"When you build trust with a horse and start doing things like trotting or cantering, it changes how you see yourself. You realize you can take on anything."
– David Silver, Founder, Detroit Horse Power
Discretionary Grant - Detroit, MI (June 2025) — Before she ever dreamed of a career in veterinary medicine, Le’Airra was a quiet middle schooler with little experience around horses. That changed when she joined Detroit Horse Power (DHP), a nonprofit that connects Detroit youth to horses to help them grow confidence, empathy and perseverance.
She kept coming back – first as a student, then as a founding member of DHP’s Youth Leadership Council and eventually as a peer mentor and part-time staff member. “Le’Airra is now someone who teaches the next generation,” said founder David Silver. “She’s literally standing in the shoes she once filled.”
For nearly a decade, DHP has bused students to suburban barns for free summer camps and after-school programs. But in 2026, with support from the Walters Family Foundation, the organization will open the largest urban equestrian center in the nation, right in the heart of Detroit’s Hope Village. It will bring horseback riding and transformative learning to thousands of Detroit kids who might otherwise never access such opportunities.
“This space is about access and consistency,” said Silver. “It will be a facility our students can count on.”
The Walters Family Foundation’s grant supports DHP’s Stable Future Fund, which will expand programming and staffing, provide meals, transportation and supplies. It also played a key role in unlocking a $200,000 matching grant from the William Davidson Foundation. “The Walters grant was one of our largest contributors. It helped us close the gap and reach our goal,” Silver said.
When the new barn opens, summer enrollment is expected to jump from 100 to as many as 1,000 students. After-school participation is projected to more than double and 2,000 students are expected to visit each year on field trips – many experiencing horses for the very first time.
But Detroit Horse Power isn’t just about riding. It’s about what happens when kids learn to connect with a 1,200-pound animal on mutual trust and respect. At DHP, horses aren’t just animals, they’re teachers. To earn their trust, students must show calm confidence and clarity.
“We call it PERCS: Perseverance, Empathy, Responsible Risk-taking, Confidence and Self-control,” said Silver. “These aren’t just traits for the barn. They’re life skills.”
And the model works. A University of Michigan study found a 50% increase in those traits among DHP’s year-round students. Long term, DHP projects that 95% of participants will graduate high school and 90% will pursue college or trade school.
DHP’s programs are completely free for Detroit residents. “There’s a huge hunger for this in the city,” said Silver. “Our parents are our biggest advocates. They want their kids to have access to these life-changing experiences.”
With the new center on the horizon and a growing team of youth leaders like Le’Airra stepping up, Detroit Horse Power is expanding what’s possible – for students, for neighborhoods and for the city itself.
Discretionary grants are by invitation only.