Transcript THE EFFECT OF AOMATHERAPY OILS ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF …

THE EFFECT OF AROMATHERAPY OILS ON THE BEHAVIOUR
OF STABLED HORSES
Christine Glover, Deborah Goodwin
School of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK.
Results
INTRODUCTION
1000
140
900
Sunflower
Trial Mean
800
Aromatherapy is becoming increasingly popular as a complimentary therapy for
treating physical and behavioural problems in animals. Such oils are used to
promote relaxation in animals housed in stressful conditions (Graham et al.,
2004). Traditional equine management practices can create an environment that
some horses find stressful (McGreevy et al., 1995). This study aimed to
investigate the effects of aromatherapy oils on behaviour of stabled horses.
S.E.
Rose
120
700
Time (sec)
Chamomile
100
Peppermint
500
400
300
60
200
40
100
tiv
er
ha
m
om
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Su
nf
lo
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Ve
Se
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C
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R
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-20
G
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lic
Ya
rro
w
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pp
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m
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ee
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Dozing
C
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Stand Alert
om
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Movement
Pe
Vi
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Se
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tL
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20
N
Time (sec)
80
600
-40
Fig 2. Difference Between Treatments in Mean Duration of Behaviour Patterns
Friedman’s test was used to analyse the main effects of treatment, and showed a significant
effect of treatment on duration of movement (X2 = 9.9, df = 3 P<0.05) and standing alert (X2 =
9.0, df = 3 P<0.05). There were no significant effects of treatment on duration of other observed
variables, though the difference in duration of dozing approached significance (X2 = 7.4, df = 3
P <0.1). Wilcoxon signed ranks tests were used to compare treatment effect.
Fig 1. Group Mean Duration of Oral Investigation of Wooden Blocks
Trial I results found that the three most attractive aromatherapy
oils were, Rose, Roman Chamomile and Peppermint.
40
Sunflower
35
Rose
Roman Chamomile
30
Peppermint
Time (sec)
25
20
15
10
METHODS
Discussion
These 2 replicated trials investigated the behavioural effects of
aromatherapy oils on 12 stabled horses, divided into 3 groups
according to stable design.
The results from trial I showed that the horses found some of the aromatherapy oils more attractive than
others (Fig 1). Further study involving paired preference tests is suggested to further investigate equine
preferences for different aromatherapy oils.
TRIAL I
In trial II, no significant difference was found between the duration of the nine behaviour patterns
recorded on days 1, 3 or 5 of trial II, suggesting that the horses did not habituate to these odours.
In trial I, 12 aromatherapy oils were separately presented as
drops of oil on wooden blocks. Behaviour was videoed and the
mean duration of olfactory investigation of the blocks used to
assess attractiveness of the 12 oils. The three oils with longest
duration of olfactory investigation were used in trial 2:
• Rose (Rosa damascena),
• Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)
• Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
TRIAL II
In trial II, these oils and Sunflower oil as a control, were each
presented individually for five days. On days 1, 3 and 5
behaviour was recorded for 30 minutes using wall-mounted
video cameras. Data was harvested from tapes according to a
nine mutually exclusive behaviour ethogram using the Observer
v.5 package and analysed using SPSS v.12.
5
0
Group 1
Rose and Roman Chamomile are thought to produce a calming effect upon mood (Umezu, 2000
Williams, 1992). The results of trial II (Fig 2), suggest that both Rose and Roman Chamomile do produce
a relaxing effect upon horses resulting in less movement and standing alert behaviour.
Peppermint oil is generally thought to have a stimulating effect upon behaviour (Umezu et al., 2001). The
results from trial II suggest that Peppermint does not produce a stimulating effect upon the behaviour of
stabled horses. However, Peppermint was the last oil to be presented in trial II, so the observed results
may be due to the carry-over effects of previously calming oils.
Limitations of this study included the small sample size, and its short duration, as equine aromatherapy
treatments are normally of 2 weeks duration (Faith, 2002). Further study is required to observe if the
effects of these oils becomes more pronounced with increased exposure to the fragrances.
Group 2
Group 3
Fig 3. Mean Duration of Movement Behaviour
Friedman’s test indicated a significant difference between
the three groups (X2 = 11.3, df = 2 P < 0.005) in mean
duration of the nine behaviours.
Conclusion
In this short-term trial the horses demonstrated increased
attraction to Peppermint, Rose and Roman Chamomile
aromatherapy oils. Rose and Roman Chamomile oils
resulted in behaviour suggesting increased relaxation. This
study did not demonstrate any stimulating effects of
Peppermint oil on behaviour of horses. Significant
differences were found between the behaviour of the horses
housed in the three different types of stable.
References
Faith, C., (2002), ‘Essential Oils for Horses’. J.A. Allen, Clerkenwell House, London. pp 18-75.
Graham, L., Wells, D.L. & Hepper, P.G., (2005), ‘The Influence of Olfactory Stimulation on the Behaviour of Dogs Housed in a Rescue Shelter’. Applied Animal
Behaviour Science. Volume 91 (1-2): 143-153.
McGreevy, P.D., Cripps, P.J., French, N.P., Greene, L.E. & Nicol, C.J., (1995), ‘Management Factors Associated with Stereotypic and Redirected Behaviour in
the Thoroughbred Horse’. Equine Veterinary Journal, 27 (2): 86-91.
Umezu, T., (2000), ‘Behavioural Effects of Plant-derived Essential Oils in the Geller Type Conflict Test in Mice’. Japanese Journal of Pharmacology, 83 (2): 150153.
Umezu, T., Sakata, A. & Ito, H., (2001), ‘Ambulation-promoting Effects of Peppermint Oil and Identification of its Active Constituents’. Pharmacology
Biochemistry and Behaviour, 69 (3-4): 383-390.
Williams, R.A., (1992), ‘The Effect of Olfactory Stimulation on Fluency, Vividness of Imagery and Associated Mood: A Preliminary Study’. British Journal of
Medical Psychology, 63 (2): 197-199.