Equal opportunities for all with KEITS

You would think that opportunities to follow a career in riding while living in the middle of London are few and far between but a riding school in Dulwich is, with the help of KEITS apprenticeship schemes, providing a group of girls with just that.

There are currently six pupils working at the school who are in varying stages of completing their NVQ Level 2 in horse care. All of them have received funding through KEITS without which most say that following their long-term desires to pursue careers in the horse world would be impossible.

Leonie Smith is a 23-year-old mother who is finishing off her NVQ Level 2. She read about KEITS in Horse & Hound and then saw some material which had been sent to the school. ‘We gave KEITS a call and they came to Dulwich to explain how the programmes work’, says Leonie. She was already employed by the riding school before beginning her course but says that having the NVQ qualification will be a great step forward. ‘It shows that I can be left alone in the care of horses, among other things.’ Leonie is a born-and-bred Londoner and has been going to the yard for the past 10 to 12 years. Now, with her family commitments, she spends over sixteen hours a week at the school. ‘Time would be the only thing that would stop me from applying for another KEITS apprenticeship to do NVQ Level 3,’ she says.

Dulwich Riding school attracts riders from all over south London, including inner city areas that would not normally be associated with riding such as Brixton and Peckham. ‘Riding is no longer elitist and middle class,’ says the director, Jaye. ‘We supply riding boots and hats so all the pupils need to do is turn up in a pair of jogging pants with £20 to pay for the lesson. Lots of people come by word of mouth and the Internet has opened up the hobby to a lot of people who may not have chosen to ride before.