Eagala-certified equine specialist incorporates horses in mental health treatment process to remove barriers
TROSSACHS, Sask. — Hayley Moats jokes that she was obsessed with horses when she came out of the womb.
Her mother, Kim, shared her passion, and her grain-farming father, Don, supported her in anything and everything equine. Kim has been a cowboy dressage leader in Saskatchewan for years, which gave her daughter early access to the horse world.
“My parents bought me my first horse when I was three and they’ve been hooped ever since,” says Moats, operator of Rough Bark Arena. “I was extremely lucky to have the parents I had.”
Now 30, she has lived and breathed horses for as long as she can remember. Her career path took several turns before she realized her dream of operating a training program in a state-of-the-art facility.
Moats’ practical side led her to become a plumber so she could fund what she knew would be an expensive horse hobby. But after several years at her trade, it became clear that she wanted and needed horses to be in her life, so she took a job managing a Rocanville-area ranch owned by cutting champion Les Jack.
That experience, and being exposed to many other clinicians, fed her desire to become a trainer herself.
“I had a hard time believing in myself as being good enough amongst a lot of good horsemen around here,” says Moats. “There’s Cain Quam, Taylor Douglas and others who are not too far from here that I’ve always looked up to, so it was hard for me to even think that I could put my hat in the ring.”
After meeting her partner in 2021 and having her son, Tommy, Moats began commuting between Shaunavon and her parents’ horse facility in Trossachs.
It has a heated 80- by 160-foot indoor riding arena and 1,300 square feet of living quarters above it, and became Moats’ full-time focus when her maternity leave ended in 2021.
“The training work started flowing before my mat leave was even done, so I thought, ‘sweet, I can do this.’”
An initial trickle of clients has turned into a roar and Moats now trains six to eight horses, in addition to running clinics and camps, offering lessons and hosting a weekly riding group.
Her training focuses on cowboy dressage and working equitation, and she draws clients from throughout southeastern Saskatchewan.
“I have a waiting list for training and that’s so cool and it still blows my mind all the time,” says Moats,
Jenna Davis, a Southey, Sask., paramedic, rides weekly at Rough Bark Arena and had Moats start Tess, her young mare.
“It was just peace of mind knowing Tess was here because Hayley trains using a soft touch and I knew she was in good hands,” says Davis.
“I want people to leave here better than when they came,” says Moats. “I work on creating very good vibes, and making sure people get what I get out of horses by finding their own way and their own journey.”
Michelle Howse and her 11-year-old daughter Briar Howse, from Radville, Sask., have been working with Moats for several years. They ride weekly as part of a group.
“When I come here every week, it’s good for my soul,” says Howse, adding that riding with her daughter has been particularly rewarding.
“It makes you realize that it’s the little things that are important in life, and the big things will be OK.”
Moats has partnered with provisional registered psychologist Deanna Schwindt of Weyburn. The pair recently began offering horse-assisted therapy sessions for those seeking a different approach to mental health treatment.
Moats is an Eagala-certified equine specialist who is trained in how to incorporate horses into the mental health treatment process.
“It’s the horses who do the work,” she says, adding that horses can perceive mental health blocks and help break down barriers.
While it’s had challenges, Moats says she doesn’t want to do anything else.
“I end up falling in love with every horse that’s here. I’ve had a lot of really, really awesome horses that I’ve taught something to, but they’ve taught me so much too, which is why I’m so excited about how far I can go.”
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