Scent Enrichment for Horses: 5 Easy Scents for Sensory Enrichment and Boredom Relief

Scent enrichment can be a perfect way to provide extra boredom relief for your horse, especially during stall time. Adding different smells to your horse’s environment keeps things varied. And scent enrichment for horses is easy for any equestrian. But what are the best (and let’s not lie – easiest!) options for equine scent enrichment? Here are five options that will help you get started. 

What is Scent Enrichment for Horses?

Scent enrichment is adding different smells to your horse’s environment, giving the opportunity to use their sense of smell and experience something different. Scent enrichment is a way to add variety and get your horse’s brain and body working in natural ways.

We don’t often pay much attention to smell, but horses have a much better sense of smell than  humans. Being in a stall, where everything smells the same all the time, causes your horse to miss out on sensory input. It’s a little like walking around with earplugs and sunglasses that you can’t take off. 

Horses smell everything in their environment – even manure – and that’s just a normal part of being a horse.

Part of avoiding boredom and its negative affects means encouraging your horse to use their senses. Scent enrichment means adding back some natural smells, or just varied and different scents, so that your horse gets to experience variety while in a stall. You can also use scent enrichment outdoors! 

All you have to do is pick a surface, add smell, and let your horse enjoy. 

I like using special DIY items for scent enrichment so that I can contain the smell to one spot for the horse to sniff or avoid as they choose. The DIY Scent Board is a cute stall project you can make in a weekend and creates a great space for rubbing or spritzing scents:

So that’s the scoop on scent. Now let’s cover some of the best options for scent enrichment for your horse or pony. 

Scent 1: Horse Scents

A beginner-friendly scent enrichment option for horses is the smell of other horses.

Your horse’s sense of smell gives them all kinds of info about their herd mates. But during stall confinement, your horse can’t spend nose-to-nose time with others or sniff hoofprints and manure piles. 

You can help your horse feel closer to the herd by using equine scents in your stall enrichment plan. 

All you have to do is give another horse a thorough grooming, then transfer their scent onto your chosen scent object. Brush the buddy horse all over, picking up hair and making sure to get the “extra scented” areas like between front and back legs. Then brush your scent board, cushion, or other object with the brush you used on the herd mate. 

You can use the scent of a different horse each day, or combine the smells of all your horse’s friends onto one object. 

Scent Option 2: Essential Oils

Essential oils are what most people think of when scent crafts come to mind, and they’re also ideal for equine enrichment. 

Essential oils are highly concentrated and usually distilled from different plant products. They’re used in various combinations for aromatherapy, but you don’t need any special know-how to create scent variety for your horse. 

You’ll need a basic essential oil kit like this organic set from Amazon, or some sample oils from a local shop. Just apply the oil to your chosen scent location or object. Remember that essential oils are extremely concentrated and your horse has a very sensitive sense of smell, so don’t overdo it! A single drop on your scent object is plenty. 

You can also use an aromatherapy diffuser to add a bit of background scent to the stable. Changing the oil each day is a good way to provide flavor variety. However, make sure to keep the diffuser away from the horse’s stalls so that the scent isn’t overwhelming. Enrichment, including sensory enrichment, should be optional.

Because I like a little more flexibility and ease of use, DIY spritzers for essential oil blends work really well in my stable. They make applying essential oils a breeze and let you easily create interesting scent blends. 

Scent Option 3: Herbs and Spices

Fresh herbs and kitchens spices make excellent, all-natural choices for equine scent enrichment. They’re easy to find in the baking or seasoning aisle of any grocery store. 

Just crush fresh herbs or sprinkle out ground spices and rub onto your scent diffuser. You can mix and match for different combinations, or use a different scent each time you visit the stable for a rotating variety of smells. 

 Dried spices and herbs are easy to store and work with, but fresh herbs are also amazing – and enrichment like this is the perfect excuse to start an herb garden for your equine friend. 

Note that a few horses may associate some herbs or spices with food, so make sure that your horse doesn’t get confused and think that their scent board is hiding a snack. Observe your horse after adding any scent to their stall. 

Scent Option 4: Baking Extracts

Liquid flavor extracts can be found in the grocery store right beside the herbs and spices, so pick up a few of these versatile options when planning your horse’s scent enrichment. 

Baking extracts include the classic vanilla extract and creative, appealing flavors like peppermint, orange, and maple. 

Use liquid baking extracts the same way you’d use essential oils, a little at a time on surfaces. But unlike essential oils, flavor extracts are meant to be used in food, so many of them can also do double duty as flavor variety options in your horse’s daily meals. 

Because the scent and flavor are carried by alcohol, which evaporates, baking extracts aren’t as long-lasting as essential oils. They’re a good choice for horses who need regular change and variety. 

Scent Option 5: Fresh Foods

For more creative scent variety, hit the other side of the grocery store or market and pick up some fresh fruits, veggies, or flowers. 

The natural world is full of interesting smells, many of which come from plants. Some fruits or veggies smell great to us, and others just neutral – but all of them are great options for scent variety. 

Oranges, lemons, and limes are great starter choices. You can rub some grated zest onto your scent board, or even scratch the peel of the fruit and rub the entire fruit onto your scent item instead (staring at you will be great enrichment for your fellow boarders). 

Fresh ginger is another great choice, as are fresh flowers. Peppery mustard greens, garlic and onion are also highly scented. Note that you shouldn’t feed either of these to your horse, but using their scent as enrichment is perfectly fine. 

How to Tell if Your Scent Enrichment for Horses is a Hit

Because scent enrichment is an option that doesn’t involve food or play, it can be harder to tell whether your horse enjoys the experience. 

It’s okay for them to be neutral about the scents. Simply creating sensory variety is probably beneficial if your horse is confined to a stall. As long as they show interest or ignore the smells – and don’t appear to dislike them – keep using them. 

Some signs of interest include approaching the scent board, standing with the head close to the scent, and displaying the Flehmen response (curling up the lip). If your horse likes a smell or finds it especially comforting, they may spend extra time near the scent object with a relaxed expression and posture. 

Don’t overdo it with scent – remember, your horse’s sense of smell is better than yours! A small amount of scent is better than an overwhelming amount. One scent at a time is probably more enjoyable than many competing smells.

Always place the scent object away from your horse’s food and water. This helps you determine whether they’re seeking out the smell. And if your horse doesn’t care for a scent, they won’t have to experience it every time they need a drink or a bite of hay. 

Once you have a good rotation of scents, you can add them to your enrichment routine for extra daily variety. It’s a simple but fun way to enrich your stalled horse’s life. 

Scent Enrichment for Horses: Related Content

These scent ideas work any scent enrichment strategy. 

Don’t miss the DIY Scent Board for a permanent, cute place to spritz your scent enrichment!

Sensory enrichment is covered in this post on Basic Stall Enrichment Strategies.