‘The kids have to remain calm...they can’t bring their anger here because the horses would pick up on it.’
AS I sat astride an enormous brown horse, he broke into a trot. “That’s it, hold the reins like you would a teacup,” the trainer called out encouragingly. It is a scene that wouldn’t be out of place in some rural idyll in the home counties. But, in fact, I couldn’t be further away from the tweed-and-red-trouser set.
I’m in Brixton, in inner-city south London, one of the most deprived areas in the capital and, indeed, the country.
With high-rise tower blocks soaring overheard, and trains rattling past, it’s the last place you’d expect to find stables.
But past the boarded-up shops, takeaways and a pub that has been converted into a job centre, is a small park.
And nestled on it is the Ebony Horse Club – a charity which teaches disadvantaged youngsters how to ride.
It is thanks to them that Khadijah Mellah, the first ever British Muslim woman jockey, won the Magnolia Cup at Goodwood Races on Ladies’ Day last month.
A handyman’s daughter nearby Peckham, Khadijah might never have had the opportunity to ride but when she was 12, she joined the club after some time on their long waiting list.
“Khadijah joined us about six years ago and ever since then she’s ridden every week,” says Sue Collins, chair of the trustees. “She’s the eldest of three siblings here, alongside her brother and sister.”
A world away from south London, Khadijah galloped across the finish line and into the history books as 12 of her peers from the club were there, cheering from the stands.
“We really wanted her to win, so when she did, we went crazy,” says 16-year-old Grace Mpungi, one of the club members who went to Goodwood to see her friend compete. “It was very inspiring to see her win.”
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HE Ebony Horse Club opened its premises in 2011 and is home to 10 horses – and one Shetland pony called Poppet.
“He only cost £1, and he came as a sort of a package deal with another horse called Tommy,” Sue laughs. “They’re inseparable. Tommy is very protective of Poppet, and they share a stable.”
For 15 years before the centre opened, the charity had been taking children from the neighbourhood to riding stables outside of London and the club has proved a lifeline for local teenagers.
“This area is among 10 per cent of the most disadvantaged communities in the UK, and Brixton generally has quite a lot of housing issues,” says Sue. “There’s a lack of facilities for young people something a bit different.”
There are 100 youngsters who come for riding lessons every week.
Aged eight to 18, they learn how to muck out, groom and tack up the horses as well as riding them.
Many of the children who come here have been referred by social services, or come from pupil referral units.
Sue believes teaching them to care for and ride the horses provides valuable life lessons.
“Caring for the horses teaches the kids as much as learning to ride in terms of empathy and how they behave,” Sue says.
“When they’re here, the kids have to remain calm. They can’t bring their anger on to the yard, even if they’ve got problems to do outside of here, because the horses would pick up on it.”
She hopes the charity’s work keeps them from getting in with the wrong crowds.
“Almost certainly a percentage of them would be involved in gangs if they didn’t come to us,” Sue says.
“The work we’re doing is preventative.They can join us at eight.
“By the time they get into their teens, which for all teenagers whatever their background is when temptations begin, we hope that we have them hooked.”
In the years since the centre opened, they have seen many young people turn their lives around.
“A few years ago, there was a young man with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and autism. He came to the club with his school,” says Sue. “He comes from a complex background, living with a single parent and six siblings.
“He joined as a fulltime member and was really committed to the horses. He had a lot of anger issues and he felt the horses helped him.
“Then when he was 16, he was made homeless. He was living on the streets, but we helped find him a place in a hostel in Stockwell, and do a one-year course at college.
“Then he found a job. Now he’s 18 and he’s working with horses at a big event yard out in Sussex which he loves. He’s one example, but there are others. We had one lad who said he believed he would have been in prison if it weren’t for us.” The centre comprises two small paddocks, a row of stables, and a squat building where the boots and helmets are stored, at