Team PracGrand Prix dressage rider and five-star eventer Lainey Ashker joined Dressage Today+ members on Oct. 13 for the Members-Only VIP Webinar “Learning From Multiple Disciplines.” Ashker is chasing excellence in two disciplines while she’s currently campaigning Zeppelin at Grand Prix dressage and Lovedance at the four-star level of eventing, running both programs out of her farm in Chesterfield, Virginia. She explained how she manages horses across two disciplines, using two training systems, and with two competition calendars. Ashker also answered audience questions about managing mental health in the horse world, dressing for success, and she’ll provide training tips for both disciplines.
The webinar began with Ashker sharing what a typical day looks like as far as training her horses for both upper-level dressage and eventing. With her riding career having mostly been focused on eventing, she talked about how she started down the path of pursuing upper-level dressage. Ashker continued discussing how she manages two different training systems and show schedules for eventing and dressage. Next up, she talked about her horses’ and her own fitness routines as well as mental health as a rider. Ashker closed out the first part of the webinar by sharing her thoughts on riders expressing themselves with eye-catching show attire. The webinar concluded with Ashker answering audience questions ranging from cross-training her horses to how she came up with Zeppelin’s freestyle music.