Inclusive Horseback Riding In Oklahoma

Hi, my name is Naima Lowe, and I'm raising money to help young people learn to ride in a queer friendly, racially inclusive environment.

I'm a black queer artist living in Tulsa, OK. During the Pandemic, I decided that I wanted to start horse riding again, because I needed a relatively COVID safe way to get out of my house. Growing up riding horses was an important outlet that helped me manage my anxiety, depression and feelings of isolation. Despite Oklahoma's (very real) reputation for being very conservative, I found an awesome queer and POC friendly horse trainer just outside of town who runs an amazingly inclusive and fun riding program that focuses on building confidence, skills and community through horses.

Through my community connections here, I've been able to befriend with some young black queer and disabled people who also want to ride, but their parents don't have the means to pay for the lessons. I've been able to help get some folks started, but now I'd like to seed a small scholarship fund for ongoing lessons. I'd like to eventually start a non-profit organization to support other young people in our area looking for an inclusive riding environment.

I'm hoping to raise $2500 to start, because horse riding can be an expensive endeavor, especially when you're just getting started. This would cover the cost of one lesson per week for four students for the next 3.5 months. Any leftover funds will be donated to a local horse rescue.