Absorbine UltraShield EX Honest Review: Does It Really Last

I'll be honest with you. I bought my first bottle of Absorbine UltraShield EX because I was tired of spraying Biscuit twice a day and still watching him stomp and twist at flies during the warm-up pen. Biscuit is a 14-year-old sorrel quarter horse gelding, and he has better things to do than fight bugs before a barrel run. So do my arms, and so does my schedule. I wanted something that would actually last through a jackpot weekend, not just through the walk from the trailer to the arena.

UltraShield EX has a reputation as the long-lasting option in the Absorbine fly spray lineup, and I'll say this up front: it earned that reputation with me. But it is not magic, and it is not set-and-forget. There are things the label does not tell you, things I figured out by hauling to dusty pens, running a pattern, and driving home with Biscuit sweating under a sheet. This is the honest version, the one I would give a friend over the fence.

How I've Used It

For the last two seasons, UltraShield EX has been the fly spray I keep in the tack room and the one that rides in the trailer during rodeo season. Most weeks that means I use it on Biscuit three or four times, plus a spray on the other two when the flies are thick in the pasture. I have a routine now: I wipe Biscuit down with a damp cloth first, let him stand in the shade for a few minutes, then spray from the poll down to the belly, using my hand to work the spray into the coat on sensitive spots.

I do not spray his face directly. I spray a little on a soft cloth and wipe his muzzle, around his eyes, and behind his ears. That part matters more with this product than with some of the lighter sprays I have tried, because it is heavier and has more oil in it. The label says to avoid the eyes, and I take that seriously. A horse that gets a face full of fly spray is not going to stand still for the next application.

I also learned to let it dry before I put a sheet on or load up. That was a lesson, not something I read. The first time I sprayed Biscuit, threw a sheet over him, and headed down the road, I opened the trailer door to find the spray had transferred to the sheet in patches. The flies still stayed off him, but it taught me to give it ten minutes to set. That ten minutes is worth it.

I also learned not to be stingy. The label gives a coverage rate, but I found that a good, even coat on a horse takes more than a couple of quick passes. I use a full trigger squeeze every few inches and I go back over the belly and the chest, because that is where the biting flies seem to find him first. It feels like I am using a lot, but a bottle lasts me about a month of regular weekends.

What UltraShield EX Actually Is

UltraShield EX is the stronger, longer-lasting version of Absorbine's regular UltraShield spray. It uses permethrin as the active insecticide, and it is made to keep working through sweat, rain, and the kind of dusty conditions that make a horse look like he has been rolling in the arena all day. The bottle is a 32-ounce sprayer with a trigger, and it is meant to be used as a spray-on, not a wipe-on.

One thing I appreciate is that it also has sunscreen in it. That sounds like a small detail, but for a sorrel horse like Biscuit, who bleaches out in the Texas sun, it means his coat does not fade as fast during the summer. I noticed that within a few weeks. It is not the reason I buy it, but it is a reason I keep buying it.

The other thing worth knowing is the smell. It has that chemical fly spray smell, no way around it. It fades after a while, and it does not linger on tack the way some sprays do, but it is not perfume. If you are sensitive to smells, spray outside and give it a few minutes before you bring the horse in.

Another thing I like is that it does not wash off the first time Biscuit sweats. Some sprays are gone by the time you finish saddling. This one stays put. I still reapply before a long day, but I do not feel like I am pouring it on.

How It Holds Up on a Rodeo Weekend

This is where UltraShield EX earns its keep. A typical weekend for me means hauling to a jackpot on Saturday morning, sitting in the sun all day, running a pattern, and hauling home late. Flies are worst in the warm-up pen and the holding area, right when Biscuit needs to be calm. With the lighter sprays I used to carry, I would spray him at the trailer, and by the time I got to the gate he was already starting to twitch.

With UltraShield EX, I spray once at the trailer and again before warm-up if the day is really bad. That is it. He does not stomp constantly, he does not toss his head, and he does not try to bite at his belly. I cannot promise it will do the same for every horse, but for a horse that sweats a lot and gets ridden hard, it held up far better than anything else I have used.

One rainy weekend stands out. It poured on the way to the pen, and I figured the spray would be gone before we even unloaded. It was not. Biscuit still had flies bouncing off him in the warm-up pen, and I did not have to respray before the run. That is the moment I stopped doubting the label.

Does it really last? In my experience, yes, with two conditions. It lasts if the horse is clean and dry when you spray it, and it lasts if you are not asking it to stand in a swarm of flies all day. No spray will hold up if the horse is standing in the worst fly situation you have ever seen. But for normal rodeo conditions, I get a full day from one application.

One rainy weekend, I figured the spray would be gone before we even unloaded. It wasn't. That's when I stopped doubting the label.

What Nobody Tells You About It

First, it has to go on a clean horse. If you spray over a thick layer of dust and dried sweat, the spray sits on top of the dirt instead of reaching the skin, and you will think it does not work. I learned to brush or wipe first. On a dirty horse, even the best fly spray is just wetting the dirt.

Second, the sprayer nozzle can clog if you leave it sitting with dried product in the tip. I rinse the nozzle under the hose every couple of weeks and shake the bottle before every use. It takes ten seconds, and it saves you from standing there squeezing a bottle that is only putting out a weak stream.

Third, it is not a barn treatment. It keeps flies off the horse, but it does not clean up the manure pile or fix the standing water around the trough. If you have a serious fly problem in the barn, you need to handle that separately. This is the last line of defense, not the whole battle.

Fourth, the first few seconds after you spray it, it looks like it has not gone on evenly. The liquid can pool on a thick winter coat or run down a slick summer coat. I started doing one section at a time and rubbing it in with a cloth on the really furry spots. That solved it.

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

I wish someone had told me that the spray works best when you think of it as part of a system. It is not a replacement for a clean stall, a fan in the barn, and a good fly mask. When I started using all of them together, Biscuit's fly problem went from something I fought all day to something I barely thought about.

I also wish I had known that the 32-ounce sprayer is the right size for one horse and a trailer, not for a big barn. If you have four or five horses to do every day, you will go through a bottle fast, and you might want the gallon refill instead. For my place, the sprayer size is perfect.

The Alternatives I Considered

I have used the regular Absorbine UltraShield, and it is a fine everyday spray. It smells lighter and goes on thinner, and for a quiet trail horse it is probably enough. But for a horse that runs barrels and sweats hard, I need the extra staying power of the EX formula. The regular spray worked, just not long enough.

I have also used Farnam Endure, which is another popular long-lasting spray. It did a good job, but I found it a little heavier and harder to work into the coat, and it seemed to leave more residue on my hands and on Biscuit's sheet. I know people who swear by it, and I do not think you can go wrong with either one. I stuck with UltraShield EX because it has been more consistent for me.

The other alternative is a good fly mask and a fly sheet. I use both on Biscuit when he is turned out, and they do a great job of keeping flies off his face and body. But you cannot run barrels in a fly sheet, and a fly mask does not stop flies from landing on his legs. So the spray is the part of the system that goes with me to the arena.

Who This Is For

UltraShield EX is for anyone who hauls to events and needs fly protection that lasts longer than the drive there. It is for barrel racers, ropers, and ranch families who do not have time to respray every hour. If you have a horse that sweats, a schedule that is full, and a fly problem that shows up the minute you leave the barn, this is worth a spot in your trailer.

Who Should Skip It

If your horse only goes out for short trail rides and you keep him in a stall with good fly control, the regular UltraShield will probably do the job and it is a little lighter on the coat. If you are looking for something with no smell at all, or if you want a product that you can spray on a muddy horse and still expect it to work, you will be disappointed. And if you think any fly spray will fix a barn that is thick with flies, start with the manure pile and the water trough first, then come back to this.

If you only need protection for a quick evening ride and your horse lives in a well-managed barn, you can save the extra money and use a lighter spray. UltraShield EX is built for the long day, and you will not see its strengths on a thirty-minute ride.

Tips for Making a Bottle Last

Because this is not the cheapest fly spray on the shelf, I wanted to get every drop out of a bottle. Here is what works for me.

First, I keep a separate sprayer for the barn and one for the trailer. That way I am not hauling the same bottle back and forth and tipping it over in the truck. I label the trailer bottle with a piece of tape so I do not grab the wrong one.

Second, I spray from about eight to ten inches away and use a sweeping motion. That covers more surface with less product than holding the nozzle close and soaking one spot.

Third, I reapply only when I need to. On a cool morning, one application lasts all day. On a hot, buggy afternoon, I touch up the belly and chest before I ride. I do not respray the whole horse every time.

The Short Version

If you want the short version: UltraShield EX is the fly spray I trust for Biscuit on rodeo weekends. It is not perfect, it needs a clean coat and ten minutes to dry, and it will not fix a fly-filled barn. But it lasts longer than anything else I have tried, it holds up in sweat and rain, and it does not leave a mess on tack. For a horse that works hard in the Texas heat, that is the combination I need.

The Bottom Line

UltraShield EX is not the cheapest way to keep flies off a horse, and it is not the lightest, and it will not do the work for you. But it is the most dependable fly spray I have found for a horse that works hard in the heat. Put it on a clean coat, give it ten minutes to dry, and it will get you through the weekend. I keep a bottle in the trailer from April through October, and I do not see that changing.

The fly spray aisle is full of promises. UltraShield EX is the one that kept its promise for me. I still keep a bottle in the trailer, and I still recommend it to the other riders at the jackpots. That is the best thing I can say about any piece of tack or gear.