‘I can’t be out of the saddle;’ Kenosha equestrian receives cancer diagnosis, takes on new hurdles by ‘going flat’

KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) – As Hayley Kolar rides on her horse, Buddy, she says she’s in her happy place.

“It’s where I’m at the most peace,” Kolar said. “You can forget about everything else. You can clear your head and it’s time just to be with you and your horse.”

Known as ‘The Purple Hair Girl’ by other equestrians for her standout look, Kolar is a competitive hunter jumper.

“I always took the road less traveled a little bit growing up. Horses were always an outlet for good things, bad things, it was something that I excelled at.” Kolar said.

In November 2024, the 43-year-old faced her biggest hurdle yet when she was diagnosed with cancer. Kolar says she was at a horse show when she got the official phone call.

Kolar said she wasn’t surprised. Two years earlier, genetic testing revealed she carries the ATM gene, significantly increasing her cancer risk. While navigating insurance battles to get more frequent screenings, she received the diagnosis she was trying to prevent.

Dr. Carolyn Bhadka is an Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon at City of Hope Cancer Center in Zion, Illinois. Bhadka said Kolar was on top of her screening mammograms when she found a spot and would need a mastectomy.

Bhakta had written this blog about the benefits of the “going flat” option for women “Going flat” refers to the choice to leave one or both sides of the chest flat after a mastectomy, rather than have breast reconstruction surgery with tissue flaps or implants.

“Because of her lifestyle and because of her hobbies, she was interested,” Bhadka said, referring to Kolar. “It’s an option that can get women cancer-free, it’s doing the bare minimum of what they need to do to accomplish that goal.”

Kolar said she knew from the time she was first diagnosed she wanted to “go flat.” Part of her reasoning for her decision was due to the sport she dedicated her life to.

“The first primary reason was because I don’t have time for multiple surgeries. I can’t be out of the saddle that long,” Kolar said.

Kolar’s other reason she was interested in “going flat” gave her a new understanding of herself and her ability to make herself noticed.

“I kind of went down this rabbit hole of “going flat” and the independence that it brings, the empowerment, the ability to defy the norm,” Kolar said. “There’s such a standard for women. I made it a point of my life not to be that. For me to find a way to empower other people or to show people that this is okay or this is just as beautiful, why not?”

Moving forward without the chest she once had, Kolar said she feels even more confident in the saddle. She hopes others find an activity that helps them through low moments.

“Find your strength, find your mindset, find your why,” Kolar said.

Bhadka says you can read more about the Going Flat Movement here.