Aromatherapy is a holistic treatment that uses plant extracts to encourage health and wellbeing based on the idea that specific scents trigger certain reactions, including relaxation and stress relief. Lavender is often touted to bring about feelings of relaxation and calmness in humans that inhale its scent. A recent study suggests that this scent can calm horses, as well.
The University of Arizona used eight dressage horses for an aromatherapy study. Cardiac parameters were taken before, during and after they inhaled air that had been infused with a lavender scent from a humidifier. Each horse was also tested using air infused with chamomile essential oil and plain water.
The horses wore monitors that collected information on heart rate, time intervals between heartbeats and heart rate variability (HRV) during each testing period. HRV increases when a horse is relaxed.
Trial data showed that inhaled lavender relaxed seven of the study horses, while the chamomile oil relaxed just two of the eight horses. The researchers note that some horses may be more sensitive to the smell of lavender and chamomile than others. The team also reported that none of the horses was exposed to external stressors during the study period. Physiological effects subsided when the inhalation of the oil stopped.
Read more at EQUUS magazine.
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