Olympic Gold Medalist Will Simpson and the Jr. Posse kids
When you think of Compton, California located in South Central Los Angeles, the last thing you probably think of is horses. The city is infamous for gang violence, mainly caused by the Bloods, the Crips and numerous Mexican gangs. Compton’s violent reputation was popularized in the late 1980s by the rise to fame of local rap groups N.W.A. and Eazy-E, who released the well-known albums Straight Outta Compton and Eazy-Duz-It. Since then, “Compton” has been synonymous to anything ghetto or gang-related. Compton has a homicide rate about eight times higher than the national average, most of which are gang killings.
Even with these major challenges, there is a woman in the midst of this violence trying to make a difference. Mayisha Akbar, a real estate broker, came across a small area in Compton known as Richland Farms where people are allowed to have horses. At the time, she was looking for some real estate for a client, but Akbar fell in love with a piece of property in the area and bought it as a safe haven for her children to live and ride horses.
After she moved into the community, children from the neighborhood started to come by her house. “They had nothing else to do, and they were curious about the possibility of riding horses.” says Akbar, a single parent of three children. “I saw there was a need in the community for a place for children to go to stay out of trouble. The Compton Jr. Posse was created pretty much by happenstance. I told the children if they wanted to ride, they had to go to school and get good grades,” Akbar says. “I never have solicited a child. It is all by word of mouth. These children are able to find me because I am right in the middle of the community. They usually end up walking to my house and show up at my front door.”
In 1988, Akbar founded the Compton Jr. Posse, so she could apply for grants and funding to help even more children. Currently, there are around 40 to 50 children in this year-around program be-tween the ages of five and 19 who come to learn to ride and work with the horses after school and on the weekends. The majority of the children come from single parent homes, and many of these children are left to their own devices and are unsupervised because their parents work long hours. Akbar has 15 horses at her barn and five others that are being sponsored at other facilities. There is a multitude of different breeds from Quarter Horse ponies to Thoroughbreds at her facility. Currently, she is trying to upgrade and get nicer caliber horses donated or leased for her children to eventually be able to compete at the highest levels of equestrian competitions. Akbar also provides tutors for some of the children who may need help in school as well as being a surrogate parent for many children who lack guidance and direction in their lives.
Recently named by Essence Magazine as one of the Top 25 most inspirational women in the world, Akbar says horses can teach children a lot of valuable qualities such as responsibility and respect. “Children learn they don’t have to be loud and aggressive to succeed in life. Working with horses teaches them the value of a life. When they learn that value, it is harder for them to take someone else’s life.”
Akbar adds, “Gangs are very organized, sinister and aggressive. They provide economic support, a family, and food to naïve young kids. It is hard to keep kids focused and away from these bad influences.” Akbar explains. “We have to provide something superior to what the gangs offer. Horses are something different, and they give children a sense of empowerment and freedom. It helps build their self-esteem because they have to develop a trusting relationship and connection with the horses. Also, it is hard to beat the adrenaline rush of jumping a horse over a four foot fence with a great amount of speed. The kids love the sense of excitement horses bring to their lives.”
Kathy Clark, an adult volunteer from Los Angeles who is also a foster parent, says she loves being involved with this program because children are assisted in their academics, are adult supervised, and they are given goals to meet before they are allowed to ride. “The children have to show their report cards and maintain a B average to remain in the program. They also learn good sportsmanship and how to work as a team. They also have chores such as cleaning stalls and barn chores before they are allowed to participate in activities.”
Besides learning to ride, many of these children have the opportunity to travel, become apprentices with top trainers, compete at horse shows, and learn from some of the best instructors in the horse industry. Their future goals involve developing the first inner city equestrian team and charter school with their eyes on future Olympics. 2008 Olympic Show Jumping Gold Medalist Will Simpson has been working with some of Akbar’s students. Also, two of Akbar’s riders recently visited Dressage Olympian Charlotte Bredahl’s ranch in Buellton, California. Some students have also been able to travel to Paris, France to attend some of the equitation schools abroad. The children are mainly involved with dressage and jumping, but also show at some rodeos and western shows. Trancas Riders and Ropers, the oldest horse association in Malibu, holds many horse shows that Akbar’s children attend. They also participate in many shows run by the Equestrian Trails, Inc. which is a family-oriented riding club based in Sylmar, California.
“It is great to get these children out of their environment in a place they don’t have to keep looking over their shoulder and constantly worry about getting shot or involved in some sort of violence. They get to socialize with many different people from various socioeconomic backgrounds, and they learn tolerance of other cultures,” Akbar says. “They get to see there is another way people live. Most people don’t expect much from these children, and many don’t expect to live past the age of 16. But these experiences also give them the hope and knowledge that there are other possibilities besides joining a gang.”
While most equine competitions today are mainly dominated by female riders, Mayisha hauls into the shows with mainly African-American young males who love horses and the adrenaline rush of jumping horses as fast as they can. Akbar says everyone is “amazed” by how many boys she has in her program.
Keenan Abercrombia, 17, is a young African American male who is currently a senior in high school and eventually would like to continue riding and jumping while he attends college. “Most kids at my school don’t believe that I ride horses in Compton. It is such an unlikely neighborhood to have animals and be able to ride horses. It definitely has kept me out of trouble and away from gangs. There is a lot of black on Hispanic violence in our neighborhood, and this is a safe place I can go to stay away from all that.”
Abercombia adds, “I am currently learning to be a farrier, and I just love everything about horses. I like the responsibility of caring for them and showing my horse, Puma, at the dressage and jumping shows in the area.”
Charles Harris, 20, still helps out with the program while attending Long Beach Community College. He started attending this program when he was just twelve years-old. He moved to Compton in 1999, and he started hearing about a place kids could go ride horses. “I didn’t believe it at first. I kept saying, ‘Are you serious?’ I decided to go check it out. I loved it so much I became a member,” Harris says. “I personally like riding English better because I get to jump. It has also taught me self-respect, how to treat animals and, lastly, how to be a man.”
Khalia Akbar, 9, who is the granddaughter of Mayisha, loves to ride her Quarter Horse pony, Sunny, all around the farm. When asked what horses have taught her, she confidently responds, “They don’t teach me. I actually teach them! I teach them how to be quiet and to not be scared of things. I get them used to the saddle and bridle. At first, my pony was scared of the pink splint boots, but I let him smell them. I rubbed them on his legs, and he finally let me put them on him. I like to tell them what to do, and they listen to me.”
Justin Parron, 13, loves being involved in the program because he gets to meet new friends and become a better rider. His favorite events to compete in are the barrels and poles because he likes to run fast. “I eventually would like to become a vet,” Parron says. “I would also like to eventually run a program like the Compton Jr. Posse because it is a great way for kids to learn about animals and keep them out of trouble.”
Akbar mentions many kids have become successful largely due to their involvement with the program and horses. She mentions a girl named Brittany, a UCLA graduate, whose participation in the program gave her the confidence to pursue a career in medicine. Others, she says, have gone on to the military, started their own businesses, and many have gone to college or learned an occupational trade. Her program has helped facilitate many of her rider’s goals and achievements not just in the show ring, but later on in life.
The Compton Jr. Posse was recently featured on the new Fox TV show, “Secret Millionaire.” This unscripted television show takes some of the wealthiest individuals in the US and places them undercover in impoverished communities all across America. DUB’s President and co-founder, Myles Kovacs, and his wife were placed in Compton. Throughout the episode, this couple met individuals trying to make a difference in their community. The Kovacs donated their personal money to specific organizations that they came across while staying in the area. Mayisha Akbar and the Compton Jr. Posse was one of those organizations. The Kovacs ended up donating $50,000 to this organization for greatly needed onsite improvements.
Akbar was immediately suspicious about the whole reason the couple was there. “They said they were filming a documentary about this couple that was from East LA trying to find work in the neighborhood. First of all, they showed up with six television vans, and Myles Kovacs did not talk like a Hispanic from East LA, so I knew something was up,” laughs Akbar. Luckily, this ruse benefitted her kids and organization.
Operating on a shoestring budget, Akbar is in constant need of monetary donations to help this program develop further. She pays for everything for her kids—food, equipment, gas, transportation, and attire for the horse shows. “We would like to lease or have some high caliber horses for our children to ride. Equipment is always needed as well as people can also sponsor a child or horse.”
Interested individuals can sponsor a child for $200 per month or $800 per session. (3 sessions per year). This pays for entry fees, transportation, uniforms, meals and instruction. Also, donors can sponsor one of our 20 horses for $150 per month or $600 per session. This pays for feed & supplies, vet care, farrier, transportation and boarding fees. Currently, they are also in need of sand for their arena to soften the footing, and decomposed granite for the stalls to improve drainage and to insure the horse’s legs and feet remain healthy.
Akbar mentions that she is working on hiring a full-time director whose main job would be to apply for grants and raise money for the organization to be able to service more kids. Right now, she explains, she is unable to help everyone in need. Akbar has sacrificed a lot of her own time and money to keep this program going, and her ultimate desire is for it to continue when she is no longer here.
Volunteer Kathy Clark explains that they don’t expect much parental involvement in the program because of the financial straits most parents are under, but she says that there needs to be more involvement from the local community through television, radio, and the educational systems in the area. “Mayisha keeps getting more kids with no extra funding. The staff and volunteers are also stretched to their limit. She is changing the lives of these children and the more support she receives, the more children she can help, which leads to improving the community as a whole.”
If you would like to make a monetary donation or find out more information about this program, you can check out their website at www.jrposse.com. Also, all equipment and monetary donations which are tax deductible can be sent to:
Mayisha Akbar · Compton Jr. Posse Youth Equestrians
453 W. Caldwell St. Compton, CA 90220
310-632-1247 · www.jrposse.com
Mayisha Akbar also asked me to thank the sponsors and donors who have helped in the past, especially the farms who are currently sponsoring five of her horses. They are listed below. They cover the full cost of maintaining and training these horses. 1) “Theo” at Hunters Hideaway, Malibu, Jo Cho Astani, owner, Victoria Faerber, Trainer 2) “Donnatelo” at Southland Farms, Agoura, Larry & Renee Bowers, owners, Nicole Rose, Trainer 3) “Ahman” at Malibu Valley Farms, Calabasas, Brian & Mia Boudreau owners, John Endicott, Trainer 4) “Tijera” at Wellbred Farms, Monte Nido, Suze Randle, owner and trainer. 5) “Pirate” at Almosta Ranch, Lakewood, Ca, Marcia & Tom Burns, owners and trainers.
