An innovative program in Philadelphia allows disadvantaged youth to ride on a polo team if they keep their grades up.

BY KATIE NAVARRA

Inside Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, the rush of the city falls away into the peaceful tranquility of wooded trails and open space. Tucked away on a dead-end road, Chamounix Equestrian Center has made its home inside the 2,000-acre municipal park. The stable is widely known for its sold-out summer camps, popular year-round lesson program and boarding opportunities, as well as a unique scholarship program called Work to Ride.

WORK TO RIDE’S BEGINNING

In 1994, Lezlie Hiner was at a crossroads. She wanted to carve out a niche in the horse industry that blended her equestrian background with a degree in psychology and women’s studies. Launching the Work to Ride (WTR) program was the perfect intersection of those passions. The 501(c)(3) non-profit is a communitybased prevention program that provides disadvantaged urban youth constructive activities centered on horsemanship, equine sports and education.

“We are serving low-income youth in the city by providing an opportunity to ride while also focusing on academic achievement,” Hiner says. “We tie academic activities to being on the polo team. If they want to be a part of the team, they have to keep up their grades.”

Since 2001, Work to Ride has produced several pony racers. They primarily race in the Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland region every spring in between interscholastic polo and grass polo season. These take place on steeplechase race days before the big races.