A muggy day in August marked a rite of passage for Sonia Singh: her first time taking the lead teaching a riding class, using horsemanship to build the confidence of students like herself.

“Stand up in your saddle for me and lean forward,” the recent Cass Technical High School graduate told a group of beginners. “You can brace your hands in the mane.”

It was day three of one of the nonprofit Detroit Horse Power’s summer camp sessions at Willowbrooke Farm in Plymouth, about a 45-minute van ride from Detroit for the students.

Singh, now 18, began participating in programs run by Detroit Horse Power as a high school freshman living in Southwest Detroit because it was the only opportunity she had to ride.

Like Singh, many middle and high school students of color say Detroit Horse Power has given them opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have – gaining access to an equestrian world often dominated by white and wealthy riders – while learning social and emotional skills, such as empathy, confidence, and resilience.

That’s by design. The nonprofit, which runs free after-school programs and summer camps for disadvantaged youth in Detroit, created a curriculum for "equine-assisted learning," an experiential approach that uses interactions with horses to develop skills like communication, problem-solving, and self-awareness.

The practice is based on the principles of social and emotional learning, an educational method developed decades ago that teaches students life skills. In recent years, conservatives have portrayed social and emotional learning as a vehicle for introducing students to progressive concepts. Research suggests that students receive a wide range of benefits from it, including improvement in academic performance.

“Detroit Horse Power is somewhat unique in our approach to horses and youth development,” said David Silver, founder and executive director of the nonprofit.

Its curriculum is based on Silver’s experiences as a former classroom teacher in Detroit and a blend of research from various fields, he said.

Read the full article about Detroit Horse Power by Hannah Dellinger at Chalkbeat.