For more than 30 years, Lezlie Hiner has fiercely clung to a dream. As the founder of the nonprofit Work to Ride – which provides kids ages 7 to 18 a chance to learn about horses, care for them, ride them, and compete in polo matches for free – Hiner wanted more than just a field for “her kids” to play polo. She imagined an indoor arena where they could ride all year long, no matter the weather.
“Her kids” are not the ones you might expect to play polo. These are Philly kids – many from neighborhoods where trouble is easy to find. They are neither wealthy nor from the leafy suburbs or posh schools. For many of them, Work to Ride became their way out, their safe place, their family, their team. In 2025, the program added free transportation to its services, which boosted participation to 60 kids for the year – a giant leap from the early days of minimal funding, when Hiner would have kids standing on City Avenue asking for donations, just so that they could buy hay for the horses.
Last week, Hiner’s dream became reality with the opening of a stunning, state-of-the-art, steel-and-wood facility. The $15 million, 44,000-square-foot McCausland Arena is located at Chamounix Equestrian Center, tucked away in Fairmount Park in West Philadelphia. Its name pays homage to the Lafayette Hill-based McCausland family, whose daughter, Elizabeth McCausland Salata, was a passionate rider; she is now vice president of her family’s foundation, which donated $3 million to the arena.
“There’s a wild freedom that, to me, only a child can feel when they’re on a horse,” McCausland Salata said at the ribbon-cutting for the arena, as she watched kids playing polo. “It’s something that we lose as age makes us too careful or too cautious.”
At the grand opening match on September 28, there were hoofbeats and laughter echoing off the walls as mallets cracked against balls and the sound of kids and horses filled the air. With one of Hiner’s former students, Kareem Rosser, now leading the program as CEO, the circle feels complete for her.
“Our mission is to serve Philadelphia youth using sports and horses,” Hiner said at the grand opening, to a crowd of politicians, family and supporters. “Before, when December came, it was too cold. Kids wouldn’t stay outside in January, February, March. This arena changes everything. We can grow.”
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