Power of Polo Youth Advisor Jhemar Jonas has appeared in a hard-hitting documentary with actor Idris Elba, speaking about his experiences with knife crime and the powerful impact horses have had on his life.

Idris Elba: Our Knife Crime Crisis aired on BBC One on Wednesday 29 th January. Jhemar, who lost his older brother to knife crime, was interviewed by Idris at Cool Hooves Polo at the Royal Berkshire Polo Club and spoke passionately about how horses have transformed the way he sees the world. “What was so astonishing about it for me was, if I can communicate with such a big animal, that can actually cause me a lot of damage if it wants to, and the fact that I’m not having to be forceful or violent, it’s like, hold on a minute, why should I need to be violent with other people?” Jhemar, whose affinity with horses was clear to see in the footage of him grooming a polo pony, talked about the importance of working with a mentor from a young age, telling Idris “If I didn’t have a role model like him, my life would look very different.”

Jhemar first came to Power of Polo through partner charity Marcus Lipton and has since been involved as a youth worker at several of the charity’s residential courses. He rode a horse for the first time at a Power of Polo course in 2023 and has twice played at Guards during the charity’s annual Change Your Line Charity Cup. In 2024 he formally joined Power of Polo as a Youth Advisor to the board. Click here to watch the documentary on BBC iPlayer