17/09/2025
👋 Who Am I? Meet Hayley + one of our baby calves 🐮
I grew up as the kid with a rebellious streak a mile wide – stubborn, opinionated, passionate about everything, and definitely not the easiest to parent. Lucky for me, my parents' were patient enough to back my love of animals and horses. I dreamed of one day having a farm… never realising it would lead me here – working with kids who are just like I was.
Truth is, as a teenager, I could have easily gone down a dangerous path. I had that crew around me and I loved the belonging – always chasing risk, trouble, law-breaking and everything in between. I hated rules and regulations and couldn’t wait to bend or break them every chance I got.
But it was my horses and dogs that pulled me back every time. They were the reason I came home each day (or crept in during the early hours of the morning). They gave me purpose when I could’ve been just another “delinquent kid.” And honestly, I’m thankful every single day that I didn’t grow up in the age of social media — because a lot of my behaviours and antics would’ve been caught on camera and judged by the world 🫣🫢🤫.
And for those who assume I grew up country — I didn’t. I grew up in the suburbs of Brisbane. My parents weren’t “horsey” or country people at all. I was just a stubborn, horse-obsessed kid who somehow found my way into that world. And yes, when I wasn’t at the paddock, I was a regular visitor to Brisbane City and the Valley nightlife in my teens and early 20s. (Anyone in their 40s who remembers those days knows exactly what kind of shenanigans I’m talking about 🙃).
I couldn’t see the point of school. Sitting still and ticking boxes was never going to be me. And yep — to this day, I’ve never used algebra 🤪. Yet somehow I’ve managed to run one small business, one social enterprise, and now I’m the founder and director of a charity that’s changing lives. What school never gave me, animals did: focus, purpose, and the space to switch off the noise in my head.
I started my first “horse business” at 12 (big shoutout to Mum for driving me around for bugger-all money 🙌). From there I dived into pet and animal retail, horse training, coaching, dog training, counselling – but here’s the truth: it’s the animals and the people themselves who have taught me the most.
The kids and the animals don’t care what certificates hang on your wall. They care if you show up, if you listen, if you care. Connection beats paperwork every single time. And I’ve met plenty of “qualified” people who couldn’t connect with both kids or animals to save themselves.
These young people I get to work with now – the so-called “rebels” – are actually changemakers. They just need purpose, real-life skills, and somewhere to belong. I feel bloody lucky to be part of their journeys. I know I’ll be watching some of them smash life in years to come, and I’ll be so proud I got to walk a part of the way with them.
This calf in my arms? Just another reminder that life on the farm isn’t always easy - it's usually dirt, hard, sometimes painful - but it’s real. And that’s exactly what our kids need – something real. ❤️
