I went to visit a riding school this week. I was prepared to encounter many small girls in pink puffas scrambling out of their mothers' 4 x 4’s, green, open fields and a few fat ponies. So when my Sat Nav said ‘you have arrived at your destination’ I was a little surprised. I was in Brixton, south London, in the middle of a massive council estate. Tower blocks surrounded me as far as the eye could see. Surely the Sat Nav had made a mistake?
I was at the Ebony Horse Club, a riding school that operates in one of the most disadvantaged inner city neighbourhoods in the country. Children who live there have almost no contact with animals, let alone horses. In the midst of the estate I find stabling for nine, a floodlit ménage and a classroom facility for horse care and mentoring. The school gives access to over 160 children a week from the local community.
These children come from some of the most challenging backgrounds and yet here they are, on a summer’s evening, trotting, cantering and jumping in some style. Their instructor was the eventer and show-jumper Julian White. He comes in from Buckinghamshire each week to give his time for nothing and his efforts are clearly paying off.
Ebony Horse Club is a registered charity. Lessons are free for those on benefits. Children from Brixton have an incredible opportunity to enter a world they might only have dreamt of and if they do well, the club supports them in on-going training for careers in the equestrian world.
There was something very magical about watching two of the youngsters taking the Shetland, Pedro, out for a bit of exercise on the grass. Pedro mainly wanted to eat rather than run!
I chatted to Malik astride his mount, Beau. Malik loved Beau and told me that although he was well behaved, he could also go quite fast which was really exciting. We chatted for a while, then Malik shook my hand: ‘It was a pleasure to meet you Alice,' he said. Malik is 11 years old.
Ebony riding club is not just teaching underprivileged children to ride. It takes them out of a world of gang violence and drug related crime and teaches them to be responsible, caring and social human beings. It is life changing. I have seen the work of many charities in action but few have left me so inspired and heart warmed.
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