John L. Rotz
Retirement
Retirement
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Rotz retired as a racing steward on March 31, 1983\. He and his wife returned to his native Warrensburg, Illinois where they purchased a  farm. Mary Rotz became involved with the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned [wildlife](/wiki/Wildlife "Wildlife") through her Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation program while John turned to riding [Quarter horses](/wiki/American_Quarter_Horse "American Quarter Horse") in [Western riding](/wiki/Western_riding "Western riding") competitions. In 1987, he won the National Reining Horse Association Novice Horse Non\-Pro World Championship. He rode well into his 70s, competing in cutting horse competitions at the [Illinois State Fair](/wiki/Illinois_State_Fair "Illinois State Fair")  and other shows in the Midwest. After he stopped competing, Rotz continued to participate in special fundraising events with other active and retired top jockeys to support the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

John Rotz died peacefully on July 12, 2021, at age 86 at his farm in [Warrensburg, Illinois](/wiki/Warrensburg%2C_Illinois "Warrensburg, Illinois").


What did John Rotz retire from?