Gary Huvard and Brooke Riggs developed a new fly repellent for horse owners. Photos by Michael Thompson.
A Ram has come up with a product for horses.
Chesterfield-based Huvard Research and Consulting has raised more than $17,000 to fund production of Champion’s Natural Fly Spray, which HRC lab technician and VCU rising senior Brooke Riggs developed.
The money was raised through an online crowdfunding campaign that concluded July 15.
HRC is an independent lab and research facility that companies contract with for help solving industrial problems. Gary Huvard opened the 6,500-square-foot facility at 9305 Burge Ave. in north Chesterfield eight years ago. It has done R&D for companies like DuPont, Honeywell and Vertex Tech.
Riggs, a lifelong horse enthusiast, said she thought she could develop a safer fly repellent for horses after delving into her studies as a chemical engineering major.
The Huvard lab ran a month-long campaign on Kickstarter to fund the project and exceeded its goal by more than $2,000.
“I can use my knowledge to make a safer product,” Riggs recalled thinking.
Fly repellents for horses typically contain pyrethrins and permethrin, chemicals often found in pesticides that can be unsafe for humans and animals in large amounts, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Huvard gave Riggs the OK to develop the product at the lab and bought oils for her to test. She developed a mix of over-the-counter essential oils that can repel insects from horses for more than half a day. After sending out samples to farms in Texas, Oklahoma and California that asked to buy more, Riggs and Huvard are ready to push the Champion’s spray to the market.
Plans are in the works to apply for a patent, increase production, continue testing and navigate the state and federal paperwork required for commercializing the product. Riggs and Huvard hope to sell the fly spray on the shelves of stores like Tractor Supply Co. and local tack stores, as well as online.
More products may be in the works. Riggs said the gears are already turning on developing a natural horse mane detangler.
“It was pretty exciting to be released to do your own thing,” she said.
Gary Huvard and Brooke Riggs developed a new fly repellent for horse owners. Photos by Michael Thompson.
A Ram has come up with a product for horses.
Chesterfield-based Huvard Research and Consulting has raised more than $17,000 to fund production of Champion’s Natural Fly Spray, which HRC lab technician and VCU rising senior Brooke Riggs developed.
The money was raised through an online crowdfunding campaign that concluded July 15.
HRC is an independent lab and research facility that companies contract with for help solving industrial problems. Gary Huvard opened the 6,500-square-foot facility at 9305 Burge Ave. in north Chesterfield eight years ago. It has done R&D for companies like DuPont, Honeywell and Vertex Tech.
Riggs, a lifelong horse enthusiast, said she thought she could develop a safer fly repellent for horses after delving into her studies as a chemical engineering major.
The Huvard lab ran a month-long campaign on Kickstarter to fund the project and exceeded its goal by more than $2,000.
“I can use my knowledge to make a safer product,” Riggs recalled thinking.
Fly repellents for horses typically contain pyrethrins and permethrin, chemicals often found in pesticides that can be unsafe for humans and animals in large amounts, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Huvard gave Riggs the OK to develop the product at the lab and bought oils for her to test. She developed a mix of over-the-counter essential oils that can repel insects from horses for more than half a day. After sending out samples to farms in Texas, Oklahoma and California that asked to buy more, Riggs and Huvard are ready to push the Champion’s spray to the market.
Plans are in the works to apply for a patent, increase production, continue testing and navigate the state and federal paperwork required for commercializing the product. Riggs and Huvard hope to sell the fly spray on the shelves of stores like Tractor Supply Co. and local tack stores, as well as online.
More products may be in the works. Riggs said the gears are already turning on developing a natural horse mane detangler.
“It was pretty exciting to be released to do your own thing,” she said.