Determined to be a Jockey

By Pamela Burton

Determination is a good quality in a jockey, and Kirsten Swan can claim a large portion of it. “I’ve been working with horses my whole life,” she said. Swan has been immersed in the horse world since she was born. If she were a horse, one would say she had a racing pedigree.

“My parents are jockeys,” said the slight lady with the sweet smile. “I’ve been running around the racetrack since I was five years old. My dad is Scott Spieth, and he still race rides. My mom, Rhonda Spieth, retired a few years ago.” Swan grew up on horses, showing saddle seat on Arabians, barrel racing and following her parents to the track. “I started galloping at a farm down the road from us when I was 15. The next year I started galloping at Thistledown Race Track near Cleveland, Ohio. At 17, I got my jockey’s license across the border at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia, because in Ohio you can’t get a jockeys license until you are 18.

“Throughout all of this, I still went to school. I actually got high school credits for galloping horses. My junior and senior years, I would go gallop from 6:00 am until 10:00 am, then drive back to school by 11:00 am for my two classes, then head back for races at Thistledown and Mountaineer at night. I would do it all over again the next day. I ended up graduating a semester early in my senior year so I could go ride at Penn National for the winter season.

“When I came to Delaware and saw they had Arabians racing, I knew I would get along with them. They are such a smart breed even when they are ‘corky.’ My first racing Arabian was Spin Doctor for Kathy Smoke. He is such cool horse.

“I’ve always wanted to train and ride my own horses,” continued Swan. “I feel that I am an average jockey so why not ride my own horse when I have the chance? Not very many states allow a trainer to be jockey and owner. Luckily for me, Delaware and Ohio are states that do allow it.”

At 30, Swan admits that this is a tough life, but she does not shy away from the struggle. Her training barn now includes four thoroughbreds and the Arabian Colors in Motion, and she gallops horses for some of the other trainers.

Trainer Lynn Ashby has worked with Swan for many years. In a 2016 interview, Ashby said of her, “That girl can do it all. She is amazing. She rides, she flies with the horses. She will make an excellent trainer.” “Sometimes you think you can do it all by yourself but you can’t,” said Swan. “It really does take a team.” Kirsten has not stopped with racing. She also takes her horses to “fun” shows and has taught Colors In Motion to jump.

Through June 2021, Kirsten has competitively ridden Arabians for nine years. Her mounts have started 272 times with 40 wins, 38 seconds and 44 thirds for a top 3 finish percentage of 45%. Her horses have earned $606,959, and she has ridden the likes of Darley Champions Our Princess, Thess Is Awesome, Colors In Motion and Quick And Rich. She herself won the Darley award for Outstanding Jockey in 2014.