Laine Ashker Horse Care Tips Archives - Practical Horseman https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/tag/laine-ashker-horse-care-tips/ Wed, 06 Aug 2025 20:17:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://s3.amazonaws.com/wp-s3-practicalhorsemanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/14150009/cropped-practical-horseman-fav-icon-32x32.png Laine Ashker Horse Care Tips Archives - Practical Horseman https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/tag/laine-ashker-horse-care-tips/ 32 32 Laine Ashker’s Secrets for Lustrous Locks and Show-Day Shine https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/health/laine-ashkers-secrets-for-lustrous-locks-and-show-day-shine/ Thu, 31 Jul 2025 15:26:44 +0000 https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/?p=30125 Over the course her eventing career, Laine Ashker has learned that keeping her horses’ manes, tails and coats in pristine condition requires daily attention, quality nutrition and a diligent grooming routine that includes smart use of shine-enhancing sprays. This consistent care keeps her horses’ coats and tails healthier overall and is crucial for achieving that horse-show glow.

“Everyone knows ShowSheen. It’s across all disciplines and is in everyone’s tack trunk because it’s great for shine and detangling,” she noted. “But I wanted to provide you with a little tidbit that I learned from a top five-star eventing groom.”

Tail care is a must at Ashker’s barn, and to get the best effect, she thoroughly sprays her horses’ tails with ShowSheen. Then, starting from the bottom, she uses her fingers to work the product into the hair all the way up to the dock and allows it to dry before brushing.

“This activates the detangling portion of the product, so that when you do go to brush out your horse’s tail, you won’t break any hair, which can eventually make the tail look thin and sparse,” she said. “This horse specifically has a fake tail, so I really want to avoid pulling or breaking those hairs, too. I also use the same treatment on my horses’ manes because of the great detangling effect it has on the individual hairs.”

In addition to using ShowSheen keep her horse’s manes and tails glowing and tangle-free, Ashker also applies it to her horses’ coats to bring out extra shine for the show ring. “I apply it to their coats when they’re still a little wet,” she said. “I think of it like a leave-in conditioner when you’re coming out of the shower, and it really creates that nice shine.”

Watch Ashker’s video below to learn how you can use her tips to keep your horse’s mane, tail and coat healthy and shiny.

About Laine Ashker

Five-star eventer and dressage professional Lainey Ashker has competed in numerous FEI competitions at the five-star level, including the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CC14* and the Defender Burghley Horse Trials CC15*. The horsewoman, who trains out of her Keystone Acres farm in Chesterfield, Virginia, also won the National Eventing Championship (Advanced Level) in 2013 aboard her long-time mount, Anthony Patch. More recently, she won her first CDI in May 2023 aboard her upper-level dressage horse, Zeppelin.  

This video is brought to you by Absorbine.

For More:

  • Learn how to beat the bugs this summer with Laine Ashker’s top tips for fly control here.
  • Gallop a CCI3* cross-country course with Ashker in this high-velocity GoPro footage, where she shares her strategies for tackling each obstacle over the challenging track at Maryland’s Fair Hill here.

]]> Beat the Bugs: Laine Ashker’s Top Tips for Fly Control https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/health/beat-the-bugs-laine-ashkers-top-tips-for-fly-control/ Mon, 02 Jun 2025 20:42:15 +0000 https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/?p=29594 When trying to choose the right fly spray, five-star eventer Laine Ashker says it’s important to consider your horse’s specific needs and to ensure you’re targeting bugs in the right way.

Generally, fly sprays contain natural and synthetic insecticides to knock down or deter flies on contact. Others like UltraShield Gold combine tried-and-true ingredients like pyrethrin and permethrin with fatty acids to repel flies while also disrupting their navigation systems to stop them before they bite.

Fly sprays like UltraShield Gold combine tried-and-true ingredients like pyrethrin and permethrin with fatty acids to repel flies while also disrupting their navigation systems to stop them before they bite.

“I love UltraShield Gold’s new formula because it totally disrupts the flies’ GPS so they don’t bite your horse,” Ashker said. “I use it on my horses in the show ring, on the trail, in their stalls, in the cross-ties and especially when they’re turned out.”

Ashker also finds the UltraShield Sport ideal for competing in the hot and humid Florida weather where she’s based due to its water-based formula that’s sweat resistant and repels dust.

“When I’m working my horses in either grand prix or four-star eventing they’re always going to be nice and sweaty, especially in Florida,” she noted. “I love this product—I call it the ‘Blue One’—because I know it’s going to last through all of my work. That’s important because I don’t want to have to keep spraying my horses while I’m in the warm-up.”

Watch Ashker’s video below for her tips on how to keep your your equine partner fly-free this summer.

About Laine Ashker

Five-star eventer and dressage professional Lainey Ashker has competed in numerous FEI competitions at the five-star level, including the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CC14* and the Defender Burghley Horse Trials CC15*. The horsewoman, who trains out of her Keystone Acres farm in Chesterfield, Virginia, also won the National Eventing Championship (Advanced Level) in 2013 aboard her long-time mount, Anthony Patch. More recently, she won her first CDI in May 2023 aboard her upper-level dressage horse, Zeppelin.  

This video is brought to you by Absorbine.

For More:

  • For Laine Ashker’s tips on how to create a healthy, shiny coat for the show ring, click here.
  • For her winning recipe for hoof health, click here.

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