Standing Ovation by Ovation Riding: Malik Divers’ ‘Concrete Cowboys’

Each week Horse Nation teams up with Ovation Riding to spotlight an individual or organization doing good work in the horse world. Today, we’re recognizing Malik Divers’ riding stable for youth in west Philadelphia.

This video from Great Big Story was released earlier this week and has been shared over 30,000 times since then: the video features riders from an inner-city stable in Philadelphia, run by Malik Divers.

While the streets of a run-down neighborhood might not be the most likely place to find horses, these riders have discovered what all of us as equestrians and horse lovers know in our hearts: horses teach us responsibility, work ethic, patience. They keep us honest. They remind us to be our best selves. And for youth in this particular neighborhood, these particular lessons can be the difference between a life of value or a life of crime.

While critics might find the equitation in this video less than inspiring, we’re glad to see that the horses appear to be well-cared for and in good flesh. We invite readers to look past the riding and focus instead on the message: these horses are doing good work in Philadelphia.

Horses have a power to bring out the best in us — no matter where we might find them.

Update 10:17 AM: Many thanks to reader queries about sending donations of money, equipment or time to this program. We are working to find contact information for Malik Divers if it is available and will post an update if we can accomplish this.

Update Monday, March 28 at 9:13 AM: Malik Divers has set up a GoFundMe account to accept donations towards building a new stable. You can also leave messages for Malik on this page when you make a donation.

Many thanks thanks to Ovation Riding for their support of both Horse Nation and individuals and organizations that are doing good work in the horse world. If you know someone who deserves a Standing Ovation, we would love to recognize them in a future post. Email the name of the person or organization along with a message about the good work they do to [email protected]. Photos/videos are always welcome, and include a link to their website if applicable.