Not use the essential oil unless they need it. Regular use of essential oil may make them addicted to the oil usage. This may further create trouble for you.
Essential oils for horses book
These Books are designed to help owners and practitioners how to use essential oils on their horses. And find an easy answer to common questions like:
- Essential oils are good for horses?
- Essential oils benefits for horses?
- How to use essential oils for your horses?
Essential Oils for Helping Horses
Equine Essential Oils Book
Essential Oils for Horses Book
Conclusion:
The essential oils are the need of the hour these days for all big horse breeds. The oils will help the horse to deal with anxiety, stress, and depressed condition. It will also help in keeping them calm and reduce the stress on the muscles too. So, these are some of the essential oils that you can apply to the horse’s skin and make them feel happier. This essential oil will act as a therapy to them.