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.
“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.
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