April 28, 2021
AP – In the midst of south London’s hustle and bustle, only a 10-minute walk from a subway station, is a school where children are encouraged to horse around.
The Ebony Horse Club is an urban riding school for children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. General Manager Naomi Howgate runs a close-knit and organised team that with the help of volunteers provides 140 rides per week, offering children the opportunity to learn important life skills along with horseback riding.
The club recently re-opened its stables after months of being closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The programme’s eight horses have returned to their inner-city dwellings from a long rest outside London in East Surrey. Across the road from a housing project, club members are again learning how to mount, walk, trot and finally canter the horses.