[MUSIC PLAYING]
CHAZ CARROLL: This is the urban area of Hartford--
high in crime, high in a lot of violence.
And you have people that are struggling financially,
struggling within their households,
struggling trying to raise children.
These kids-- they could have heard
gunshots the night before.
They could have seen somebody get robbed in front of them.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
PATRICIA KELLY: We knew we needed
to be here because the educational system was lacking,
health disparities all over the place.
And the kids are caught in the middle.
They're at risk from birth to death.
But in the interim, we're trying to prepare them with tools that
will make it a little easier.
And the horses are one of the tools.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I grew up about three blocks from here.
And there was this African-American, male
organization called the Ebony Horsemen.
And this one guy--
his name was Puddin-head Merritt.
I said, "Puddin-head, I want to come to your place and ride."
And I started riding again.
And this incredible peace came over me.
So I started to call my girlfriends to tell them,
"Hey, listen.
You need to come out and ride with me."
So now we're at Puddin-head's house riding his three horses
into the dirt.
And I founded Ebony Horsewomen on Puddin-head's living room
floor.
One day, these two little boys ran up to us
and said, "Hey, lady.
Is that a real horse?"
And I said, "Yeah, sweetie.
What did you think it was?"
And I thought, oh, my God.
I got to do something about this.
So at that point, I changed the organization
to focus in on children.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CHAZ CARROLL: Mrs. Kelly always had this vision.
And we've been successfully doing that for over 30 years.
PATRICIA KELLY: We really didn't know the science
behind Equine Therapy, but we knew there was something.
So we really began to focus in on education, and therapy,
and opportunities.
DOMINIQUE BOURGEOIS: For the after school program--
which is our Equine-assisted Growth and Learning Program--
we probably have 400 students that come through our facility
throughout the year.
They're learning horseback riding, animal science,
and equine husbandry-- which is care of the horse as a whole.
We're also an agricultural center.
So the students are learning how to grow
their own healthy foods, then take it to our kitchen,
and learn how to make healthy meals.
We also have our Saturday Saddle Club,
which is also affiliated with 4-H.
We have our Young Lady's Leadership Academy
and Dressage Team.
They're going through life leadership skills
and they're also learning beginner-level dressage.
CHAZ CARROLL: The Junior Mounted Patrol of Ebony Horsewoman
Equestrian Center is an all-boys program
that is geared toward minority young men
to learn horsemanship, the trails,
learn about map reading.
It's about building up these young men.
Many of them didn't have male figures in their lives
that were positive.
So me being able to spend at least twice a week
with them, that's very vital.
At the end of the day, we're about unity.
We're about protecting one another
and being a positive image for our community.
PATRICIA KELLY: There are a lot of children
in the park who see these young black boys on horses
and it's a whole different perception.
It's a whole different perception for even the adults.
Like, oh, look.
The black kids are riding horses.
36 years-- we still get that response.
Yes, it's black kids riding horses.
DOMINIQUE BOURGEOIS: We've been taking the youth to the Bill
Pickett Rodeo in Maryland.
And they are amazed to see so many
of their own kind riding horses.
Mrs. Kelly actually took a group of girls down to Texas A&M.
And some of them are now interested
in their veterinary program.
CHAZ CARROLL: Kids that used to bully each other, pick
on each other-- they built a brotherhood outside of here.
These kids-- they have a positive circle
to turn to during tough times and during times
where they might slip up.
DOMINIQUE BOURGEOIS: In schools, we
have gotten reports that this student that was off the wall
is now calming down.
They're focusing more.
And they're like, well, what are you guys doing?
Nothing.
We're giving them the time, the attention,
the space that they need to better themselves so that they
will be better when they approach the world.
PATRICIA KELLY: It's not a program.
It's a herd.
And I'm the alpha mare.
We're here to make sure that we get you to your best life.
MAYRA ESQUILIN: We've seen kids grow up, go off
to college because of Miss Kelly's work in terms
of connecting them to schools.
DOMINIQUE BOURGEOIS: It's amazing to see
how far some of them have gone-- from that rough kid that
was always in trouble to now having their own business,
becoming veterinarians, or nurses.
It almost makes me want to cry because it's amazing to see.
PATRICIA KELLY: We have a lot of our alumni come back
to say I did it and you can, too.
DOMINIQUE BOURGEOIS: One of our alumni students
is Frederick Wright.
PATRICIA KELLY: Fred graduated from Cornell University's
farrier program.
He started to now shoe and trim our horses.
DOMINIQUE BOURGEOIS: There are generations of youth
that Mrs. Kelly has brought through these doors.
She's changing the lives of the people in Hartford as a whole.
MAYRA ESQUILIN: Alianna has been here since she was 8,
so it's been over 10 years.
These horses mean the world to my daughter.
She participates in the therapeutic part of it.
My daughter has emotional needs.
So I think it helps her a lot.
I am a single mom of three and having this whole team
that's here as her second family is extremely helpful.
Being able to walk into a location like this with people
who are highly skilled, have degrees, knowledge--
not only about horses but about children--
is really a lifeline.
AL MCFADDEN: I'm retired and raising my two grandkids.
They don't have a female at home on a regular basis
so being around Miss Kelly and Dominique
teaches them how to be a young lady.
They really go out of their way to make sure
that these kids are well taken care of, have a lot to do,
and keep them occupied.
My grandkids-- they've been here for about six years now.
And they've grown a lot.
They matured a lot here.
Once they learn how to master riding a horse,
I think it helps them with their confidence.
It also helps them with teamwork because they're
asked to get together as a team and make sure that all
the horses are taken care of.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CHAZ CARROLL: A lot of people think
that when you have a horse, it's just
about throwing a saddle on them and riding.
No, it's not.
It's seeing how they're feeling mentally.
How's their attitude?
They will let you know when they're having a bad morning.
We really do respect that.
It's how we treat our kids.
DOMINIQUE BOURGEOIS: Brushing a horse, a lot of times,
calms the person to be able to express themselves better.
It's all rewiring the brain in the way
that working with a horse is helping heal that person.
PATRICIA KELLY: With equine-assisted therapy
and psychotherapy, there's no real need to talk.
The horse begins to mirror what goes on inside you.
And if there's someone there to guide you--
therapists-- to show you what that mirroring is,
it's information.
Horses are so sensitive.
Their safety mechanism gives them the ability
to measure energy levels.
And so when a child presents with agitation, anxiety, anger,
the horse is like, "Uh, I don't think
we can do business right now."
So they begin to learn how to bring that down
and to work with this horse.
Equine-therapy is beginning to understand themselves.
What triggers you and how can we give you tools to manage that?
We can't change their life circumstances,
but we can change how they respond to it.
MAYRA ESQUILIN: We're just trying
to figure out how to keep our jobs, put food on the table,
keep our kids safe, how to navigate systems that often--
your first try-- end up shutting the door in your face.
And so I probably would have just thrown my hands up
in the air.
But I'm able to fight because they fight for me.
CHAZ CARROLL: With four people taking care of 15 horses
and four different types of programs, it gets tiring.
But no matter how much time we put in here,
we still wake up excited to come take care of horses
at 5:30 in the morning.
And that's how we're able to succeed.
DOMINIQUE BOURGEOIS: We are a full non-profit.
And a lot of times, the students that we have come here
don't pay anything because they need it that much.
PATRICIA KELLY: And we cannot push parents to pay
because if you do that, they pull the kid.
And that's the mission.
We keep doing what we do because it's paying off.
CHAZ CARROLL: They come here bottled up with anger.
And then we tell them, talk to your horse.
They come back either happy, smiling, shocked that, wow,
this horse really calmed me down.
MAYRA ESQUILIN: My lifelong dream
is to make sure that this is there for a lot of generations
to come.
CHAZ CARROLL: Let's ride, boys.
Good job, Jay.
Good job, Jamal.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JP, walk on!
[MUSIC PLAYING]