Pittsburgh police mounted patrol officer brings horseback riding to inner-city children

A Pittsburgh police detective has made it her mission to launch a new program that gives inner-city children access to something that is more than likely unique to them: horseback riding. 

It's a unique opportunity for city kids that is driven by the detective's passion. 

"It's not just me as a detective doing this; this is me as a human being doing this," said Detective Dorothea Leftwich. 

Leftwich serves as a detective in the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and she is also a member of the bureau's mounted unit, which patrols the city on horseback. 

Now, she's opening the gate for others to take the reins. 

"I wasn't afforded that opportunity, and I wanted to present that to inner-city youth and community members to have that ability to learn how to ride horses," she said. 

She is now approaching her first anniversary with the mounted unit, and she also made history as the first African-American female mounted officer for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. This project, however, is personal. 

"That was new to me, and hopefully I encourage others through this journey," she said. 

What began as a personal interest grew into a passion that helped Leftwich through some personal grief, and now she's turning it into purpose. 

The program is called "Riding Into the Future," and it's a partnership with 4H and Sunnibel Stables in Washington County. It gives 20 inner-city children the chance to saddle up. 

"To watch the kids grow from being afraid to work with the animals and leary of being around them to being able to lead them, we're just really excited to bring this to a larger group of kids," said Sonya Bell, the owner and head trainer at Sunnibel Stables. "Some children internalize and don't want to come out; they don't want to come out with issues going on in the home, and that's where everything is rooted, within the home." 

The kids will learn horse care and riding skills as well as gain access to field trips, 4H programs, and scholarships. 

Most importantly, the hope is that it will help them build confidence. 

"I hope she can ride the horse and learn to care for an animal which will help," said Angelica Lauw, one of the parents. "She's also autistic, so I think that will help her understand the challenges, but if she keeps trying, she can succeed." 

Riding Into the Future launches this summer, but the hope is to expand its reach in the years to come.