In this Spotlight, we’re speaking with Amy Cairy. Amy is Absorbine’s Marketing Manager, Equine Division, and is responsible for the equine brands and coordinating the efforts of the marketing team. She’s just an impressive person overall. Amy is a lifelong equestrian with a story that starts out like so many us – a little girl with horse fever learning everything she can about horses at 4-H. Since then Amy has dedicated her life to furthering her knowledge of horse nutrition and care. Along this path she’s molded herself into a venerable businesswoman while everyday being the epitome of professionalism. Amy is also day in, day out a fun person to work with! (Amy, can we talk about that raise now?) Here is our interview with Amy Cairy and her partner in crime Degas GGF – 9 y.o. Hanoverian, aka “Bagel.”

Absorbine: What do you do with your horse? Show? Pleasure? Companion Horse? Well-loved Pasture Ornament?

Amy: Degas and I practice (lots of practice!) dressage together. Our partnership is still relatively new so we did not show in 2015, but we look forward to competing in 2016 and working towards our USDF Silver Medal.

Absorbine: Any fun horse care tips you’d like to share? Can include product tricks or “out of the box” uses.

Amy: Up here in New England, the weather is constantly changing. With hard dry ground in the summer, deep mud in the spring and fall, and rough frozen ground in the winter, keeping the right moisture balance in my horse’s hooves is essential. That’s why Hooflex® Therapeutic Conditioner (I prefer the liquid) is always in my grooming box. Believe it or not, I find the winter months especially tough on hooves because the treatments we use to combat dust from arena footing can be very drying on the horse’s hooves. After a ride, I pick out Degas’ feet, brush off his hoof walls, and apply the liquid Hooflex to his hoof wall, frog, and sole to help keep his hooves healthy.

Absorbine: What Absorbine products do you like, and why did you start using them?

Amy: I am huge fan of UltraShield® EX. Whether they’re working in the ring or relaxing in the pasture, there’s nothing more irritating to the horses than being tormented by flies. I’ve used UltraShield EX for years and count on the “black bottle” to not only protect my horse from disease-carrying insects, but to also let him enjoy his time outside during our very short summers. Flex+Max® is another one of my favorite products. I love that I can give Degas all of the high-quality ingredients he needs to support his joint health in one supplement that he eats right up.

Absorbine: What’s the funniest thing non-horse people ask you about horses?

Amy: I think the funniest question I get from non-horse people is: “If you’ve been riding for so long why do you still need to take lessons?” Trying to explain the humbling sport that is horseback riding is often very difficult and the more I know, the more I realize I have a lot more to learn!

Absorbine: ^^ Yeah, that sounds like something Amy would say!