Show jumper Mavis Spencer has famous Hollywood parents, but the glamourous life that might conjure was not the stage for her equestrian upbringing and early professional path. She has worked for some of the biggest names in the sport: Kent Farrington, Darragh Kenny and Neil Jones Equestrian, but not initially as a rider. Despite having a stellar junior career, she deliberately began her professional life as a groom.

Mavis credits the education and experience gained in those years as critical to the successes she's now enjoying in the Grand Prix ring. She is the resident rider for Georgy Maskrey Segesman's Whitethorne Ranch training and sales program in Southern California. She's also the West Coast rep for Twin Flames Horses, the importation endeavor of friends Martin Fuchs and Paris Sellon.

On arrival at their next show, just an hour away in Southern California, "I noticed he was trying to clear out his nasal passages and blowing a little in his stall and while I was riding him." It was more exaggerated the next day during competition. "By day 3, he was shaking his head and was obviously really uncomfortable."

Mavis remembered a horse from her junior days, who exhibited similar symptoms and was helped by traditional allergy medications. She put Con Calle on them and "they helped a little." He backslid later that summer, but Mavis suspected it was caused by particulate matter from distant wildfires raging at the time. They continued the allergy medications and wet Con Calle's hay to dampen dust. All of those measures helped a little.

But back at the Desert International Horse Park that fall, the allergy symptoms returned with the same degree of severity despite the dry climate and good air quality. "It was almost violent the way he was trying to scratch his nose against the stall wall," Mavis explains. She pulled out all the stops: nasal strips and medications for allergy and lung health.

"Finally, I thought of hay steaming. I've had a lot of friends use them over the years, including Martin Fuchs' groom Sean Vard. I asked him and he said they had made a big difference, so I went ahead and purchased one."