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THE POWER OF THE OLFACTORY SENSE IN HORSES
by IRENE FRENCH
It is said that our ancestors had something in common with the American Indians, that is, they both understood the importance of the olfactory sense in horses and they both used an aromatic substance to utilize this sense. Just like us humans, a horse’s thoughts and movements are influenced by its five senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell, which convey messages to the brain. But these days, only four of the afore-mentioned senses are considered when we deal with horses, the olfactory sense is the sense which modern man chooses (to his cost) to ignore. Why? The olfactory sense in horses is much stronger and important to him than ours is to us, and indeed is reputed to be as important and as strong, as that of a dog.
One eminent equine behaviourist states that wild horses can smell predators (including humans) from a quarter of a mile away. Another tells us that horses prefer to be with animals which smell like themselves, for example, of hay, grass and alfalfa. They do not like the smell of any meat-eating animal. This tends to put us humans at a distinct disadvantage when the horse is choosing a friend! But this can be rectified by the handler/rider/drive wearing ‘equine perfume’.
It is believed that equine aromatic calming fluids have been around for at least a hundred years, but is there anyone out there who would know just how long they have been used? Maybe they go back to the Roman times? Or even much further back. It would be very interesting if any reader could enlighten us on this subject.
“Pax” equine aromatic fluid is classed as a “perfume for human use” and is worn like a perfume on the hands of the groom/rider/driver/handler, not on the horse. When the horse can smell the perfume, it has the effect of making the horse feel at ease and compatible, as though the horse were in the company of other friendly or matriarchal horses with which it felt very safe.
The perfume does not induce lethargy nor is it habit-forming, nor does it have any physical or mental effect on the horse (or rider), nor does it enhance or alter normal performance.
Olfactory perfume is just as beneficial to today’s modern professional trainers as it was hundred years ago. When horses are calm, happy and relaxed, they are safer, they absorb knowledge more efficiently, training is more effective and time efficient, they perform better, and accidents are less likely to occur.
Amateurs also can benefit. Catching horses in fields is made easier, children get on with their ponies better, nervous horses become more amenable, injured horses become easier to handle etc. You can even place a drop in a stable or travelling box if the horse is nervous of being there. The benefits cover every aspect of man being with horses. One only has to use the perfume to appreciate its undoubted value . . . . .
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