Work to Ride (WTR) is an American nonprofit prevention program which seeks to aid disadvantaged urban youth (ages 7 to 19) by offering constructive activities including horsemanship, equine sports (

Polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

) and education. The program was founded in 1994 by Lezlie Hiner. This program's goal is to inspire inner-city youth with limited opportunities in positive ways through the sport of polo. From tending to horses, the stable and the farm daily, the children will learn how to work for the privileges that Lezlie provides. The "Family" polo team will compete against other scholastic polo teams which teaches the children about teamwork, perseverance and much more. WTR is based at Chamounix Stables in

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, with ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, and gives urban teenagers a chance to come in contact with animals and nature. Children and teens who want to be involved must commit to a minimum of one year of participation in the program; participants are encouraged to remain with the program through their high school graduation. WTR graduates receive assistance with college enrollment; a few also choose to come back to Chamounix and act as

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

s to teens entering the program. In 2011, WTR became the first all-black squad to win the United States Polo Association's national interscholastic championship. The members of the original championship team were Kareem Rosser, Daymar Rosser and Brandon Rease; Kareem Rosser described his own time in Work to Ride in his 2021 book ''Crossing the Line.'' Work to Ride repeated as national champions in 2012. Work to Ride has received national attention and funding from Polo Ralph Lauren. Hiner was awarded the

United States Polo Association The United States Polo Association (USPA) is the national governing body for the sport of polo in the United States. Introduction Established in 1890, by David Grubbs the USPA provides resources to over 4,500 individual members and 250 polo club ...

"Woman of the Year" award in 2016 in recognition of her contribution to the sport through WTR.

References

External links

Official site
1994 establishments in Pennsylvania Non-profit organizations based in Pennsylvania Organizations established in 1994 Equestrian organizations Polo in the United States African-American history in Philadelphia Sports in Philadelphia {{Pennsylvania-sport-stub