Decades ago, before commercial treatments came into play, herbs made up the horseman’s entire medicine cabinet. The wise horse owner educated himself on herbs, learning their specialities of healing and what plants would help a horse… and which ones would harm him.
Today the skill of wildcrafting (collecting wild plants for cuisinal or medical properties) is largely lost among horse owners and people in general. With chemical remedies abounding, some people believe that herbs have no use anymore, or have no idea what they can do.
On my farm, we choose to use herbs whenever we can to help our animals. Since we have a variety of plants in our pasture, our animals can self medicate on versatile plants like Echinacea and black-eyed Susan, chickweed, dandelion, chicory, wild violet, raspberry leaves, birdsfoot trefoil, lespedeza… the list goes on and on.
I could devote an entire article series on herbs, but for now, I’m just going to focus on five. And since horses are prey animals, easily stressed by new elements, I’ll center on five herbs that are proven to help horses settle down and– to borrow the colloquialism– enjoy the ride.
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#1 Chamomile
An annual plant and native to Europe, Chamomile is probably one of the most common herbs, often seen in teas at the grocery store. It’s no surprise– the chamomile plant is full of benefits. Not only does it help with relaxing, it’s also used as a digestive aid, muscle relaxer, astringent (helps with releasing mucus from the lungs), and an anti-inflammatory. It’s high in magnesium, calcium, and potassium phosphates.
In horses, Chamomile is used mainly internally as a feed additive. As stress is usually expressed in digestive issues in horses, chamomile knocks out two birds with one stone: not only does it calm down the nervous system, but it also promotes gut health by soothing inflammation in the stomach and intestines.
Chamomile does have a mild sedative effect, so it shouldn’t be fed close to the time a horse is competing. Long term use in high doses can also have toxicity effects, so research appropriate doses before feeding your horse chamomile.
Some people also use chamomile in essential oil form, diluted, as aromatherapy to help stressed horses.
And if you don’t have a horse, try a cup of chamomile tea! They are calming to humans too, and with the school year starting back up, the less stress, the better.
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#2 Valerian
The herb Valerian’s name originates from a Latin word that means “to be strong and healthy”. Appropriate for such a powerhouse plant! It’s used to help with sleep disorders, anxiety, liver and digestive disorders, and nausea.
Valerian root is used as a feed additive to help relieve stress and is often combined with chamomile to help treat colic. While it can take a few days of consistent feeding for valerian to show effects, it is very effective at calming horses. It’s also used as aromatherapy for horses.
Valerian is banned by several organizations, including the FEI and Jockey Club, for it’s sedative effects, and thus should not be fed up to four days before a contest. It has also shown to have a negative affect on horses with kidney problems.
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#3 Lavender
Who hasn’t seen those picturesque horse calender photos of a gray horse standing amidst a field of lavender? Indeed, it is among chamomile as one of the more popular remedies for stress. So popular, in fact, that the American Farrier Journal even did an article on the benefits of lavender for horses.
Lavender is most often used in aromatherapy, although it is also sometimes given as a feed additive. Most studies show that it reduces heart rate and helps horses that are easily stressed by everyday tasks such as tacking up or routine farrier or vet appointments.
Lavender should be only fed in very small amounts, since overdosing can cause toxic effects.
(and for an awesome collection of lavender products, check out THIS article by the BackyardHorseBlog!)
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#4 Passion Flower
Passion flower is often used for ex-racehorses to help with their natural tendency for flightiness. Usually used alongside calming plants in the Nervine family (such as chamomile or valerian), passion flower helps horses with not just anxiety, but has also shown effect in horses prone to bolting or bucking. It’s strength is that it helps break nervous habits instead of simply calming the horse down by calming down the section of the brain responsible for habits created from anxiety.
It also can help with pain relief and has been shown to help horses with “cabin fever” type anxiety from long stall confinement, such as horses recovering from injuries or illness. It’s typically used as a feed additive powder.
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#5 Vervain
Vervain, also known as verbena, is used for horses who express anxiety through their skin, always twitching, flinching, and jumping. It also helps horses with habits such as cribbing and wind-sucking. Vervain re-balances the nervous system, allowing the horse to stop twitching and focus on the job.
It’s usually given in feed (it’s used in many of the popular Smartpak company’s calming blends) or as an essential oil. An herbaceous plant native to Europe, it grows as a perennial, meaning it comes back every year, although some species are only annual.
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Herbs are everywhere, and it can be surprisingly fun to go on an herb hunt with a good plant guide and see what you can wildcraft from your own backyard. As a word of caution, before consuming any plant or feeding it to your horse, make sure you know precisely what it is, and don’t feed or eat plants grown by the road– these plants often contain toxic heavy metals. And as always, before changing any diet or supplements, consult with your vet.
I hope this article proved informative and intriguing for you! Would you like to see more articles on herbs in the future? Post your thoughts in the comments below.
This is perfect! My family uses herbs to treat ourselves and our animals too. I think posting some more articles like this would be helpful for people who have horses. Thanks, Allie!