Meet the USPC Academy of Achievement Class of 2020- David Silver

The USPC Academy of Achievement recognizes alumni who have attained notable success in their chosen field. Three outstanding Pony Club alumni were inducted into the Academy of Achievement for 2020. Follow along in this series as we introduce this years inductees.

David Silver

David Silver is the founder and executive director of Detroit Horse Power, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that teaches at-risk urban youth valuable life lessons through riding and caring for horses. David is an H-A graduate from Great Lakes Region Pony Club, after achieving his B certification in the Metropolitan Region.

David grew up riding in North Salem, NY, as a three-day eventer competing through the One-Star Level and working for Olympian Boyd Martin. He graduated from Dartmouth College and moved to Detroit in 2012, where he taught 4^th and 5^th grade through the Teach for America program. After earning his master’s degree and teaching for two years, David decided to step outside the classroom to make the character-building opportunities he had received through working with horses available to youth like his students.

Now in its fifth year of operation, Detroit Horse Power has brought hundreds of students from the city to partnering horse barns outside Detroit for summer camps that emphasize the life lessons horses can teach us: confidence, perseverance, empathy, self-control, and responsible risk-taking. Programming now continues year-round with an after-school program that continues to bring kids from Detroit to horse barns outside the city. Recently, Detroit Horse Power secured a large vacant land site within Detroit’s city limits where the nonprofit will be constructing a new urban equestrian center that will make its youth programs scalable and accessible while support stronger Detroit communities.