Amanda-Roxborough
Raindrop Therapy on a Horse
Raindrop Therapy on a Horse
Equine Raindrop Therapy is a hands-on video produced by New Era Productions and hosted by Heather Mack, VMD, a holistic veterinarian from Idaho. Raindrop therapy (RDT) is a simple and powerful treatment for horses of all disciplines. It originated from Dr. Young of Young Living Oils in his Raindrop Therapy for humans.
This treatment is said to enhance the immune system, alleviate pain along the spine and generally invigorate the horse. The video provides an introduction to essential oil usage on horses therapeutically.
According to Dr. Mack, RDT is good for the injured horse, strengthens a horse's immunity, aids in recovery from surgery, and is a good preventive treatment for horses who are competing.
Some of the oils are intriguing:
Valor - considered a chiropractor in a bottle
Thyme and Oregano - used as an antiviral
Cypress - circulation
Birch - for arthritic pain
Basil - for gastrointestinal, and spastic muscle
Peppermint - which amplifies other oils
Marjoram - can relax and calm the animal
Two blended oils - V-6 and Orthoease
Dr. Mack shows in this video how she adapted the ancient Tibetan technique of applying essential oils, including the sequence of oils in the order most desired, the number of drops (3 and 6 depending on the area), the hand techniques involved in applying these oils to horses, their effect and the cautions involved.
After the treatment, warm towels are applied to the back of the horse over the spine and a cooler is placed over top. The horse becomes very relaxed. You may notice raised wheels on the spine, which is a normal response (the toxins are leaving the body). Because this is the desired outcome, Dr. Mack recommends not putting a saddle on sometimes up to 2 days after the treatment and to keep the horse out of the sunlight that day.
I thought the video was well done and the horses obviously loved the treatment. In my practice, which includes show horses, there really is no down time so this treatment regimen doesn't work for me. But if the horse were available for some time off this would be a good time to do a treatment. Start with a few oils, read about them, try them on yourself, then try them on your horse. Let him sniff the bottle or put on your wrist and see his reaction. It is a great modality, but I recommend studying the treatment and experimenting on oneself prior to using it on your horse.
Reviewed by Karyn Erickson, CMT, LMT Karyn Erickson's practice incorporates humans and horses.