6 minute read
Beyond the Saddle
Covered Call Farm owner Adrienne Rupp was a late bloomer of horsemanship
STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON SCHREIBER
Adrienne Rupp always had a passion for horses and dreamed of owning a horse farm, but as a child she never had an opportunity to take riding lessons or learn more about these majestic animals.
Unlike many horse lovers whose equestrian journeys began at a young age, the 47-year-old Rupp didn’t learn to ride until she was 20, took a break after the birth of her first daughter, and picked it up again in her early 30s.
She’s been focused on horses ever since. Her desire to one day run a horse farm became a reality in 2020 after she bought a 5 acre property in Lee, built barns, a riding ring and named it Covered Call Farm.
Now, Rupp is on a mission to provide a hands-on and enriching equestrian experience to others through a new horsemanship foundational training and education program offered at her farm at 64 Harvey Mill Road. She’s teamed up with KT Horsemanship founder and owner Kati Turcotte, a partnershipfocused, natural horsemanship coach and instructor from Northwood.
The new program is unique in that it doesn’t actually offer riding lessons, which remain in high demand with waitlists at many farms. Instead, this non-riding program for participants ages 10 years and older offers a chance to learn everything they ever wanted to know about horses and it allows them to interact and build relationships with the animals.
Rupp approached Turcotte a year ago to see if they could partner on a program for children and adults interested in learning about horses. They say many who are new to riding often don’t realize that there’s so much more involved with horsemanship.
“You learn how to ride a horse, but you don’t necessarily learn all the other stuff that goes into being around horses, being a horsemanship person, caring for them, feeding them, recognizing when they’re sick. They’re animals in their own right, and they have feelings and they have needs. I think, at least when I started out, you don’t necessarily appreciate that right off the bat,” says Rupp, who owns four horses and boards two additional horses at her farm.
To many people, horses almost seem mechanical as they perform certain movements for their owner or rider, but Rupp said it’s important to remember that they’re living, breathing animals, and there’s a reason they respond the way they do and are trained a certain way.
“I think when you think about horses, the first thing that comes to mind is that you ride them. In my case and for a lot of people, if you don’t grow up in that environment, you don’t really know what else you would do with them. You can drive them, you can do just ground work, there’s liberty work, there’s trail, there’s horse agility and just being with them,” she says.
Turcotte, who’s been around horses her entire life and has owned her own facility for nearly 25 years, served as Rupp’s riding instructor for many years and understands what’s involved in riding, owning and caring for a horse.
“Some people want to just learn how to ride, but we feel that’s a little disrespectful to the horse. Being able to ride the horse is the reward. You don’t just get to show up and hop on. You really are doing a disservice to yourself and the animal if you do that. Unfortunately, a lot of programs do that because that’s the ‘ooh and ahh’ factor. That’s the sparkle effect that gets people to show up and pay,” Turcotte recalls.
The program is geared toward those with little to no prior horsemanship experience, or others who may be seeking an alternative to past horsemanship experience. It includes six, 90-minute classes offered weekly that will teach an understanding of horse and herd behavior; basic horse care; ways in which horses and humans read and respond to energy and body language; horse handling and grooming; biomechanics of horse and rider; fitness; groundwork; and fashion and accessories for horses and humans.
“You can get anything online these days, but there’s not a physical place you can go to do hands-on work like learning how to wrap a horse’s leg, learning how to dress a wound, learning the different tack and the different anatomy of a horse, and be able to touch, and smell and see all of those things,” Turcotte says. “You can get all the information you want on the internet, but it means a little bit more when you’re hearing from a human being that has actually experienced it and to be at a farm and to see the horses and do all these things, the information kind of sticks a little bit more.”
While it’s not a therapeutic program, Rupp is pursuing her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and is exploring other opportunities for her farm, which she envisions could someday offer equine-assisted therapy.
Turcotte hopes that those involved in rescue organizations may take advantage of the program to gain a better understanding of horses. She said she would also like to be able to network with other riding facilities to broaden their knowledge through the program.
From a hobby to a lifestyle, Rupp sees this new venture as a way to share her passion with others and instill a deeper appreciation for the way in which horses and humans connect.
“They’ve done so much for me,” she said. “I just think they’re wonderful animals.”
For more information on the program, visit coveredcallfarmnh.com.
