Hay there, I’m Jess – a 15-year-old from Tararua, New Zealand, with a full-blown obsession with farming, fashion, and horses (like, a serious obsession – we’re talking paddock full). While I didn’t grow up on a farm, I’ve somehow ended up spending most of my time in gumboots, covered in hay, mud, or mystery muck… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I started Hay There because rural life is funny. It’s messy, it’s unpredictable, and it comes with characters – both human and hoofed – that make every day interesting. I wanted clothes that could handle a bit of chaos, look sharp in the yards, and still get a few smirks at the local dairy. So I decided to design them myself.
Outside of that, my second full-time job is being bossed around by my herd of horses. I’ve got 3 full-sized horses and 5 miniatures—yes, five, and no, that’s not too many. The minis are a whole personality type on their own. I mainly show Foxy (the sass queen) and Mack (the lowkey legend), and this season I’ve added Tales, a new yearling with big attitude and tiny hooves.
Whether I’m in the show ring, out shifting stock, or chasing a mini down the driveway with a lead rope and a bag of treats, I wanted gear that was comfy, fun, and very unapologetically rural. That’s where Hay There was born—somewhere between a busted gate, a runaway lamb, and me wondering why farmwear had to be so boring.
So here we are: bold prints, cheeky sayings, and clothes that can survive both a full day in the yards and a full send down the paddock on a slightly feral pony.
Everything’s designed here in Tararua (usually on the back of a feed sack or while plaiting a tail), made in Pakistan, and tested on real-life farm days—aka, the kind where you spill your drink, lose your dog, and still call it a win.
Thanks for backing a teen with a dream, a sewing machine, and a small army of horses. You’re now officially part of the Hay There herd.
Let’s get rural.
– Jess 🐴🌾💙