Local horse stables featured in Elba movie

“Concrete Cowboy” which recently debuted on Netflix, was filmed right here in Philly and captured a hidden secret in the middle of our neighborhoods, a riding tradition that has a long history in the backyards of Philadelphia. The movie starring Idris Elba was primarily filmed at Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club in Strawberry Mansion and is based on Greg Neri’s 2011 novel “Ghetto Cowboy.”
Elba plays Harp, a man who finds solace in rehabilitating horses for inner-city cowboys at the Fletcher Street Stables in North Philadelphia. When he is reunited with his estranged 15-year-old son Cole (Caleb McLaughlin), they both learn valuable lessons from each other and the surrounding community.
Ahead of the film’s premiere, I remember the Philadelphia Film Office announcing folks might see Idris riding around town on a horse because he was doing a movie here, I laughed and said, “What cowboy movie is he doing here?” I never thought anything else about it. “Concrete Cowboy” was the movie he was working on. Ironically, I grew up not far from the stables near 40th and Mantua and often saw horsemen riding their horses in the neighborhood and the park. Sometimes they were walking beside a child who was taking riding lessons. Watching the movie brought back all those memories.
But what made the film amazing was the authentication of the film, a crucial part of shooting in Philadelphia. Members of the community received jobs in front of the camera and behind. “Everyone pitched in. They were proud to have the film produced in their community,” says Elba. “At times, it felt like we were shooting a documentary.”
The crew was magnificent in keeping the legacy of the stable alive. Elba said, “In many ways, the Fletcher Street Stables represents the heart of the community; it gives them purpose, it provides a place for those coming out of prison and a place for the next generation to come and hopefully, avoid incarceration. It provides an option to innocent youth stuck in a difficult position where there are few other options.”
Elba said playing a skilled horseman, and a resident of North Philly required much more effort. “I had never ridden before,” he notes, “so I had to undergo horse training – learn the movement, learn the lingo of the community, and the characteristics of someone from North Philly.” His preparation began months before setting foot on set, working on his dialect, mannerisms, and even the way the character smokes. Making his preparation more complicated was Elba’s slight allergic reaction to horses, which meant wearing gloves and long-sleeved shirts to limit his exposure.
Despite drawing international interest and inspiring a book, the nonprofit club has a GoFundMe to raise money to keep it afloat.
Ellis Ferrell, Fletcher Street’s founder, told WHYY’s Billy Penn that he uses his own funds to maintain the nonprofit riding club, with help from son Darrin, 55, and grandson Milan, 23.
“I’m known worldwide,” Ferrell said. “I’ve had them from everywhere. Australia, Germany, France, the U.K., Korea, Japan. All of them have been here and did videos of me, and they’ve gone back to their countries and won awards. I never got one dime.”
The GoFundMe goal is $100,000. So far, they’ve raised more than $42,000.
The Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy, a separate group established in 2019 with the Concrete Cowboy filmmakers, has raised $33,000 out of a $2 million fundraiser they say will go toward a new facility “in downtown
Philadelphia …for children, teens, and adults to experience horses up close and personal.”
Ferrell, who started Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club in 2004, said that his group “believes that the public will perceive that the funds raised will be for the Club and fears that this campaign will detract from its efforts to raise funds for its own permanent home and siphon potential funds from its independent initiatives.”