Effect of Aromatherapy on Equine Heart Rate Variability.

This research sought to understand whether using aromatherapy can increase heart rate variability in horses and therefore lessen stress. The study discovered that lavender was effective as a calming agent.

Introduction

• The study was primarily motivated by the fact that horses are highly sensitive creatures with intelligent olfactory senses and a heightened stress response. In this context, it was speculated that aromatherapy may have a beneficial effect on their state of wellness, specifically heart rate variability.
• Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of variation in the time between each heart beat and is used as an indicator of stress and health condition.

Methodology

• The study was conducted on eight dressage horses and two aromas – lavender and chamomile – were examined as part of the aromatherapy treatment.
• The process involved a controlled procedure whereby the horses were exposed to both humidified essential oil (experimental treatment) and humidified air (control treatment) in separate cycles.
• HRV was recorded for seven minutes prior to and after the treatment, during the treatment, and half an hour post treatment.
• The experiment was repeated a number of times to determine consistencies and variations in the results.

Results

• The study found that lavender had a significant impact on the horses’ RMSSD (root mean square of successive differences) which increased post treatment and thereby improved HRV.
• Moreover, the percentage of very low-frequency HRV oscillations was also reduced with lavender intervention.
• On the contrary, chamomile had variable effects, none of which were significant enough to demonstrate a considerable influence on the horses’ well-being from a HRV perspective.

Conclusion

• The research findings suggest that lavender aromatherapy is effective as a calming agent for horses, helping to increase their HRV and lower stress.
• The results also infer that not all aromas have the same impact, as was evident from the inconsistent impact of chamomile on the horses’ well-being, and underline the importance of future research in this area to gain a better understanding.