Wild grazing herbivores ingest a variety of plants to keep them healthy, this includes horses. Domesticated horses that are given the opportunity to self-select often choose a wide variety of remedies, possibly replicating what their wild ancestors do in the wild. They also ingest a large amount of volatile oils in their diet and interestingly, horses will often choose and repeatedly dose with a range of essential oils.
Due to their massive size they would obviously require larger doses than a cat or dog would need. There are many practitioners that will leave it up to the horse to decide their own dose. Be sure that any fresh, dried or powdered herbs are presented in a quantity that is still safe if the horse decides to eat it all.
A stable is the best place to offer a session of self-selection to horses as long as they are able to walk out and around. Many practitioners will have hay, drinking water and a salt lick available to them during self-selection as they tend to use these during sessions which will keep them calmer. When it comes to remedy selection, a variety of fresh, dried and powdered herbs can be laid out, spaced apart in shallow feed buckets, feeding scoops or wide shallow Tupperware boxes on the stable floor.
It is best to present essential oils one at a time from the other side of the stable door allowing a separation between the horse and the bottle. It is good to be aware that horses have been known to steal bottles of essential oils from the owner or practitioner’s hands if they are drawn to them, so be careful! If beneficial, practitioners will use essential oils internally with horses by adding them to their water buckets, but this would only be done by professional practitioners and a holistic veterinarian’s approval. Inhalation can work just as well, horses respond very well in this way and instead they can use aromatic herbs internally. They would still have access to the volatile compounds in a less concentrated manner. If a horse does end up selecting an essential oil, they may just want to inhale it. Be patient and let them come and go to the scent until they have had enough by no longer showing interest for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Horses (suffering from pain especially), often like to have their chosen essential oil applied topically. If pain is suspected, include an array of analgesic essential oils, especially carrot seed essential oil, St John’s wort infused carrier oil or aloe vera gel to dilute down the essential oils. When applying, use slow circular strokes on the horse.
You can also offer fresh herbs to horses in their self-selection array which they can eat quite a bit of! Look for wild herbs in the area and offer them, if the horse responds well to them you can pick more and dry them so you can offer the remedy throughout the year.
Horses will select powdered herbs as well, most of them will lick up all of the powdered herbs offered. This could mean that more diversity in secondary compounds is needed. Try offering only a couple of remedies rich in volatile oils and a couple of remedies higher in tannins and bitters. This way you get a better idea of what they want and need with a wider selection for them. It is good to know that horses like salty-tasting, mineral-dense plants so be sure to include herbs like. nettles or bladderwrack seaweed.
It can be unclear when we try to assess how a horse responds to a remedy. The confusion comes due to the fact that they may show displeasure by flattening their ears, scraping their hooves or tossing their head doesn’t mean that the horse doesn’t want the remedy. Try introducing it again to them once they calm down and or start showing interest. It has been said that these displeasing reactions often come up with the remedy for the horse’s known health issue, which hints that the horse acknowledges the link, reacting to the health concern and not necessarily the remedy itself.
These are some signs that a horse is interested in a remedy:
- Chewing
- Swallowing
- Chin Quivering
- A Change In Breathing
- Breathing Into The Remedy (dampen powders down to prevent puffs of powder)
- Blinking And Narrowing Of The Head
- Lowering The Head Into A Hanging Position
- Standing Very Still
- Urinating Frequently
- Dropping Feces Frequently
- Whinnying
Practitioners will make a note of what the horse likes to graze on in their paddock or when out on rides. Considering what the constituents are in the selected plants and offering a more concentrated herbal source of these that they can offer the horse.
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