Essential Oils

[Lilly Harvey]

I would like to try aromatherpy (sorry if spelt wrong) with my two ponies but I do not know where to get the oils from, I was wondering if you could use the same ones that you use for people, if not where can I buy then from.

[ponyvet]

It depends on what you want to use it for and how you plan to use them. Some of the oils are irritant to humans and need to be added to a carrier before you can use them. In horses this is even worse as some of the carriers are irritant. Also in humans the oils are rubbed into the skin and this is not so easy on a hairy pony.

I can give you limited advice on which ones cannot be used and how you might like to use them, but like I said it depends on the reasons why and how.

There are lots of them essential oils which are actually toxic to horses too so you need to be aware of that, and also you need to know that some horses are very sensitive to smells and many of the purposes we use particular oils for in ourselves don't have the same effect in horses if they don't like the smell!!

[intouch]

There are lots of articles on www.naturalhorse.com about aromatherapy and other alternatives for horses.