Kareem Rosser is a world-class polo player and decorated college champion. He has modeled for Polo Ralph Lauren, earned a degree in economics from Colorado State University, and traveled to nearly every continent. But two decades ago, when he was growing up in West Philadelphia, he didn’t know he would make it there.
“I was one of many young people in my neighborhood trying to find a way to survive,” he said.
Rosser, one of six children born to a single mother, grew up in Mantua, a predominantly African-American community in West Philly that some describe as “bottom of the pack.” The neighborhood borders Fairmount Park and is north of, but far from, the campuses of the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. There, the family “struggled with the typical things you see in places like Parkside and Mantua: gun violence, drug addiction, incredibly poor families, everyone trying to make ends meet every day, most families uneducated,” Rosser told me. “We all sort of struggled with the same problem, frankly: poverty.”
He found safety in an unlikely place: the stables of Work to Ride, one of several equine therapy groups in the Philadelphia area. Rosser, of which he is the assistant executive director, hopes to do the same for the young people the program serves.
Work to Ride is a nonprofit prevention program that focuses on horsemanship, equestrianism and education. It teaches young people how to build relationships with one another through caring for horses. In exchange for lessons, the children help with barn maintenance. The idea is that activities like mucking out stalls can provide a therapeutic break from the daily challenges young people face. The empathy required for this task, program leaders say, is a key element in keeping children safe in the long term, including from violence.
Research has shown that working with horses can increase self-confidence and reduce stress and anxiety. Competitive sports and team building help build social skills, such as conflict resolution. At Work to Ride, students get a little of both: therapy and training.
“As a young boy, I felt safest at Work to Ride. It was my second home. I never wanted to be in the neighborhood, walking the streets, especially at night,” Rosser said. “At Work to Ride, I could be free and that was basically all I needed.”
Rosser says the program saved his life – and he believes Work to Ride and similar programs can change lives, as it did his.
“Work to Ride opened up a whole other world that I didn’t know existed outside of the few blocks where I grew up,” Rosser said.
AP Photo/Jessica Hill
Other groups in the city and state have also used horsemanship as a means of healing and promoting safety. On the other side of Pennsylvania, Hope on Horseback partners with the Crime Victim Center of Erie County to provide equine-assisted healing to trauma victims and victims of sexual abuse. And on a small block in North Philly, a man named Elliss Ferrell, affectionately known as El-Dog, doesn’t turn away a child who comes to his Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club. That riding club, which Ferrell founded after observing the impact of gun violence on children in his area, will soon celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Each horse program “provides a different service,” said Nicole Bryan, a volunteer and staff member of Ferrell’s program. “We are first and foremost a community center,” she said. “That sets us apart from other programs that focus solely on the art of equestrianism.”
In areas like North and West Philadelphia, there isn’t always much for young people to do outside of school. Only about half of the kids they see on Fletcher Street actually ride horses. Some, Bryan says, may just come to hang out with their chickens and horses.
“We’ve heard a lot of stories about libraries being taken away because of lack of funding and community centers being missing. If you take away all those third spaces, what are you going to expect from the youth?” Bryan said. “And no, do 100 percent of them stay out of trouble? But the ones that do know they do, know they still have someone to talk to. And that’s what we’re trying to build. We use horses as a gateway to the community. Our approach is to provide them with a safe place to come to and know they have reliable people there and just have fun.”
We use horses as a gateway to the community. Our goal is to provide a safe place for them to come and know that they have reliable people there and can just have fun.
Nicole Bryan, volunteer and staff member at Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club
That’s also Marc-Anthony Harley’s experience with Work to Ride. The high school student has been participating in the program for eight years. Although he will be captain of the Work to Ride varsity team and hopes to win a trophy this year, it’s a little bittersweet.
“I’m going to miss the program,” Harley said. “I’ve learned a lot about commitment and responsibility in my eight years. Show up, be on time, never be late, don’t skip. I’m looking forward to starting my year pretty strong and finishing with a bang.”
Harley lives in South Philly. He is aware of the dangers of his neighborhood, but he also loves his community very much.
“Growing up in South Philly is different than any other place. I can tell you that. Obviously it’s not the safest place and it’s not a lot of people’s first choice, but I’ve been dealt the cards and I wouldn’t change where I live if I could come from anywhere else because I learned a lot there,” Harley said. “Looking back, my childhood and the way I grew up made me who I am today. It’s my home.”
Building community – along with fostering empathy – is one of Work to Ride’s main goals.
“There’s so much in their daily lives where empathy is lacking,” said Lezlie Hiner, founder and executive director of Work to Ride, before explaining how important this trait is for working in the stables. Caring for horses teaches empathy because participants are responsible for noticing anything that goes wrong – and taking care of it – before they can even saddle up. If a teen isn’t paying close attention and “misses the fact that maybe the horse stepped on a rock and now has a bruise on its foot and now it’s limping,” they’re the one who won’t be able to go on a ride that day.
Hiner believes building empathy can help prevent gun violence. For Rosser, it’s personal: When he was 9, he lost one of his best friends, Mecca Harris, to gun violence. Then, at the start of the pandemic, he also lost his brother, David. That’s one reason he’s still involved with Work to Ride.
You are not alone
If you or someone you know is affected by gun violence in Philadelphia, check out our Up the Block resource guide.
Now to the guide
In 2022, Rosser introduced the city to the first-of-its-kind annual Philadelphia Polo Classic at Edgely Field in East Fairmount Park. In the world of polo, it’s rare for games to be held in a city park, let alone annually. “We’re bridging two worlds,” Rosser said. “You would never think of polo being played in North Philadelphia, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. But it connects people.”
The Classic will bring together current and former Work to Ride participants with players from other cities, with proceeds benefiting Work to Ride. This year’s Classic will take place in just over a month, on September 21st.
“For a lot of kids like me who grew up in the lower classes or other places here in Philadelphia, the most important thing is to protect them from the dangers and the violence and the drugs. It gives people a chance,” Rosser said. “That’s what Work to Ride has been doing for 30 years. Giving people a chance in life.”
This story also appeared in the latest edition of The Trace’s Philadelphia newsletter, a monthly report by local journalist Afea Tucker. Learn more and sign up here.
