Urban cowgirl brings horses to underprivileged

Brianna Noble, an entrepreneur from Oakland, went viral after an admirable stand for social justice. She and her horse, Dapper Dan, joined a crowd of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters, showing her concern and passion for the movement with bold and vibrant action. After this rocket ride into public recognition Brianna moved on to making her dreams come true.

“I was five years old when I rode a horse for the first time and the rest, as they say, was history,” Noble shared. “I got involved with horses through my older sister Brittany, who worked at a barn in exchange for lessons.”

Noble has a history with horses, which inspired her to start her own foundation, Urban Cowgirl Ranch, in Castro Valley. It is a modern ranch, where Noble’s horses are diligently taken care of daily. These horses are used for Noble’s programs to help people who don’t normally have access to horses experience riding and caring for them.

In 2020 Noble rode Dapper Dan in the BLM protest, kickstarting her journey. 

“I couldn’t have known that riding Dapper Dan to the protest would have the impact it did,” she recounts. “Seeing people trail behind us in an alliance was powerful, as was the outreach and support we continue to receive.” 

In the midst of the action, the famous photo was taken by a photographer named Shira Bezalel.

With a “great team of people around her,” Brianna is actively expanding and working on giving more people access to horses. 

“I think that horses are a mirror to a person’s soul, allowing someone to see themself through them. They’re healing to be around.” Noble says. Since she has these views, she is motivated to introduce horses to the underprivileged children and people of the Bay Area. 

“Their big stature can be intimidating, but once you work with them and get to know their personalities, that fear turns into respect and understanding,” she said.

At Brianna’s ranch, proper usage of resources is prioritized to decrease waste production. The ranch has a biodigester, a tool used for getting rid of waste by converting it into usable energy. The ranch’s fodder feed system, brainstormed by Noble and partner Adolfo Gutierrez, is also a smart usage of resources.

 “Our fodder has a 7 day growing cycle and provides fresh, nutritional feed daily while only using one gallon of water per horse.”

Brianna made her life goal exposing underprivileged children to the beauty of the equine world through outreach programs, giving underserved inner city children a newfound love for the subject. You can check her out on her Instagram: @urbancowgirl510 or on her website: Urbancowgirlranch.com for more information.