Laine Ashker Becomes the US Equestrian Open’s First Dual-Discipline Athlete

On Saturday at Bouckaert, Laine Ashker and Lovedance finished 10th in the third qualifier of the 2026 US Equestrian Open Eventing Series. It was the combinations first completion at the top-level, having had previous strong results at the 3* level.

With this completion, Laine Ashker is now the first rider to have competed in the US Equestrian Open competitions in both dressage and eventing. While Lovedance carries her eventing ambitions, Zeppelin, is her Grand Prix dressage partner.

Two horses. Two disciplines. One rider doing it all from a farm in Chesterfield, Virginia.

Born Into the Sport

Ashker's connection to horses is in her blood. Her mother Valerie competed at the preliminary eventing level until she was seven months pregnant, meaning Laine was practically riding and competing horses before she was born. 

Val’s influence ran through her daughter’s entire career, and nowhere was it clearer than in her love of the off-the-track Thoroughbred. Of the four horses Laine has taken to five-star level, three were OTTBs.

As a teenager, Laine’s family relocated from California to Virginia. A move made entirely to support her eventing career. 

The Eventing Path

Laine made her international eventing debut at age 19 with Frodo Baggins, with whom she won a silver medal at the North American Young Rider Championships before later producing him up to the top level. Since then, she has ridden 16 horses in FEI eventing across more than 100 starts, including competing at the highest level of the sport (CCI5*) with four different horses.

Laine Ashker and Anthony Patch at Kentucky CCI5* in 2010.

Laine currently only rides Lovedance internationally. However, she often has another horse running alongside him at national level. Last year it was the five-year-old Supercilious. 

Laine has produced Lovedance from his first CCI1* as a six-year-old all the way to a top-10 finish in the US Equestrian Open Qualifier at Bouckaert against some serious competition. Unsurprisingly, Lovedance has had some strong performances in the dressage phase, often scoring sub-30, including at Bouckaert this past weekend.

The Dressage Chapter

The dressage dimension of Laine's career came about in a very unique way. She posted a Craigslist ad offering riding lessons. A woman named Ann Wilson was the only person to respond. She owned an Andalusian who she wanted trained through the levels. That single reply started a chain of events that would lead Laine to earn her USDF Gold Medal, win Zeppelin’s first CDI in May 2023, and eventually compete at Grand Prix on two horses.

Laine Ashker and Zeppelin at the US Equestrian Open Final of Dressage in November 2025.

In the US Equestrian Open dressage series, Laine Ashker and Zeppelin have built a compelling record across five starts, averaging 70.882% in the Freestyle. heir best performance in the series came at the Mid-Atlantic Dressage Festival in May 2025, winning with 73.015%.

After competing in the US Equestrian Open of Dressage CDI5* final in the season, Laine became a 5* athlete in both dressage and eventing, a rare achievement for any equestrian athlete. She finished in 12th with a score of 66.260%.

Building Toward the Finals

The Bouckaert CCI4*-S result opens the conversation around whether Laine Ashker and Lovedance will travel to the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final - no small consideration for a ten-year-old still finding its feet at four-star level. With the Dressage Final having been on their calendar last year, the more intriguing question may be whether Laine could become the first rider to compete at both US Equestrian Open Finals in the same season.