Erin Brown
When she was a child, Erin Brown discovered horses in an unlikely spot: an urban farm in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia. The farm was Fletcher Street Stables, a haven for horses and humans, where kids learned discipline and how to ride and care for horses. And horses that were down on their luck found kids who fed them, nurtured them, rode them and never saw them as anything less than creatures who deserved love and kindness.
Philadelphia’s urban riders have been part of the city’s fabric for more than a century, although the tiny patches of open land for horses are vanishing—victims of gentrification and urban development.
Now in her 30’s, Brown is an accomplished equestrian. She has worked and taught at several equestrian facilities in Philadelphia, including Fletcher Street and at Chamounix Stables’ Work-to-Ride program. She credits urban riding facilities such as Fletcher Street and Chamounix for literally changing and saving the lives of countless young people by providing them with programs that teach accountability and discipline, along with how to ride, show and compete in various equestrian sports.
She worked on the soon-to-be-released film Concrete Cowboy, which stars Idris Elba. The film tells the story of a troubled young man whose life is changed by the horses and people at Fletcher Street Stables. Her friend Eric Miller was working with the production company on the film and had been the director of Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy (www.thepura.org). PURA was created by a consortium of people who are passionate about preserving the legacy of Philadelphia’s urban riders. They include the film’s producers Ricky Staub and Dan Walser, Staci Hagenbaugh, the location manager for the movie, and Ryan Spak, developer and CEO of The Spak Group. Miller was the executive director of PURA but was killed in 2019. After Miller’s death, Brown took over as the organization’s executive director.
“We’re working with the City on a permanent location,” Brown says. She has been pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic support from Philadelphia’s leaders. “I wrote a letter to Mayor Kenney, and didn’t know what to expect,” she says. “But two weeks later I got an email supporting the project.” Subsequently PURA and Philadelphia officials have looked at various options, and hope to finalize a location soon. She says they’re looking for a place with access to trails, “something that can’t be affected by gentrification.”
Seeking Support from Equestrians and Others
In the meantime, she has plunged into the effort to raise money. “It looks like an overwhelming process,” she says. “We have a few different organizations helping us.” One of PURA’s most prominent allies is Missy Clark, one of the country’s leading equitation coaches. She and her husband John Brennan own North Run in Vermont and Wellington, FL. The Concrete to Show Jumping collaboration between North Run and PURA strives to “raise awareness through education and interaction in an effort to eliminate social injustices, discrimination and racism within our horse communities.”
Clark and PURA have launched a fund-raising campaign called “Fresh Start for Philly Youth,” the first effort to generate money to support the eventual capital needs of PURA’s facility. Brown says the money will go toward constructing stables for 20-25 horses, as well as paddocks and arenas.
And there is much more to come. “Once COVID goes away, Missy is going to do clinics in Pennsylvania to raise money for PURA.”
“When the movie is released on Netflix (tentatively this spring), the producers are going to go full force (with fund-raising), because PURA is my baby and their baby, too,” Brown says. “Right now our biggest challenge is COVID.” She would love to bring community groups together to galvanize support for PURA, because she knows that horses generate interest and stoke imaginations. “We did an event with a local skate park (pre-COVID), and we were giving out rides on one of the horses. I didn’t think the line would ever end,” she says.
The Time is Now; the Mission is Critical
There is an African proverb that says “until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” The unasked question: why are Black equestrians so rare? The answer: it’s complicated. Brown believes the status quo is not a viable option, and she is committed to preserving—and expanding—the legacy of Philadelphia’s urban equestrians for many reasons. “The backyards where the stables had existed have been gentrified,” and that means avenues for inner-city kids—especially Black and Brown kids—are vanishing. “In the 90’s the only time I would see anyone that looked like me was when I was at Northwestern (Stables)” she says, “but one time I met Melvin Dutton at a horse show. I was like ‘who are you?’” She says she was pleasantly surprised to see another Black person at a suburban horse show. Dutton, a legendary horseman in Pennsylvania, became a good friend. “And he helped me so much.”
Initiatives like Concrete to Show Jumping, and commitments to greater diversity from groups like US Equestrian offer some potential to resolve the dilemma. But in the end, it takes hard work and money—a lot of it—to make these laudable ideas work. PURA is hoping to find a location in the City for a permanent home, but there will be expenses associated with retrofitting—or even building—a facility.
To a kid growing up in the city, women like Brown could be exceptional mentors—but only if there are venues where kids can meet her and see that there are possibilities. Fans of equestrian sports might not think about how many potential stars have never had the chance to learn or develop their talents. As in other aspects of life—from science to the arts and everything in between—the status quo has not treated all groups equally. But that doesn’t mean the age-old patterns can’t be disrupted. Brown looks around at streets clogged with cars on a cold winter morning. “The kids here, they need activities. They need something to do. Not every kid wants to play football or basketball. I was once that one little kid, and I found horses.”
To donate to PURA, or to find out more about their programs, go to their website, www.thepura.org.