With the hustle and bustle of modern life, there are few things that get us outdoors or communing with our environment like having a horse. The longer I’m a horse owner, the more I understand how important this connection is for our health and well-being. As a result, I’ve been on a journey to live in a more natural way. This journey is what led me to the power of essential oils and their application in all areas of my life, including my horse’s care.
What exactly are essential oils?
There’s a lot of misinformation about essential oils and their uses. As a result of this bad information, they’ve built a bit of a reputation as “snake oil”. However, the truth is, the effectiveness of essential oils depends entirely on the quality of the oil, the type of plant, and the application. Essential oils are simply a distillation of a plant down to its purest, most concentrated essence.
For example, some plants like thyme and eucalyptus have natural antiseptic properties as a result of the plant’s evolution. These properties are used by the plant themselves as a natural response to their environment. By distilling these plants down to their purest form, you help concentrate these antiseptic properties. So a high-quality thyme essential oil made without additives can be used in cleaning to help kill bacteria safely and effectively. However, a poor quality oil used in another application may not have the same results.
Why essential oils are better than unnatural ingredients
Many products, especially those used in horse care, use unnatural or man-made ingredients. These range from artificial fragrances and dyes to petrochemicals. Most of the time, these synthetic chemicals are designed to mimic natural ingredients, but cost less to manufacturer. You’ll find lavender-scented horse wash that does not contain any lavender. Lavender fragrance may smell like the flower, but it doesn’t contain any of the essential properties of the plant that provide numerous health and wellness benefits. Furthermore, unlike real lavender, lavender fragrance can be made with chemical ingredients that can irritate your horse’s skin or cause an allergic response.
How to introduce your horse to essential oils
As essential oils are a concentrated form of a plant, they are very powerful. Horses are also very sensitive. So it is important that before you use essential oils in your horse care, you introduce them slowly. Horses and essential oils get along really well, you just have to take your time to find the right ones. I recommend taking the following steps when introducing your horse to an essential oil:
- Place 1-2 drops of the essential oil into the palm of your hand. I like to rub it in just a little bit to active the smell.
- Slowly offer your hand to your horse to smell. Horses have an excellent sense of smell, so never just put your hand under their nose. Let them come to you.
- Let your horse take their time to smell your hand and watch for their response. If they like the oil, you can proceed. If they reject the oil, then put it aside for another day.
If your horse gives you the okay, you can proceed with the application of the essential oil.
Horses and essential oil uses
There are a couple of ways to use essential oils in your horse’s care:
- Topical application is a great way to ensure that the healing properties of the essential oils are absorbed into your horse’s skin and into their bloodstream. However, essential oils are very strong and need to be diluted for topical application with a carrier oil. There are several carrier oils that will work such as coconut oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil. Topical application is best for treating wounds, cleaning, and helping with muscle pain.
- Inhalant application of essentials is an aromatherapy method. Basically, your horse will inhale the scent of oil to obtain the properties. I recommend placing a few drops in your palm or using a diffuser in the stable. The inhalant method is best for helping support calmness, confidence, and emotional well-being.
- Products made with essential oils are the easiest way to use them with your horse. They are already formulated to be safe and effective. Equi-Spa offers a variety of products from grooming and hoof care to insect repellent and wound treatments available that harness the power of essential oils.
Just make sure that no matter how you use essential oils, you always use 100% pure essential oils for a reputable source. Otherwise, your essential oils will lose powerful properties.
Ways to use essential oils for your horse’s care
There are so many ways to use essential oils in your horse’s care and grooming. If you are new to essential oils, I’ve formulated two blends to get you started. The first is Show-Thyme Calming Oil which is formulated with essential oils that are known for their anti-anxiety properties like lavender, geranium, clary sage, patchouli, and ylang-ylang. Used as an inhalant, Show-Thyme can help provide a sense of calm. I’ve also found that it works great in a topical application.
The other blend is CMW (Cool Muscle Wash) Massage Oil which is perfect for topical application to help reduce swelling, inflammation, and muscle soreness. With both of these oils, remember to use a carrier oil before applying topically.
Choosing a product with essential oils
At Equi-Spa, we work with only the highest-quality essential oil suppliers. I spent a lot of time vetting suppliers and testing their products to make sure that their ingredients were not only pure, but truly effective before using them in our line. I also ensured that the formulation of each product contained the right amount of each oil to be effective, without overpowering your horse’s senses. Before buying any essential oil product take the time to do a little research to make sure they are truly a good product.
If you’d like to learn more about how to use essential oils in your horse care, follow our Equi-Spa blog or post a comment below. We talk about a variety of different kinds of essential oils and how to use them in horse care. You can also send us an email and we’ll happily answer any questions.
good information on oils for horses never thought of using them
Are Essential Oils Effective For Horse Care? Yes
They are useful
oils are good for a lot of things
i love using oils. thank you
Really interesting enjoyed the read
good for stressed out horses I’ve heard
I thin essential oils will help any living creature.
This is great! I am always cautious with essential oils and animals.
I love the calming oil – works with both the horse and the groomer to keep everyone centered. For pulled muscles and general soreness (as tends to happen when we ride more in the warmer months) the Cool Muscle wash sounds excellent!
Thanks for the information.
Like with most pets, good to do research for the animal friendly products
I have never used essential oils for my horses, but this is extremely informative..
I love horses so their care is really important to me.
Oils are good for lots of animals not just horses . Gives them smooth shiny fur
I never thought about this thank you
Using essential oils appear in ancient, like egypt; and now we still using it~
fragrance made with chemical ingredients is a no-no
super
Nice read
important information 🙂
This would do wonders to their awesome hair, thanks for the info!!
I never thought of using them with horses
I love that essential oils can be used with horses!!
Thank you for the info
I use essential oils on my arthritic dog but never thought about using with horses
Inyeresting, something new to me
This is great I’ve used essential oils but not on a horse very informative
Seriously essential oil and horse
CooL
The application and quality of the oils are paramount
I had never thought essential oils could be this important.
I’ve heard great things about the calming oil!– works with both the horse and the groomer to keep everyone in check. And the Cool Muscle wash sounds great!
Excellent article
Great job💜️💜️
Interesting topic to talk about
Nice to know
Going to tag soon to be step daughter into this..
Good read. I have heard of using essential oils on horse for injuries, so the everyday is good to know.
Good starter article
Thanks for everything
Interesting article.
Nice….
I rub coconut oil on my horse’s skin. I find that it really makes his skin glow and it is really soft.
Sincerely,
Raymond Holt
never thought of it, thanks for the info
nice article and after reading it i think they are effective
Interesting–I’ve never heard of using essential oils on a horse. Thanks for posting!
Very interesting
Interesting article
This is fabulous information!!! I had no idea!
YES! JUST LIKE HUMANS.
Very informative!
Good to know!
I never thought to use essential oils before I think this is the best article ! Thanks so much
Interesting!
this is nice
Another charming and utterly beautiful horse.
Tips
That’s very true! There are a bunch of different ones out there now, but it wasn’t always this way. I don’t know how well they work with horses, but for me, I enjoy the beneficial properties that good oils can bring! Thx for sharing!
THANK YOU
Very informative
awesome info
I love essential oils so why shouldn’t horses
great info
cool
Yes! Wonderful article! 🐴🐴🐎🐎🐴🐴🐎🐎🐴🐴🐎🐎
I have heard and read about essential oils but have never tried or used them…. I know that there are many types. This article does clarify that some for me. Quite interesting indeed. I have pets and they say certain ones can not be good for them to be around. So I can understand using the best natural products, the quality of the oil, the type of plant, and the application etc.
Yeah i tots agree
I do love the essential oils
I love the essential oils
Yes I love the essential oils
They work great for me. Yes I love the essential oils
Whew…..horses enjoy essential oil.
Cool horse!
im sure some e oils are helpful but research first
Wow I didn’t even know you could use essential oils for horses!
Good info on other uses for oils.
I love that essential oils can be used with horses.
Intriguing
Thanks for the info and the giveaway!
I think that I´m going to buy one of them, its very useful
Good tips, thank you!
Essential oils are cool
Great article its always better to go natural
Oils work for people so I guess they’d work for horses too
interesting
I use essential oils myself but had never thought about using them for my horses
Very interesting. Thank you.
I never thought about using the oils.
I use them for fly control
The cool muscle wash massage oil sounds really nice and relaxing. I’m sure it would help greatly with a horse’s sore muscles.
Good information for horse pet owners. Had no idea that essential oils could be used with horses.
thanks for info
great information
Hello, great article! I had no idea essential oils could benefit horses.
I use essential oils daily, but never really thought about using them for horses. I know there are several I cannot use around my dogs or cats, so I’m sure there are some that shouldn’t be used on horses?
I don’t trust essential oils. Too many crazy people talking about them as a miracle cure.
We agree there’s lots of misinformation being passed around now, and some people will say anything to sell essential oils. That’s one of the reasons we write these blogs. To share the benefits of oils, but always backed by research and our own experience.
I have mixed feelings about essential oils. However if they are helping I am for them. Thanks for this information.
I never thought to use essential oils on the horses!
Most animals with a sense of smell can react to essential oils, but there might be some oils made specifically for their use . Neat topic.
Easy to use
Informative
i really hadnt thought much about essential oils before your article so thank you
Interesting article, I’ve used them with dogs but not horses. Any time you can replace synthetic chemicals with something natural is great. The pre-formulation for stress and anxiety sounds awesome!
Yes they are important to use carefully but great when used correctly!
I have always been cautious about essential oils animals and children. Thank you for the information
Awesome Information !!
very interesting information
Great info.natural is almost always better.
I’ve never used oils before on my horses and never even thought about it before this read. Thank you for the information
thank you for the information . never knew essential oils were good for horses
I love using essential oils for personal care and household products. I didn’t know they could also be used in horse care. I will pass this on to my sister who is a horse owner. Thank you
Great ty
This is great! I am always cautious with essential oils and animals.
Even essential oils can’t mask horse smell though lol
great read
I’m intrigued by this idea. I use oils so why not a horse??
CooL MAN
great information
wow interesting, never thought of this
I never knew you could use essential oils on horses.
Cool stuff
nice info
thanks for info we feed the horses all the time
I never thought of using essential oils on horses. It’s a great idea. Thanks for posting!
Love this thanks
wow id of never guessed oils would work on animals
interesting
Essential Oils are amazing! I didn’t realize horses could benefit from them like people do.
Good information on essential oils. Love the diffuser idea, after introducing it to the horse to be sure they are alright with it! Thanks for the wonderful information
Good info!
Lots of good information that I didn’t know. Thank you.
Essential oils are a horses best friend and my friend too!
I never knew how amazing essential oils are!
Beaucoup d’information utile.
Oils well that ends well
Nice article.
Great informations! Nice to know 😀
Unfortunately, I disagree with the effectiveness of essential oils.
Very interesting information
super!
I love essential oils! I honestly did not know they were used for horses.
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful horse
I love that you recommend natural products rather than a lot of chemicals!
Who knew essential oils could help horses just as much as it helps us 😀
I had no idea oils for horses was a thing until now.
Cool! I am always wary of using essential oils on animals, so this great to know! Thank you for sharing.
l never thought that essential oils can be used with horses.
Boosting Your Horse’s Health
thanks
SOUNDS GREAT
Thank you for the information. Very helpful.
Interesting take.
Interesting, never thought of essential oils being that useful for horses.
Thanks for the well-informed guide!
yes oils are useful!!!
nice article
why not?
Essential oils for horses, interesting
I never would have thought to buy these, I rreally might have to give them a chance)
Thanks
definitely
A wealth of great info – THANKS for the info
I must say this is the first time I hear about this
Maybe I should try that.
Why essential oils? Why not just use the source herbs?
Using fresh herbs is a great option and it’s something I recommend in my free e-guide, but sometimes essential oils are the right option. They are shelf stable and last longer than fresh plants (some herbs are affected by seasonality/the weather) for one. It’s also easier to ensure the correct dosage/concentration when you are working with drops of essential oil, rather than plants you have mashed yourself.
I never thought of using essential oils on horses – thanks!
Will keep this awesome tips about the oils in mind, thanks!
wow i didn’t know we can put essential oils on horses thanks
Thank you!
great read
informative
Never knew essential oils could be so useful for horses. Great info!
Didn’t know about this!
EO’s are amazing for all creatures!!
Good to know! 🙂
I would not have thought about essential oils for horses. I know they can help cats and dogs.
Essential Oils are great for humans and animals must use high quality
I’m not the biggest fan of essential oils, but this does shed new light on a different technique.
Awesome information, thank you for sharing!
I don’t think a creature exists that wouldn’t benefit from essential oils. Great information, thank you!
My mother the horse trainer, use to make this mixture for my hair when I was a kid! Come to find out it was what she used for her show horses!
Wow I didn’t know essential oils could be applied this way!
I hate all the chemicals that are used in our cleaning and personal care products, and even those for our pets. I really feel they should all be banned because too many people just don’t get it and are careless with them, not realizing they go into our water supply which in turn goes into our food supply, and much of it can’t be cleaned out.
I have heard that there are certain essential oils that shouldn’t be used on animals, just like there are certain people foods that shouldn’t be fed to animals. I don’t know if there are ones that shouldn’t be used on horses but I’d recommend researching this further before throwing essential oils on your horse. I’m surprised this article didn’t make some sort of mention about this. It did make a slight mention of their products being safely formulated but that might not make much impact on an overly exuberant DIYer.
this is great, will try this
Fab essential oils can be helpful to people why not.horses too
Great Info ♥️
Awesome read… as a member of a family who have always had horses… this is interesting. Will definitely try . Thanks again for the information !!!!
I am new to essential oils. I have heard positive reviews on them in reference to pets.
The white horse in the picture is the most beautiful horse I have ever seen. I have always one wanted marked like that!
essential oils are so amazing use on humans to animals thanks for sharing
I would have assumed that they are needed 🙂
I’ve been using essential oils with my horses for a few months and am still amazed ! Great article
Yes, from what I’ve read they do help. Thanks for the info.
Love the information about the use of oils all of our animals love it as much as we love using them too. I find they really love the lavender and sandalwood too.
Very informative I never would have thought about this! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I wish I could afford a horse.
I didn’t know that essential oils are so good! Thanks for sharing the review.