| 1. Name: Becky James | | | | friend Binnie! |
| 2. Age: 25 | | | | 22. Which top riders is Haygain involved with? |
| 3. Based at: Yate, Bristol | | | | Peter Storr, Matt Ryan, Matthew Wright, Helen |
| 4. What Academic qualifications did you achieve? | | | | Lowe. (Peter is the only one we are officially |
| BSc in Animal Science at The University of | | | | involved with at this stage!) |
| Nottingham and currently studying for an MSc in | | | | 23. Why is Haygain different from soaking hay? |
| Equine Science at The Royal Agricultural College, | | | | Soaking hay dampens down the dust-spores but |
| Cirencester. | | | | HAYGAIN actually kills them. Also, soaking has |
| 5. What inspired you to choose your career path? | | | | been shown to reduce the hay’s nutritive |
| Not sure really! | | | | content due to leaching of soluble nutrients and |
| 6. How did you become involved with your | | | | produces a waste liquid with a higher biological |
| company? I researched steaming hay for my | | | | oxygen demand and so is classed as an |
| MSc thesis using a Propress Equine HAYGAIN and | | | | environmental pollutant. |
| so met the directors of the company through my | | | | 24. Describe the benefits of Haygain? Well for me |
| lecturer Dr Meriel Moore-Colyer. | | | | the greatest benefit is the peace of mind that |
| 7. Describe what the company does? Propress | | | | I’m feeding my horses the cleanest forage |
| Equine manufactures the unique hay steamer | | | | available that will improve their respiratory health |
| HAYGAIN; it is a new division of the company | | | | and as a result their performance. I suffer from |
| Propress Ltd who are world leaders in steam | | | | hay fever so another huge benefit for me is the |
| appliances. | | | | minimum handling of dry hay. By being able to |
| 8. How many years have you worked there? | | | | simply drop the bale in with the strings still |
| I’ve been working for them since September | | | | attached there is the smallest possible disturbance |
| 2008. | | | | to the hay dust. Once it has been steamed I can |
| 9. What is your favourite part of your job? The | | | | handle it as much as I need. Overall it is just very |
| variety and meeting lots of interesting people. | | | | convenient to use, much easier than soaking, it |
| 10. How long does it take you to travel to work? | | | | doesn’t leach out the nutrients or produce a |
| I’m mainly based at home so most days I | | | | polluting waste liquid! |
| don’t need to travel but I travel to our head | | | | 25. Is there any research to prove Haygain is |
| office in London and to meet clients around the | | | | effective? In addition to previous papers published |
| country. | | | | on steaming hay, I have carried out extensive |
| 11. How long have you been riding? I got my first | | | | research in the laboratory at the Royal Agricultural |
| pony when I was 6 so about 19 years! | | | | College for my MSc thesis. Together with Dr |
| 12. What made you take up riding? My parents | | | | Meriel Moore-Colyer we carried out microbiology |
| bought a pony to occupy me and my sister on | | | | tests at looked at the presence and quantity of |
| our farm as children but I don’t think they | | | | the spores in the hay when it was dry and then |
| anticipated I would get as hooked as I have! | | | | after it had been steamed in a HAYGAIN. |
| 13. What level of riding are you currently at? My | | | | 26. Do you have a Favourite Country for |
| advanced horse is currently recovering from | | | | Holidays? Anywhere hot with a beach! |
| injury so I am only competing my younger horse | | | | 27. Favourite Film The classics...Top Gun, Dirty |
| at medium/advanced medium at the moment. | | | | Dancing |
| 14. Do you train anyone? If so who? Local pony | | | | 28. Last Item Bought at a Supermarket A |
| and riding clubs and a couple of private people but | | | | chicken mayo and salad sandwich |
| not a huge amount as I am too busy with work | | | | 29. If you could have an hour’s conversation |
| and my own horses. | | | | with anyone (dead or alive) who would it be and |
| 15. How many horses do you have on your yard? | | | | what would you like to ask them? |
| 7 | | | | 30. Have you had any serious injuries and did you |
| 16. Do you have a favourite horse – past or | | | | resort to traditional medicine or complementary |
| present Westhill’s Wreann (Ruby) my first | | | | medicine? No serious injuries but I had bad |
| “proper” dressage horse; we have | | | | whiplash from a car accident and have had regular |
| progressed up through the levels together and I | | | | physiotherapy since. |
| fulfilled my ambition to ride in top hat and tails | | | | 31. Wine/Beer or Champagne? Champagne! |
| which, when I first bought her, seemed a million | | | | 32. Milk/White or Dark Chocolate? Milk |
| miles away! She is full of character and so much | | | | 33. If there was one horse you could own…past |
| fun. | | | | or present…what would it be? Blue Hors Matine |
| 17. What made you decide to settle on dressage | | | | because I’ve never seen passage like it and |
| as your preferred equestrian discipline? When I | | | | will never forget witnessing her freestyle at the |
| was 11, I won the Badminton amateur dressage | | | | World Equestrian Games, Aachen in 2006. |
| championships; from then on I was sure it was | | | | 34. Are you happy with the way that |
| what I wanted to do, and the more top level | | | | equestrianism is portrayed in the UK and if you |
| dressage I watched the more convinced I | | | | could make any changes what would they be. |
| became! | | | | 35. Have you ever competed against anyone |
| 18. Is there a title that you would like to win? The | | | | you trained? How did that feel? Don’t think |
| Nationals. | | | | so! |
| 19. What is your biggest achievement in life so | | | | 36. What is your daily routine Horses, work, |
| far? Good question; probably winning the Young | | | | horses! |
| Rider section at an U25’s International in | | | | 37. Have you seen The Equestrian Lifestyle |
| Scotland which was also my first competitive | | | | Magazine (formerly England’s Equestrian)? If |
| outing at PSG level and I got to try out my top | | | | so do you like it…is there anything that we can |
| hat and tails! | | | | do to improve it. Haven’t seen it. |
| 20. Do you have a favourite show and why? The | | | | 38. Tell us something about yourself that we |
| BD national championships; every year it inspires | | | | don’t already know I go to a dance class |
| me to get there next year! | | | | once a week and do pilates to keep fit. I’m |
| 21. How do you combine work with riding? I | | | | currently training to be a UKCC level 2 Equestrian |
| manage to fit them round each other and have a | | | | Coach. |
| lot of help on the yard from my mum and my | | | | |