Barrel Racer Overcomes Career Ending Injury, Shares Her Story

If anyone was born to barrel race it would be Stephanie Joyner. In 2018, that was all almost lost.

“I started riding, probably when I was old enough to sit up in a saddle,” said barrel racer, Stephanie Joyner. From there she soon found her passion. “I started barrel racing probably around the age of eight,” said Joyner.

Joyner rose through the ranks, eventually becoming one of the top barrel racers in the country. The future looked promising for the barrel racer from Henryetta, until the accident.

“In the Fall of 2018, I was actually competing in Shawnee Oklahoma,” said Joyner. She had just finished a run, when Dub, her horse, suddenly stopped. "He dashboarded me over the top of him and I came off of him, and when I did so I broke my leg,” said Joyner. 

Being a tough cowgirl from Oklahoma, Joyner was hurt but she didn’t know how badly she was hurt. “After I fell off of him, I actually had another horse to run about thirty minutes later. But like I said I didn’t know it was broken, I knew I couldn’t walk on it,” said Joyner.

The bone break was so severe Joyner had to have a metal plate and five screws put into her knee. “It’s a career-ending injury for a lot of athletes,” said Joyner.

Doctors had never seen a break like this before, so they named it after her. “They deemed it the Joyner break the said I would never read about it in a medical journal,” said Joyner.

She wasn’t supposed to ride again for six months, but this is an Oklahoma cowgirl. “The good Lord was looking out for me, and I was back on in six months,” said Joyner.

She is now competing with the best of the best this weekend right here in her home state. “It means a lot. I mean it’s what we work for all year long so to be in the top fifteen is very rewarding,” said Joyner. 

Joyner will compete this weekend in the IFR championship at the Lazy E, for times and ticket information visit www.ipra-rodeo.com.