Work to Ride: Transcending Boundaries

Pictured: Most people's first impression of a 'polo player'. Image courtesy of CapMiller.com

When we traditionally think of polo as a sport, sometimes we conjure up images of the upper crust of society sipping flashy drinks whilst celebrity polo players charge across the field on expensive ponies, met with polite golf claps. Work to Ride, a program based out of the Chamounix Equestrian Center near Fairmount Park, focuses on making this traditionally bourgeois sport more accessible. Work to Ride program’s mission, as stated on the website, is to :”promote discipline, self-esteem, motivation, social development, life skills, academic achievement, and physical fitness through year round programs that encourage long term participation.” This ideology is better explained in the video below:

The Cowtown/Work to Ride team, which has been active at Chamounix Equestrian Center since 1994, is notable for being comprised of mostly black players. In a sport so dominated by mostly white teams, it is refreshing to see a diverse program successfully establish itself. When the team won the National Interscholastic Championship in 2011 against Baltimore, every member of the team was African-American, making interscholastic history as the first-ever all-black team to win.

Pictured: Cowtown/WTR 2011: Kareem Rosser, Daymar Rosser,Brandon Rease. Image courtesy of Work to Ride.

Teammates Kareem and Daymar are brothers, and initially discovered their passion for horses after their two older brothers signed up for the Work to Ride program a few years earlier (as mentioned in a CNN clip posted below). Kenshaun Walker has since replaced Kareem (now a graduate of the program) and the team has also welcomed new member, Julia Smith. Hear a little bit more about this amazing team in the clip below!

For more information about Work to Ride, click HERE! OR Click HERE to learn how to sponsor a player!