Lavender Sniff Can Keep Your Horse Calm

Washington DC, July 29: Horse owners can reduce the stress level of their horses by simply swallowing lavender.

Researchers from the University of Arizona discovered that horses that breathe lavender

During the study, researchers used horses to teach students the heart rate and the variability of the heart rate, which is a measure of the variation in the time between each heartbeat

. level of stress that a person or animal experiences, although variability in heart rate is a much more sensitive measure.

Heart rate has been the focus of limited research on the use of aromatherapy to calm horses in the presence of stress. like towing. In one study, the horses were frightened by an air horn and then supplied with moisturized lavender air. The heart rate of the horses increased in response to the air horn, but returned to normal more quickly in those who breathed lavender.

"We wanted to test normal horses that are not stressed by external forces, so we wanted to use horses that did not deliberately fear what effect, if any, aromatherapy had on them," said researcher Ann Baldwin

led to a small pen and held by a volunteer while a diffuser containing lavender essential oil was held close to the horse's nose.A monitor was monitoring the frequencies heart rate and variability of the heart rate for a total of 21 minutes, seven minutes before the introduction of the presenter, seven minutes with the broadcaster nearby, and seven minutes after its removal.

Data was supported by horses observed behavior, which often included relaxation signals such as lowering of the neck and licking and chewing during the inhalation of lavender.

The experiment nce was repeated with water vapor and chamomile.

"We got a soothing effect with lavender, but when we measured thereafter, we had more effect.It's just during the sniffing of lavender that we let's see this calming effect, "adds Baldwin. ] Research has direct implications for riders who may be looking for new or natural ways to calm an anxious or nervous horse. Traditional tranquilizers often have long-term effects, while lavender can be used with precision and precision as needed.

The results were published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.