Making Liniment?

[crazybootlady]

I understand that the effects of the average liniment are fairly placebo, and that for cooling legs down, water often works fine. My horse will not allow the use of Absorbine or Bigeloil, he HATES the tingly feeling. Sore no More I’ve heard great reviews on, but it is expensive.

I was wondering if anyone has ever made their own liniment perhaps with dried arnica and whitchazel, and then diluted with water? I feel like the arnica could be helpful both for legs and as a body wash since it is useful for bruising and soreness… has anyone ever done something like this?

How long would something like that keep and not go rancid?

Thanks for any help.

[mlb722]

I use the green liniment stuff for humans from Walmart, it is rubbing alcohol mixed with wintergreen and some other things. It’s near the regular rubbing alcohol. In the summer I also add apple cider and dilute it to use as a body wash/fly repellent.

You could add witch hazel or arnica too, IMO.

[cheerio280]

So funny you mentioned this, because that idea just occurred to me the other day!

Some resources I came across in my search:
list of herbs for horses (including a section on liniment)
info on herbal preparations

I also took a look at the ingredients in this and this for comparison.

I chose a couple of different herbs and am going to play around with it

[crazybootlady]

cheerio280- please let me know how yours turns out! I’m still puttering around the interweb trying to decide what to try.

[One_Two_Three]

I second wintergreen alcohol as well. (either from dollar tree or walmart) mixed with witch hazel. I mix them 50/50 in a spray bottle and spray on the areas I want. If I want to do a bath, I cut the wintergreen alcohol 25/75 with cool water and sponge on. Has worked well for me.

[findeight]

Think you are going to get the “tingly feeling” he hates out of these though.

I just mixed wintergreen alcohol and witch hazel 50/50 too. Cost less then $2 a quart. Used it mostly as a brace in hot humid weather and all mine liked it then and hated it in cooler weather.

[WNT]

I stretch my Sore No More with the wintergreen rubbing alcohol and witch hazel.

[2DogsFarm]

I use the wintergreen alcohol & witch hazel, but mix in an equal amount of listerine-clone mouthwash for the antiseptic effect.
Makes my hands feel good too

[Simbalism]

When I have made my own linament, I used rosemary, lobelia, arnica, and lavender(be careful if you are showing to be sure ingredients don’t test) herbs and 50/50 witch hazel and plain rubbing alcohol. My mare also hates bigeloil.

[Appsolute]

hahah looks like we are all just about on the same page! I use wintergreen alcohol. I dilute it and make a body brace with it.

Out here in CA - with our mega drought, a sponge down with diluted wintergreen alcohol helps cut the sweat and grime faster, leaves my horse clean and fresh smelling, and helps cool her down - all while using less water than spraying her down with the hose.

I too have had a horse that HATED bigeloil - freaked out, and I never used the stuff again.

[trailpal]

My endurance friend Roger Rittenhouse has a homemade liniment that has worked well for him and his horses. (Roger has over 2300 competition miles). The brown mouthwash he mentions can be any generic “Listerine” but it needs to be the brown kind.

From Roger:
EQUAL PARTS in a gal jug

GREEN Alcohol (Methyl Silicate)
Witch Hazel
BROWN Mouthwash
ALOE GEL

A new modification :
Vinegar and Alum. I get this from outfits like Valley Vet/Jeffers.

[sk_pacer]

Equal parts water and vinegar (malt but white will do). Heat, but do not boil, and add 1/2 cup Epsom salts for every 40 oz liquid. Cool then add 4 oz witch hazel. If you add arnica leaves, allow them to steep for a couple of days but it is easier to add the same amount of extract as you did witch hazel.

The real purpose of a linament is the massage used to apply it, not the ingredients. Years ago, before there wasn’t the variety of assorted wonderful scented concoctions, good leg men did wonders with 50/50 water and rubbing alcohol, Listerine, and plain tap water because they applied the massage medium 3 times a day with loads of rubbing (with the hair).

[SuckerForHorses]

[QUOTE=One Two Three;8079873]
I second wintergreen alcohol as well. (either from dollar tree or walmart) mixed with witch hazel. I mix them 50/50 in a spray bottle and spray on the areas I want. If I want to do a bath, I cut the wintergreen alcohol 25/75 with cool water and sponge on. Has worked well for me.[/QUOTE]

I tried this last night and while it cut grime very well, I didn’t feel like it gave a “linimenty” affect like the store bought liniment tingle.

I mixed together:
16 oz. wintergreen alcohol
16 oz witch hazel
8 oz apple cider vinegar

I mixed this in a container to keep on hand.

Last night I added a few glugs of this mixture to approximately 1 gallon of water, and while it cut grime awesome, no tingle could be felt by my hands.

Any suggestions for a more tingly liniment recipe? Would adding the brown Listerine add more of a tingle?

[One_Two_Three]

[QUOTE=SuckerForHorses;8155643]
I tried this last night and while it cut grime very well, I didn’t feel like it gave a “linimenty” affect like the store bought liniment tingle.

I mixed together:
16 oz. wintergreen alcohol
16 oz witch hazel
8 oz apple cider vinegar

I mixed this in a container to keep on hand.

Last night I added a few glugs of this mixture to approximately 1 gallon of water, and while it cut grime awesome, no tingle could be felt by my hands.

Any suggestions for a more tingly liniment recipe? Would adding the brown Listerine add more of a tingle?[/QUOTE]

I’m sure the brown Listerine would add the tingle you’re looking for. I use wintergreen alc and witch hazel because I don’t want the tingle, I just want the basic cooling. I have a very sensitive skinned TB who can barely handle being brushed, let alone a tingle brace/liniment. But that Listerine makes my mouth cry (too strong for me) so I would assume that would give you the tingle you strive to achieve

[SuckerForHorses]

[QUOTE=One Two Three;8155652]
I’m sure the brown Listerine would add the tingle you’re looking for. I use wintergreen alc and witch hazel because I don’t want the tingle, I just want the basic cooling. I have a very sensitive skinned TB who can barely handle being brushed, let alone a tingle brace/liniment. But that Listerine makes my mouth cry (too strong for me) so I would assume that would give you the tingle you strive to achieve :D[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it’s pretty brutal! :lol:

I wouldn’t add a lot, just a splash to the mix I already have made up, in case she doesn’t like it, I won’t have a batch go to waste.

I will say though, after her sponge down with the mix I noted above, she was looking GOOD! I’m upset that I never gave this a try before! Usually I just hose off with water and call it good. That definitely did not cut the grime like my wintergreen/witch hazel/ACV mix! I’m hooked!

[One_Two_Three]

[QUOTE=SuckerForHorses;8155660]
Yeah, it’s pretty brutal! :lol:

I wouldn’t add a lot, just a splash to the mix I already have made up, in case she doesn’t like it, I won’t have a batch go to waste.

I will say though, after her sponge down with the mix I noted above, she was looking GOOD! I’m upset that I never gave this a try before! Usually I just hose off with water and call it good. That definitely did not cut the grime like my wintergreen/witch hazel/ACV mix! I’m hooked![/QUOTE]

:lol: well if nothing else it’s a great cleaner without all the suds!! The ACV def. leaves a nice shine on their coats! My BO pours it on her dappled gray after a bath to give him a gleaming coat!

[jawa]

If you add an ounce or two of baby oil to a quart, it helps the scurf to come up out of the coat grooming prior to a ride. I use it again after to cut the sweat.

Even better, in the winter, the baby oil added to the mix helps to cut down on static shock.

[jessiesgrrl]

Love this thread! So many awesome ideas to try out