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Jocelyn Ridley

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Jocelyn Ridley steams ahead to win major award 

Jocelyn RidleyHard work and determination has really paid off for 22-year-old Jocelyn Ridley –helping her to secure a prestigious award for her studies over the last three years.

After great commitment to a subject she is passionate about Jocelyn has graduated with a first class honours degree in Equine Management from the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) at Cirencester.

Based in Marlborough, Jocelyn also won the Haygain award for 'Best Dissertation on Forage and the Stable Environment' for her study on 'The Effect of pH on Bacteria, Yeast and Mould Levels in Dry, Soaked and Steamed Hay.'

Jocelyn confirmed her delight by saying: "I am over the moon with a first, and to win the award is just incredible, it was a really special day, it makes all the hard work so worthwhile."

Jocelyn first became addicted to horses when her uncle, who ran a farm in Zimbabwe, let her ride one of his horses on her fourth birthday.

She has continued to ride ever since but it was work experience with horse whisperer Gary Witheford which made her really want to work in the industry.

"When I first looked at the RAU I knew as I went up the drive that I wanted to be there. Originally I was intending to do a livestock course but it was Andrew Hemmings' enthusiasm for his subject that made me look to doing an equine course," said Jocelyn.

"During my course, we were taught in detail about the huge health benefits of providing clean hay to horses and when I read the published research papers on Haygain I soon realised the advantages of feeding steamed hay were even bigger than I first thought!"

Professor Meriel Moore-Colyer Dean of the School of Equine Management and Science & Principal Lecturer in Equine Science at RAU, confirmed how well Jocelyn performed on her course saying: "Jocelyn undertook an in vitro study which mimicked how well different stomach pH neutralised yeast, mould and bacteria found on dry, soaked and steamed forage.

Haygain® hay steamers

"The study found that even the strong acidic conditions of pH 2.6, found in the pyloric region of the stomach was unable neutralise the increase in bacteria that occurs when hay is soaked. Steaming forage kills the bacteria and this means that only the stomach's own bacteria and mould are present so enabling it to function properly and reducing the chance of introducing any disease producing microbes."

For further information please contact Haygain® hay steamers on 0333 200 5233 or visit www.haygain.com

Interview sourced from www.haygain.co.uk