The Ethos Awards Ceremony on Saturday morning, August 31, at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY, recognized black and brown equestrians and allies who are changing the narrative in equestrian sport: Mayisha Akbar, Dr. George and Ann Blair, Anastasia Curwood, Caitlin Gooch, Lezlie Hiner, and Patricia Kelly.
“This is what I’ve always dreamed of, to see a mixture of races, ages and economic advantages in one place,” said Roberta Wilmore, who was joined by Jess Saalfield in organizing and presenting the Ethos Awards. “This is an occasion to honor real trailblazers.”
2024 Ethos Award Recipients
Mayisha Akbar founded the Compton Jr. Posse (CJP) in 1988 in Compton, CA, to bring kids hope, connection and success by teaming them with horses. “Children are most handicapped by a lack of opportunity,” cited Akbar, whose nephew, Randy Savvy, launched Compton Cowboys in 2017 to continue the family mission of imbuing youth with good horse sense and professional acumen.
Dr. George and Ann Blair started the New York Riding Academy in 1970 in Manhattan’s Randall Island Park, making horseback riding more inclusive for everyone. “When you live to be 93, it’s hard to compress it all into three minutes,” Dr. Blair joke but, “like a good Baptist minister,” he stretched every minute like taffy to send a clear message: “We need to learn to stand erect and be competitive.”
Anastasia Curwood is co-founder, with Heather Gillette, of Strides for Equality, working to create equitable opportunities for BIPOC equestrians. She said accepting her Ethos Award at the NMR was poignant because: “We are in the first organization to recognize black pioneers. The National Museum of Racing was ahead of its time, thank you.”
Caitlin Gooch is founder of the Saddle Up And Read program that connects horses, kids and libraries in an effort to raise literacy rates in North Carolina. “I never believed I’d be recognized just for doing what’s right. Kids love horses and books. It was just putting the two together and thank you God, for the strength to get it done.”
Lezlie Hiner started Work To Ride in 1994, a community-based prevention program in Philadelphia that engages and empowers under-resourced urban kids through interactions with horses. WTR made history in 2011 when three students were on the first African American team to win the National Interscholastic Polo Championship and another WTR student, Shariah Harris, was 2016 US Polo Association National Interscholastic Player of the Year and, in February 2024, became the first Black woman to play in the US Women’s Polo Championship.
Patricia Kelly is president and CEO of Ebony Horsewomen, Inc., created in 1984 in Hartford, CT and now home to certified equine-related therapy and the Mary Fields Museum, dedicated to the story of the African American experience in pioneer life and horsemanship. “I have an amazing loyal staff with me to give black and brown kids the same opportunities without the cost,” she said.
Saalfield, whose college thesis 20 years ago saw the power of equine therapy to heal across divides, heralded the awards as, “A revolution of inclusion.”
The Ethos Award is a bi-annual celebration of joy and representation that partners with unique equine venues across the country to share in its mission to change the narrative of equestrian sports; the inaugural 2022 awards were presented in partnership with the Washington International Horse Show. Learn more or recommend a venue at ethosawardequestrian.com.
Filed by: L.A. Berry, [email protected]
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