By Simone Sebastian
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CENTRAL HARLEM —The Wild West saddled up and moseyed on down to a Harlem street fair which brought city kids and horses face-to-face.
For many youngsters, the visit by the Federation of Black Cowboys was the first time they'd seen the animals in real life.
And for some, the experience was terrifying.
Jada Carson, 5, an experienced pony rider from East Harlem, found out how much bigger a horse is - and didn't like it.
She screamed until the cowboy leading the animal helped her down.
"She got on the horse and got a little nervous," said Domanica Bell, Jada's mom. "We're gonna try it again."
Jada had other ideas.
"No!" she yelled. "I don't wanna try it again."
The cowboys, a Queens-based group dedicated to educating about the role of African Americans in the old West, had stopped by a block party at 113th Street, between Manhattan Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, Friday.
They brought stories of the old West along with their three horses to the block party on 113th Street between Manhattan Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.
"After slavery was over, a lot of the cowhands went out West and became cowboys," said Stencil Stokes, former president of the cowboy group "We just carry on a tradition."
He noted that, while some kids get nervous around the horses, most are eager to get on the saddle.
"There's a lot of kids in New York City that love horses but they never had the opportunity to go around them," Stokes said. "So we try to go to them and show them what we're all about."
And it wasn't just the kids who were skittish.
"They were really huge," said Georgia Mitchell, 20. "I usually see them on TV. I don't get to see them up close and personal. It was kind of scary."
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