Pat Shelley grew up watching Westerns on television like “Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza” and “The Big Valley” along with Western movie stars like Roy Rogers and his horse, Trigger. She noticed as a child and even as an adult that there were not many people of color on horseback in the movies.

She began to seek out Black riders in and around Birmingham and found more than she expected. The Black Stallions Riding Club participates in parades and other events.

Shelley manages K.J.’s Corral off Minor Parkway in Birmingham where some of the horses are kept. She and other members of the club use the horses to introduce Black youths and others to riding and the joys of being close to horses.

But it’s not all fun and fillies. K.J.’s Corral also puts the youths to work cleaning stalls “so they will understand, there is a work ethic here as well. It’s not just the enjoyment – there’s a responsibility that comes with owning a horse.”

Shelley named the corral after her grandson, K.J., who helped build it and would work with and exercise the horses before he died of gun violence in 2021.

Just as the horses have helped her, Shelley believes they can help others.

“It’s about the animals for me and it’s about the children – getting the children connected to something as beautiful, as graceful, as strong, as wonderful as the horse.”