"WE'VE had young people come to us who have never spoken a word. After six months, they start - and speaking to their horse. Another six months later, they start speaking to the staff it's the first time they've communicated in their life," says Sid Holdsworth, chief operating officer of Ebony Horse Club. "It speaks to the power of horses".
Ebony Horse Club is an inner-city stables in the heart of London's Brixton. Working with vulnerable people from low-income backgrounds, the team there uses horses to deliver a structured programme of youth work to improve the emotional, physical and social health of young people.
"We're a charity and don't operate like a commercial riding school," says Sid. "It's all about helping young people to develop relationships with horses and people, and build self-esteem. We want to break the cycle of poverty that they come from, help them to have fun in a safe environment, and support them into further education or employment and apprenticeships."
Ebony is one of a handful of urban equestrian centres that operate in innercity areas, providing access to horses for local residents who might not otherwise be able to it. While the structure, mission and status of each of these centres depends on their own circumstances, they are all united in a desire to bring horses to a more diverse community and those from disadvantaged or marginalised groups.
Imran Atcha runs a riding school at St James City Farm in Gloucester. He charges just £5 for 20-minute, one-to-one riding lessons. “Gloucestershire is a very horsey area, but where we are, no one sees a horse,” he explains. “These kids have never had access to horses. We’re in a very multicultural area – with 60 languages in a square mile. Lots of them have challenges at home, and going to a riding school would be utterly unaffordable for them.
Esta historia es de la edición February 15, 2024 de Horse & Hound.
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Esta historia es de la edición February 15, 2024 de Horse & Hound.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
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'He's barely out of the county...'
Minutes into a trip abroad, Adam’s superstitions are realised when things go awry on the farm. It’s all hands to the grindstone, proving that there's never a dull moment for Tessa Waugh
The last Edwardian sportsman
Sporting paintings by Raoul Millais, whose life spanned the 20th century, are hanging in hunting homes all over the country. Liam Clancytells us about the artist and his life well travelled
Gangster steals the show
The area trial is won by a combination on their first attempt at this level anda daughter of clone Murka’s Gem shines bright
Charlotte's clean sweep
Olympic hopefuls in action while Natasha Baker makes a winning return and Carl debuts his latest superstar
Woodward is a class act
A complex character rewards his rider’s patience with a third international win, while a 17-year-old makes her mark
Student has the Upper hand
A former showjumper and an osteopath take top spots, while a corner question causes cross-country problems
All change
The leaderboard tips upside down, as the top two plummet and Caroline Powell rises to triumph
A super day
Eric Winter’s track provides a brilliant cross-country day, with Irish first-timer Lucy Latta delivering the outstanding performance
Spooky 'Isaac' holds it together
The defending champion pilots a rising star to lead the first phase
'We all hate doing anything badly'
As part of H€SH’s 140th anniversary this year, we are celebrating Britain’s great horsey families with a series of interviews. In our third instalment, we speak to the multi-garlanded showing dynasty of David Tatlow, his daughter Loraine Homer and her daughter Alice