Acclaimed veterinarian Dr. John Steele was the linchpin behind the success of some of equestrian sports’ biggest names and their mounts. Up until his passing last month, one could find the 91-year-old Dr. Steele, or “Doc,” as many throughout the equestrian sport community knew him, hustling around show grounds, administering the utmost care to his equine clients. His tireless dedication to the horse and its rider made him one of the most respected and sought after veterinarians in equestrian sport.

“Dr. Steele stood out for his dedication to his patients and clients, and for his work ethic. He was always there for a horse needing help, and he would see the process through to the end, staying involved always to make sure that things went right. He was willing to help anybody who asked, and he never put himself first,” said U.S. Show Jumping Team Veterinarian and Dr. Steele’s business partner, Dr. Timothy Ober.

Dr. Steele cultivated his passion for horses on his 180-acre family farm near Castleton-On-Hudson, N.Y., and traveling with his father to county fairs to watch Standardbred trotters. After graduating from Cornell University’s veterinarian school, Dr. Steele made a name for himself in the Standardbred industry, giving up a small animal practice to care for horses full-time.

After Dr. Steele established a credible reputation and knowledge base in the Standardbred industry, it did not take long before the equestrian sport world discovered his talents. With an expertise in treating lameness issues, John Madden, husband of two-time Olympic team gold medalist Beezie Madden, asked Dr. Steele to evaluate one of their horses. From then on, Dr. Steele became a fixture of Beezie’s team, treating her three-time Olympic mount, Authentic, among others. In addition to Beezie’s horses, his client list included a string of celebrity horses such as Greg Best’s Gem Twist, Margie Engle’s Indigo, and Anne Kursinski’s Eros.

“I could go on and on about what convinced John and I that Doc was the right person for our team and our horses, but the overall theme of it would be that he was so passionate about helping the horses and doing what was right for them in the long run. At the same time, he got the results we needed to be successful,” explains Madden.

Although many riders attribute part of their success to Dr. Steele, it is the horse that gave Steele so much in return. In a 2014 interview with The Chronicle of the Horse, Steele noted, “The horse has really made me what I am and gave me the reputation that I have. I’ve had the good fortune of dealing with a lot of good people along the road. You have to have that intuitive insight to look forward to see what you can do. What can I do for this horse that will make him good in the future, not necessarily three days from now?”

According to Dr. Ober, Dr. Steele had an ability to understand the horse as a whole that was different from the mainstream perspective. As Beezie explains, he also had the willingness to adapt to advancements and changes in the industry over the years.  

“The most impressive thing that I, and most of the people who used Doc as their vet, would say is that we would prefer Doc's feeling of palpating the leg and his uncanny intuition about what is going on with the horse over any machine out there,” recalls Madden. “Doc was also responsible for many of the innovations we have had in sports medicine. He was the first one that I know of in our sport that would come around and watch the horses work and get to know them both when they were in good shape and when we had concerns about them. He would also come to see them after he had treated them to see what the results of the treatment were. This may all sound normal to people now, but at the time that he started with us, this was definitely not a normal practice.”

Not only was Dr. Steele good to horses, he had the utmost respect for those he worked with. His veterinarian practice, John R. Steele and Associates Inc. grew into a household name around the equestrian sport circuit with the help of talented veterinarians whose skills he fostered along the way. To Ober, working for Dr. Steele was the highest level of opportunity in veterinary medicine.

“I was very fortunate that he was willing to show me how to see a horse through his eyes. Dr. Steele has opened the door to every opportunity that has ever come my way in the show horse industry, so he has had a very large influence on my career. I can’t imagine being in practice now without the benefit of his influence and support,” said Dr. Ober.

With Dr. Steele’s passing, it is up to the next generation of veterinarians he mentored to bring that same level of commitment to the equestrian sport community.

“Dr. Steele was a very strong leader. He never doubted his decisions. He was also very generous to those who were willing to work hard. He believed that hard work should be rewarded, and this is reflected in the way he set up the business structure of our practice,” said Ober. “That philosophy will endure as our business will continue unchanged as a way to honor him and pass on his philosophy. Dr. Steele felt lucky in his life because he was able to spend every day doing what he enjoyed most - helping horses and horse people. He taught me to appreciate the opportunity we have as veterinarians to help both horses and people, and he brought a passion to life as he lived it that I appreciate every day.”

Dr. Steele is survived by his wife, Suzanne; five children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.