Last week I talked about the most important essential oil to keep at your barn.

This week we’re going to talk about what your horse thinks is the most important essential oil to keep at the barn. You likely won’t be surprised to learn that it’s Peppermint.

Go to any tack store and you’re sure to find Peppermint flavored horse treats. The cat is out of the bag - horses love Peppermint!

Peppermint Vitality (approved for internal use) is great to add to drinking water for you AND your horse! Trust me, your horse will thank you.

I recently had a vet appointment for my horse Gracie and she needed to be given a pill orally. The vet suggested I get special treats to put them in because horses won’t eat the pill out of your hand. While he was standing there, I put a drop of Peppermint Vitality on the pill and my horse - you guessed it - ate it right out of my hand.

Peppermint isn’t just for treats. My horse Seven is black and during hot summer days he loves to be sprayed with the “Keep Me Cool” spray recipe found in my book. I’ve been known to spray myself with that mixture or sometimes I just put a drop of Peppermint on the back of my neck and I immediately feel cooler.

Trying to learn a new Dressage test? Studies have shown that inhaling Peppermint essential oil improves memory and increases alertness.

From a safety standpoint, avoid using Peppermint around animals that have epilepsy.

With all the benefits of Peppermint essential oil and Peppermint Vitality, it’s no wonder your horse thinks it’s the most important essential oil to have at the barn!

How do you use Peppermint around your horse?

If you keep only one essential oil at the barn, let it be Lavender.

A study has shown that Lavender improves recovery time in acute-stressed horses.

Need a calm horse for a vet appointment? Rub 1-2 drops of Lavender in your palms and invite your horse to smell your hands. Watch for signs of release from your horse, like licking and chewing. It’s a sign that it’s working!

Wear a few drops on a diffuser necklace when you’re at the barn so your horse comes to associate feelings of relaxation with you. This is great to do for new-to-you horses and rescued horses.

Flies HATE Lavender. One day, I forgot fly spray so in a pinch I rubbed Lavender down my horse’s legs. Not only did the flies leave him alone, but he was the most relaxed he’d ever been!

Lavender is great to use in DIY mane & tail detangler. I have a recipe in my book, and the detangler is not just for horses - you can use it, too!

Lavender is not just for horses. I once packed a kit of essential oils to keep at the barn. That same day I got rope burn from doing groundwork with an exuberant horse. I put a few drops of Lavender on my palm and it felt better in no time!

A word of caution regarding Lavender. More Lavender is sold every year than is actually grown. Some companies put synthetic ingredients in their Lavender oil which can be dangerous to use topically on you or your horse. This is why I only use Lavender essential oil from Young Living.

Every Wednesday I’ll be sharing tips on using essential oils with your horses. Connect with me on social media and let me know what you think! I’m on Facebook and Instagram.

I am often approached by young women wanting to know if essential oils can help their anxiety. The good news is that there's a lot of research on this topic. Orange essential oil, for example, was effective in helping women overcome their anxiety in labor. So was geranium. Lavender reduced preoperative anxiety in ambulatory surgery patients.

Because of the connection the sense of smell has on the amygdala (which I discussed in my last blog post), essential oils can help that fight or flight response in all animals - including the human animal! 

The examples listed above deal with acute anxiety - anxiety related to a specific situation. When people have chronic anxiety (which I have dealt with myself), the answer is a little more complicated. By the way, I am not a doctor so I am not trying to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease; let's just make that clear. I'm sharing what has gotten me off the path of chronic anxiety. 

What I want to ask people when they want to know if essential oils can help their anxiety is this: 

• Are you a chronic people pleaser?

• Are you a perfectionist?

• Are you more worried about what others think of you than what you think of yourself?

• When you are asked what you want, whether it's which movie to see, restaurant to go to, or what you want out of life, do you have a hard time answering?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you'll need to deal with that need-to-please perfectionism. Perfection isn't attainable. It really isn't. 

The good news is that perfectionism isn't the key to leading a whole-hearted life - vulnerability is. I recommend reading Brene Brown's Gifts of Imperfection if you struggle with this and want to learn more. 

Can essential oils help you in your journey to whole-hearted wellness? Absolutely! I think if you struggle with chronic anxiety you need to show yourself some compassion. I recommend the following Young Living essential oil blends for that:

• Acceptance

• Forgiveness

• Freedom

• Gathering

• Harmony

• Hope

• Release

• Surrender

• Valor

If you want more information on bringing essential oils in to your life, send me an email at kristen@sunshineknoll.com.