A stallion named Dusty rears up as Jamil Prattis, 25, leads him to the lot across from the Fletcher Street Stables, October 19, 2013. Jamil became involved with the horses when he was 12 years old, after he saw a group of urban cowboys riding through the streets of North Philadelphia. He followed them to the stable. #

In 2005, the artist Joason Slowik created the “Big Sky Country” mural on West Montgomery Avenue in North Philadelphia. The mural unites elements of the city’s landscape with the memory of Buffalo Soldiers. #

Eddie Montgomery, Jamil Prattis, and stable manager Edward E. Ward work together to unload a trailer of hay to stack in the stable’s attic, September 20, 2014. The horsemen usually buy hay from sellers outside of Philadelphia and pick it up themselves to avoid delivery costs. One bale costs between $3 and $5.  #

Romere Burch,13, rides bareback on a stallion named Ace N da Whole on Glennwood Avenue, October 3, 2013. The neighborhood kids are encouraged to take care of the horses to keep them out of trouble.  #

Donnell Glenn, 28, and Milan Ferrell-Garland, 15, lean on a car parked on Fletcher Street, April 27, 2014. After riding, young people often hang out at the stable until late.  #

Donnell Glenn takes a walk with a horse named Cash, October 14, 2013. Glenn enjoys being out at night because the streets are empty and silent. Evening walks with Cash distract him from everything that is going on in his life. #

Stevie Spann, 50, checks on the horses before closing the stable for the evening, August 22, 2014. The stables on Fletcher Street don’t have automatic drinkers for the horses, so the horsemen fill up their water buckets several times a day.  #

A mare named Classic looks out the window of her stall, October 21, 2013. During the second half of the 20th century, Philadelphia’s urban stables thrived as the city abandoned its industrial buildings, making it possible for the horsemen to have rent-free or inexpensive stable locations.  #