Douglas Rich has been to the Big Show before. He wore his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo back number heeling behind Coy Rahlmann in 2021. Herrick, Illinois, native Rich, who now has a second home in Weatherford, Texas, has been having a record year in 2024 with Oklahoma’s Jake Smith. As with any team, it’s all about what’s in the trailer for this tandem. Surf’s up in the world standings, and Rich doesn’t know what he’d do without the trusty gray he calls Malibu.
“It’s been going unbelievable, really,” said Rich, 29. “I’ve never had this much money won at this time (Smith and Rich had already won about $60,000 a man by the third week in June going into Reno). Hopefully, we can just keep doing our job and stay after ’em. But we’re in a great spot, and it’s been a blessing. Houston is where we won the most money, and I was riding Malibu there. That was great momentum for us early on.”
Rich also rode “Malibu”—Seven Sun is 14—to the team roping title at Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo at AT&T Stadium in May, which helped their World Champions Rodeo Alliance’s Free Riders win the team title there.
“I bought Malibu five years ago, in 2019,” Rich said of the sturdy 15-hand, 1,100-pound gelding. “He was originally raised at the 6666 Ranch, but I bought him from Paul Eaves. He’d already been hauled quite a bit when I got him.”
Rich was in the market for a heel horse, and liked what he saw.
“I needed one, and Malibu was a pretty physical horse,” he said. “He was a little weird, but he could run and was tough. He’s just quirky. He can be the gentlest horse in the world. But then you lead him up to a wash rack or get him in a tight spot, and he might pull back or go sideways on you.
“I like Malibu’s run. This horse is fairly fast. He’s not like Jake’s big sorrel (Guns) fast. But he’s above average speed. He usually rides the turn pretty easy, and he always gives me a good throw. I can ride him anywhere, you just need to pay attention on the ground.”
Rich bought a bay by the name of Cockys JR Shine in March to back Malibu up.
“Junior’s 11, and I got him right before the BFI this year, and rode him there,” he said. “I really like this bay, and rode him at every rodeo out in California this spring. He’s so good and easy to catch on at the longer setups, where it’s more of a jackpot-style run.”
So yes, ironically, Malibu sat out the California run. And at press time in late June, Rich planned to call on Junior over the longest scores in rodeo at Salinas and Cheyenne in July.
“The horses are everything, and I’m blessed to have the two horses I’ve got,” Rich said. “If you can have a good horse that’s on your team and doesn’t mess you up, it makes your job so much easier. If you draw a steer that makes it hard, and your horse gets in your way, you’re taking a 50-50 shot. If your horse helps you, it’s just such an advantage. It’s nice to have two horses I feel like I can ride anywhere.”
Rich didn’t ride Malibu at the 2021 NFR. But he’s the horse he made it on.
“I rode him a lot that year to make it,” he said. “Then I ended up riding Paul Eaves’ bay mare in Vegas—the horse Colter Todd rode at the Finals last year.
“Malibu was the only horse I rode in the Northwest in 2021. It took me a little bit to get used to him at first because it was a different style than what I was used to. But we’re a great fit now. And he takes the hauling good. He doesn’t get buddy sour, he’s an easy hauler and he eats and drinks good out on the road. In the middle of the summer is when Malibu is at his best. He does better when he’s tired, and is at his best when he’s being hauled and ridden quite a bit.”
The headers are the quarterbacks, and the head horses make more than half the headlines. But as times get tougher, and checks keep getting harder to come by, the heel-horse bar continues to rise.
“You used to be able to get by on a heel horse with average speed,” Rich said. “Anymore, when the steers run and are strong, and with heel barriers at some events and more guys reaching everywhere, it’s hard to outrun the head rope when those guys reach and turn steers so fast. All the headers go at ’em about everywhere anymore, so a person has to have a fast heel horse nowadays.”
Winning is always fun. And when the horses and humans in a rig all get along, success rates also rise.
“Jake and I are really good friends,” Rich said. “We get along great, travel easy together and talk a lot, so we can make a plan and talk about what we want to do. It makes it so much easier when you’re roping with someone you can laugh with, even when you don’t do good. Jake and I both know we get to run another one tomorrow, no matter the outcome today. What could be better than roping with a good friend and riding good horses?”
—TRJ—
