Essential oils for horses

Keeping flies away

It's said that to keep flies away, you should plant a hazelnut tree near the stall. But that's not always possible... To stop flies harassing your horse, there's a simple and effective recipe: pour 3 drops of citronella or lemon-grass essential oil onto the brush and brush your horse (as usual). You can also make a spray from water (2/3 liter), vinegar (1/3) and essential oils (no more than 10 drops of a mixture of citronella, lemon-grass, clove, lavender and cedar). Always shake well before use, as essential oils do not remain diluted in water.

Sanitizing your horsebox

Your horse's stall needs to be kept clean and dry...but that's also what mice love to do, as they can make their homes there. So, to avoid finding yourself with these unwanted visitors, when cleaning the floor, give it a final rinse with clear water and peppermint (or country mint, for that matter) essential oil. Use around 20 drops of essential oil per 5 liters of water.

Hoof rot

Hoof rot is a problem that affects all horses, as well as donkeys. It can be treated with warm compresses soaked in the following lotion: 12 drops of chamomile essential oil (noble or German), 12 drops of thyme essential oil (linalool) and 6 drops of lemon balm essential oil, mixed with 10 tablespoons of rose hip vegetable oil (preferably, if not jojoba). For each compress, use just 1 teaspoon of this mixture. For an even more effective treatment, wash the stall regularly with a similar preparation: chamomile, thyme and lemon-grass essential oils (5 to 7 drops of each), mixed with 3 liters of water per cleaning.

Relieving limb pain

To relieve the pain of a fracture (the worst thing that can happen to a horse), use ginger essential oil as a compress (about 10 drops of ginger essential oil for 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil). For the horse's comfort, we recommend slightly heating the oil to be applied to the compress. Cabbage leaves can also be used as a compress (see "Scrapes and wounds" above).

Massages are also a great help in relieving pain and preventing calcification. For a massage lotion, use 10 drops of thyme essential oil and 10 drops of rosemary essential oil. Dilute in 6 tablespoons of jojoba essential oil.

Precautions for use

For animals, the precautions for use are broadly the same as those for humans.

• Scrupulously respect recommended dosages and directions for use, which may differ according to the routes of absorption indicated by your veterinarian/aromatherapist.
• Do not administer essential oils to a baby animal.
• If your animal is expecting or breast-feeding: we recommend not using essential oils during this period. Some essential oils may have an abortifacient or milk-suppressing effect, even when diffused in the air.
• Do not use essential oils on epileptic, asthmatic or allergic animals > Never inject essential oils intravenously or through the muscle.
• Allergy: It is advisable to carry out an allergy test before using an essential oil. To do this, apply a drop of essential oil (mixed with a drop of vegetable oil) to the crease of the elbow. If there is no reaction after 24 hours, you can use the essential oil. Particular attention should be paid to the following essential oils: Ceylon cinnamon, Mint, Litsée and Lemon balm.
• Respiratory allergies, asthma: The use of essential oils for atmospheric diffusion is contraindicated. > Never apply essential oils to the eyes, ear, nose or ano-genital mucous membranes.
• Accidental eye splashes: Wipe the eye with absorbent cotton soaked in pure vegetable oil, or apply one or more drops of vegetable oil to the eyeball. Do not wash with water!
• Essential oils are not water-soluble. If you pour them into a bath or dish, they float to the surface and may cause skin irritation or burns. Always dilute them beforehand (p.ex. in neutral liquid soap, vegetable oil, honey, liquid cream, Solub-HE).
• Avoid skin and coat contact with essential oils of Cinnamon, Exotic Basil, Mint, Clove, Niaouli, Thyme, Scots Pine, Marjoram, Savory, Lemon Grass. They are dermo-caustic. Used undiluted, they can irritate or even burn your pet's skin.
• A veterinarian is irreplaceable in cases of serious illness or prolonged use.