Can you use essential oils for your horses?

The short answer is yes! There is a long list of horse-friendly oils that can provide a wide variety of benefits including pain relief, reduced inflammation, wound care, insect repellent and bite relief, stress reduction and emotional balance, and even relaxation of muscle tension.

This summer, I am starting my own deep dive into the world of essential oils and their safe use for our equine friends with my mentor and coach, Ruth Mitchell-Golladay. Ruth is a certified animal aromatherapy specialist and a world-renowned physiotherapist. (I am taking her Level 1 and 2 Equine Myofascial Release courses next month in Maryland and I am so excited, but more on that later!) I highly encourage you to follow Ruth on her YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@EssentialOilsAnimalsandHumans

The first oil experience I’ll have to share with you and your horse is called the Balance Technique. With this technique, the essential oil blend (Balance from Doterra) is applied topically to acupoints around each hoof, followed by the sacrum, withers and poll area. This blend is known for its calming and grounding effects and from my personal experience, is a great way to help horses deeply relax and settle in at the start of their bodywork session.

As a current member of the Wellness Membership, I’ll have a free sample of the Balance essential oil blend for you at our next session! We can try out the technique for your horse, show you all the steps for application and you’ll have a bottle to keep practicing on your own.

I’m so excited to share this new adventure with you and your horses! If you have any questions about essential oils or how to safely include them in your horse’s care, please reach out so we can chat!