Researchers at Albion College in Michigan wanted to know if horses, like humans, would benefit from inhaling certain scents known to reduce stress. Researchers observed eight horses across two trips in horse trailers. The horses in this study were hauled for 15 minutes for two trips. On one trip, horses were exposed to an air diffusion of lavender oil, and on the other trip, they received an air diffusion of distilled water. Heart rate and cortisol levels were measured before and after each horse’s hauling. Post-transport cortisol levels were significantly lower when the horses were exposed to lavender when compared to the distilled water.
A small decrease in the post-hauling heart rate was observed with the lavender diffusion, but this was not found to be statistically significant when compared to the distilled water diffusion. These results suggest that more studies into lavender as another means for stress reduction in hauled or performance horses are warranted. These results were reported at a meeting of the American Physiological Society but are as yet, to my knowledge, unpublished.
Source: The Modern Equine Veterinarian, Issue 5/2017, p. 10.
