After 35 Years, Jockey Joe Steiner Retires

After 35 years, 52 racetracks, and 32 broken bones, jockey Joe Steiner announced his retirement July 21.

Though he has considered finding another occupation for some time, the 51-year-old native of Renton, Wash., said the impetus for his decision came July 18 when trainer Monique Snowden was found dead a day after Steiner was aboard The Chilli Man when the gelding broke down at Emerald Downs.

BALAN: Snowden Found Dead After Prospect's Breakdown

"It came to me like a bright light and now is the time I need to make that change," Steiner said. "It really makes you soul-search when someone does something like that. The experience of someone losing their life changed mine.

"I can't ride forever and that came upon me. In light of the incident, that really has shaken loose. Right now is the time to move on."

Steiner said he'll pursue a career in sports psychology following a riding career in which he rode in 10,846 races. He said ideally he'd like to help jockeys and other athletes deal with the trials and tribulations of life.

"With all those injuries, you get time to think. What would I have a passion for?" Steiner said. "What would feel the same as riding horses? I did real estate, I did other things—I could never find it. I couldn't find anything that compared to what I feel with riding horses until this."

Since his first winner in 1981 aboard a horse named Hillside Ruler at Del Mar, Steiner rode 1,060 more to victory, including seven in graded stakes and a grade I with Saratoga Passage in the 1987 Norfolk Stakes (now called the FrontRunner at Santa Anita Park).

Steiner was told he would never ride again after sustaining a severe neck injury in 2005, and he retired a first time in 2006, but returned to riding in 2011.

"I was very fortunate I was able to come back and ride again after they told me I couldn't," Steiner said. "The doctor told me I could not ride again, but after six years, I started working out, doing yoga. You only live once and I wanted to do it. I had too much passion for this."

In 2015 Steiner relocated from Southern California to his home state to ride at Emerald Downs, where his parents, Joe and Sally, operate the Quarter Chute Café in the stable area.  In his first start at the Auburn, Wash., racetrack—about 12 miles south of Renton—Steiner rode the 1,000th winner of his career.

BLOOD-HORSE STAFF: Steiner Wins No. 1,000 on First Emerald Mount

"It was important to go back," Steiner said. "The main reason we did it was because my wife was pregnant and I wanted to be around family."

Steiner refused to name a favorite horse, or even a signature achievement from his career. With more than 10,000 races under his belt and countless other morning workouts over the years, the thrills were too much to pare down.

"There were so many great horses and I cherished them all," Steiner said. "Riding a horse—it was an out-of-body experience. I wish I could communicate just how great that was to people."