Galloping Together: Sophomore Merryn Rupp has found a community through hunter-jumping

Decked out in dark purple and red slip dresses over nude-colored clothes, then-freshman Merryn Rupp and her friend, Alice Larson, donned tiaras and “Miss New Jersey” and “Miss Rhode Island” sashes for a Halloween horse show in Topeka. 

Rupp’s pony, Kiera, and Larson’s horse, Encore, were painted in glitter with bright pink tinsel in their hair to match their movie theme, “Miss Congeniality.”

As “Miss United States” began playing in the background, Rupp followed behind Larson to jump. Grasping her reins with shaky hands, she used her calves to gently squeeze her pony to a trot, reminding herself to breathe.

“When [Rupp’s] feeling really nervous, I just kind of stand by her, and I’m just like, ‘It’s okay, you’ve done this before, [and] you’ll do it again,’” Larson said. “‘You’ll be fine. You know your horse, you know you,’ and she does the same thing for me when I get really nervous.”

Though they didn’t place at the Halloween event, Rupp, Larson and their other riding friends spent the whole day together when it wasn’t their turn to compete.

From getting lost at a show with Larson at 10-years-old to having water fights while hosing down their horses on a hot day, now-sophomore Rupp has found a supporting community through competitive jumping.

“I feel like I’m probably nervous regardless, but it’s better when you have friends nearby,” Rupp said.

After starting horseback riding at another farm where she met Larson, eight years ago, Rupp began taking 45-minute lessons at Kirin Farms. When Larson switched to Kirin Farms for convenience, Rupp followed her, after forming a friendship from when they first met.

“I think [Rupp] had just started riding, and my trainer threw her in a lesson with me, and she was really quiet,” Larson said. “I was a really loud kid, so I was trying to get her to talk a lot. And then we started hanging out more. And then we just became really close from riding together for so long.”

Rupp does group lessons two times a week with several friends where they do flat work — consisting of trotting over poles on the ground to practice keeping a pace. They also take turns being coached by their trainer, Sarah Welsh, as they jump.

“It’s cool to kind of feel how strong your horse is,” Rupp said. “It feels like you’re flying for like, two seconds.”

Rupp and her friends have been lucky enough to not have had any major injuries while jumping, though Rupp makes sure to text or FaceTime her friends if they hurt themselves riding. 

After face-planting in the gritty dirt and ending up with scratches across her left cheek five years ago, Rupp recognizes the risks.

“The hardest part [of riding] is trying to calm myself down sometimes,” Rupp said. “Because I love it, but also there’s the possibility of, like, ‘What if I break my neck?’”

Rupp and her friends were supposed to surprise Larson at her horse show in St. Louis recently, but Kirin Farms decided not to go due to inclement weather. Instead, they all reserved a hotel room where they spent the night together, including a trip to the gym at 1:30 a.m.

Rupp said that she’s grateful for starting horseback riding mainly because of the friendships and memories she’s made.

She began horseback riding in third grade because of her love for animals — having grown up with dogs and guinea pigs — but specifically horses, after watching the TV show, “Spirit Riding Free.” Since starting, Rupp has bonded with people her age and with her first pony, Kiera.

Rupp’s family bought Kiera four years after she learned to ride on various training ponies at Holsman Stables. Through years of brushing Kiera at the barn, giving her showers when she’s sweaty and sharing sugar cookies, Rupp has fostered a close relationship with her horse.

“I feel like [Kiera and I] spent so much time together that it was like we were friends,” Rupp said.

Last year when Rupp and her coaches, Welsh and Kris Cheyne, agreed that she was ready to move up after staying at the same level for two and a half years, Rupp was upset that she’d have to give Kiera away. 

But because she wasn’t able to progress anymore with Kiera, a pony, as she would a horse, Rupp made the decision to buy a new horse.

After returning Kiera to Holsman Stables where she serves as a lesson pony for younger kids, Rupp bought an 8-year-old horse, Wren, in December, and hopes that she can jump higher on her. After graduating high school, Rupp said she hopes to continue jumping with Wren, but is unsure about doing it as a college sport since she mostly enjoys riding for fun.

“I think it’s pretty cool to get to have a bond with an animal like that,” Rupp said. “It’s like — okay, I’m gonna sound cringy — therapeutic because you get to spend a lot of time outside with a bunch of big animals, and it’s chill. And then I met a lot of kids my age who were doing it, and it became a community out there.”