Stevens, Paula: Rich Strike

By Paula Stevens | MSU Horse Management Program Graduate

Rich Strike is a three-year-old stud colt, who won a HUGE race with a huge crowd that was going crazy over his unexpected victory. The roaring crowd, the horses, and people moving around him and the adrenaline flowing through his veins produced a stud colt waiting for a reason to explode. Had the outrider released him as many said he should have done, you would have had a crazy stud running out of control on the track, putting himself, the jockey, and everyone in his way at risk of injury or in a drastic case, death. By holding onto Rich Strike even through all the chaos, and by giving him a few good whacks, the outrider kept all involved safe from worse harm than bruises and sore bites. I have handled racehorses, babies, mares and studs. I have handled them without a chain and wished I had one and I have handled them with a chain and been thankful for it. Those are strong, on-themuscle, reactive horses who are much bigger than the reiners I handle now. Stud chains are just part of the racehorse industry. Does Rich Strike wearing one in photos mean that he is a wild and out of control stallion at home too that is lacking basic manners? No, absolutely not; it means his owners and handlers are smart for taking the extra mile to be safe. It is for his safety and the safety of those handling him and around him that he wears a chain. Stallions have moments where they can be absolute gentleman and moments where they are complete and total misfits who need something strong to bump them down a level or two.

With 80-1 odds it is no wonder that Kentucky Derby winner, Rich Strike, is the topic of most conversations. While his victory was impressive, watching as he came from last place to the top of the group to winning, that has not been the main point of conversation surrounding this three-year-old stallion. His behavior towards the outrider and his horse and how the outrider handled the situation has been what is floating around Facebook and other formats of social media. So, let us take a minute to talk about Rich Strike's behavior and how it was handled by the seasoned outrider. The three-year-old stallion is seen in multiple videos on Facebook, Instagram and especially TikTok, biting the outrider's horse, grabbing the reins and at one point grabbing hold of the outrider himself. The outrider is trying to keep control of the situation while protecting himself and his mount, the jockey, and Rich Strike himself. There were comments on some posts stating that the rider should have released the young stud, high on adrenaline, and let him run it out before retrieving him again. Others criticized the outrider for whacking Rich Strike in multiple attempts to get him to stop biting him and his horse. There was even footage of him tapping Rich Strike repeatedly on his forehead between his eyes; a technique employed by many to distract edgy horses.

But then there were the comments on the fact that he got whacked and the fact that he had a stud chain on in all the photos that were posted of him with his groom showing how gentle he is when not in high-stress situations. Ladies and gentlemen, non-horse or stallion handlers, a stud chain is not the end of the world. Racehorses are bred to be big and high energy and reactive and to want to GO GO GO all the time. They do not compare to reiners and cow horses and pleasure horses. They are not the same, and I am including Quarter Horse racehorses in that category too. It does not matter if it is a stud or a mare or even a gelding – if it is running bred, chances are it will have a chain on, whether it is a nose or lip chain, there will be one present; and if it is not wearing one, there is one hanging nearby. It is better to be safe and cautious than full of regret later for something that could have been easily avoided had the horse had something a little stronger than a nylon lead to remind it that you are the one in charge, not them. The difference between a horse getting loose and hurting itself or another horse, or a horse getting loose and injuring or killing a child or person, could be leading them with the chain or without. Just because a chain is present does not necessarily mean that it is being used for corrective purposes all the time, it could just be there as a simple precaution on the off chance the horse gets worked up and forgets what it is supposed to be doing: walking quietly from point A to point B. Rich Strike was hopped up on adrenaline. He's a three-year-old stallion who just won the biggest race he had ever ran in and the crowd went wild. He was in race mode and wanted to keep running and when that outrider caught him up, as his job entails, he reacted how any colt feeling all that he was feeling would have reacted. That outrider handled that situation how he should have and while he and his horse are sore and bruised, he saved lives that day. The real question everyone should be asking is, will Rich Strike be the next Triple Crown horse?

Paula Stevens is a graduate of Michigan State University, manages blog/Facebook page CitifiedCowgirl, as well as operates CitifiedCowgirl Photography, and she also works at Silver Spurs Equine in Oklahoma.