4 Great Reasons Horse Owners Love Tea Tree Oil (and you should too!)

For a long time, horse owners have found tea tree oil immensely helpful for treating all sorts of ailments and creating helpful remedies for their companions. Tea tree oil is a potent essential oil distilled from the leaves of the tea tree (scientifically known as melaleuca alternifolia). The tea tree is found throughout Australia, especially throughout swampy areas and along rivers. The indigenous communities used these leaves for various extractions, poultices, and bindings for both themselves and their animals. It was only natural that settlers picked up on this and did the same. Even after so many years later, it’s still common among horse owners to use tea tree oil.   

Flowers and foliage of Melaleuca alternifolia.[1]

It’s great on moist skin infections 

Every spring, horses are at risk for an infection called rain rot. Rain rot is a skin infection characterized by dermatitis, exudation, and sometimes scab formation over the skin. Horses living in damp conditions are at risk for it. Treatment has owners dry the affected area out, clean it, and apply an oily germicide to help clear up the infection. Tea tree oil is great in this case since it helps to dry the skin out, while also having some antimicrobial activity. Essential oils used in this way have been shown to not just desiccate the wounds, but also draw out exudate and clear out the wound. The antimicrobial efficacy helps to control the bacteria and let the skin heal!  

It’s a wonderful shampoo 

As you know, horses get dirty. For horses in dressage competitions, where their appearance really matters, a good wash down is important. Shampoos with tea tree oil offer a mild aroma therapy and help to keep their coat clean. Tea tree oil in light dilutions can help stimulate the coat giving it a natural luster and shine. Tea tree oil also helps clean the coat of contaminants, like bacteria, helping to reduce the risk for infections, like rain rot above. Not to mention that tea tree oil smells great to us humans and is not too strong to bother horses!  

It’s excellent for wound care 

Tea tree oil can be found in many products for wound care on horses. This is because tea tree oil’s natural antibacterial effect helps keeps wounds clean and free of infection. While it’s often diluted with other products that form a combined healing affect, tea tree oil itself is a wonderful wound aid. While some animals can experience an intense tingling sensation, tea tree oil stimulates the skin and helps elicit a healing effect, as well as killing bacteria and breaking up exudates.  

It helps repel insects 

Insect repellents are a subject of some debate. Most of the more potent repellents have chemicals or compounds that aren’t exactly safe. DEET is a great example, which when used in excess, can be quite damaging to the horse’s skin and can cause long term damage. While tea tree oil shouldn’t be used in great concentrations either, it’s a natural alternative with less risks. Tea tree oil used in the barn can help repel insects due to its strong scent. Especially when used in other products, it helps give a scent that is not appealing to insects and keeps them away.  

With so many horse owners finding tea tree oil helpful, we hope these few reasons show you some its great uses. HoneyCure uses a 2% or less tea tree oil dilution that help augment the healing effects of manuka honey. At this dilution, it’s safe for horses, cats, and dogs! 

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[1]. Derrin, Geoff. “Melaleuca alternifolia flowers.” Melaeuca, Wikipedia, Casino, Australia, 1 Nov. 2017, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Melaleuca_alternifolia_flowers.jpg. 

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