Western Shooting Horse

Chris Cox - An American Horseman

Weatherford, Texas, is arguably the epicenter of the Western horse world and certainly the center of the universe as it pertains to the cutting horse. It is a hub surrounded by the industry’s most high profile Western horse trainers, several of whom share their knowledge on popular television shows filmed just a short distance from the town’s iconic Parker County Courthouse.

Chris Cox runs his operation out of his Diamond Double C Ranch in Mineral Wells, just a short drive from Weatherford. His 175-acre training facility can be seen from the main highway, and on any given day you can catch a glimpse of Chris working horses or filming his popular television series, “Chris Cox Horsemanship.”

Cox’s story is that of a long journey paved with hard working ranch experience and a dedication to the horse, not only as a working tool of the trade, but as a symbol of a Western heritage deserving of preservation.

Learning Down Under
Cox is an American born citizen who learned his trade working cattle on the rugged landscapes of Australia, where he was raised. His dad worked on the King Ranch in Texas before eventually moving the family down under to pursue ranch work. A young Chris worked as a hand on a number of cattle ranches. He trained his own horses and worked clinics for several local horsemen, always with an eye for returning to the states to pursue his dream of working with horses.

At eighteen, he took the first step to fulfilling that dream and headed back to America.

Following some ranch work in Florida, Cox began training mustangs for the Bureau of Land Management. Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, Cox took in horses to train and began to devise what has become his trademark program.

A Steadfast Approach to Horse Training
“’Expect the best but be prepared for the worst.’ It’s a saying that I have,” says Cox. “A horse feels your energy. They can read your body language and can tell a lot about how confident or nervous you are.”

Chris understands that not everybody was raised on the back of a horse, so he created a system to teach people, using the same methods with which he trains horses.

“First of all, I have three things that I tell students at the beginning of every clinic. One––safety is the number one priority. Second thing is education. The third is having fun. Safety comes from understanding how to work the horse effectively. You then start learning about yourself and you start getting results and it becomes fun.”

Chris learned early on in his training career that he sometimes must teach people how to learn, and that all don’t learn exactly the same. 

“They need to learn to take what they already know that hasn’t been very effective and put it aside,” says Cox. “They need to feel vulnerable or insecure for just a little while. You strip them of their dignity and pride and it’s a very fragile moment. They have to learn how to rebuild their confidence for using these skills.”

“It’s the same way with a horse,” Chris continues. “If somebody sends me a horse that hasn’t been ridden for ten years and it has all kinds of habits, I’ve got to break that horse back down to square one and rebuild that foundation and trust.”

The Trainable Horse
Aside from his strenuous regimen, Chris has competed at the highest level of cutting and continues to train and show his horses for the sport.
We asked Chris about performance horses and what he thinks would make good prospects for a shooting horse.

“Certainly the breeding has become very important over the years and not only that, it’s about trainability. I’d rather have a horse that is trainable than have a horse that has all the ability in the world that won’t train.”

“In mounted shooting you’ve got speed. You’ve got sharp corners and there’s a lot of pressure on the horse’s mind. So you’ve got to have a horse that’s athletic, fast and trainable. I’d look into finding a bloodline with similar traits...stops, turns, speed and trainable.”

“The Freckles Playboy–the Jewels Leo horses would be fantastic in my opinion. And certainly crossed over with Smart Little Lena or Doc O’Lena bred horse. I don’t think you can go wrong.”

Chris Cox Horsemanship on RFD-TV
Cox has found a way to get his message out to more and more people.  He hosts the television series, “Chris Cox Horsemanship” on RFD-TV. Filmed at his Diamond Double C Ranch, the half hour show airs twice a week and is chock full of training advice and horsemanship topics. Special episodes also feature Chris visiting ranches across the country to work with horses and their owners as part of his “Problem Horse Series.”

“RFD-TV has been a great vehicle for trainers of all types to express their views and techniques,” says Chris. “It’s a lot of work. We film a new show every week. It’s important to me for people to get something out of my show. It’s about giving people something to take home to be purposefully used on their horse.”

Road To The Horse
In 2007 and 2008, Chris Cox won back-to-back Road To The Horse Colt Starting Championships. In February of 2011 he will compete again, this time against Pat Parelli and Clinton Anderson.

We asked Chris what he needs to do to beat these two formidable competitors.

“I’m going to go there to do a job. It’s something I always do. I’ve been in some situations before in my life with horses that have been wild. I started my career starting Mustangs and wild horses. I’ve got a very, very strong survival instinct.”

“I think it’s the first time it has made the clinicians accountable. Whether they spend a million dollars a year on marketing and promoting their products. All that’s thrown out the window. You’re in there and it’s just you and that horse. In my opinion you put your reputation on the line. I like the competition.”

About Guns
Chris Cox is a cowboy in every sense of the word. From working with cattle to training horsemen and horses, his views on Western tradition are clear and experience based.

“We always had a scabbard on our saddle and we had a .30-.30,” says Chris. “I look at the gun and I look at the spur on my boot in exactly the same way. This can either be a tool or it can be a weapon. It depends on whose foot it’s on. So a rifle or a handgun can either be a tool or it can be a weapon, depends on who’s holding it. A gun where I was raised was a tool. It wasn’t a weapon.”

He likes Cowboy Mounted Shooting.

“It’s exciting. One thing I really like and appreciate is that they have rules about the dress code. I don’t like anybody to be riding with a cap. Nobody on my ranch rides with a cap. Nobody rides on may ranch with a t-shirt. I like the excitement that is spreading throughout these people.”

The Future and the Past
Cox recently completed a photo shoot with famed Western photographer David Stoecklein for his 2011 marketing program. We asked Chris about that experience.

“I really appreciate David’s attitude about the West because we are losing this heritage each and every day.

“David portrays that and takes that image and takes that lifestyle and puts it on film and puts it in books and calendars. He allows people that were never raised around the West or the life of a cowboy to put those images on their walls and coffee tables. And they look through it and they dream about the West and they dream about the cowboy and it’s still alive. I work each and every day to keep that alive.

“I always wear my boots and my hat. It’s not a uniform for me. Whether I’m in New York City or London it’s the way I dress everyday. People ask me why I wear a hat. I wear a hat because of all the great men that wore one before me, men that were great heroes of mine. I was raised with a hat on.”

Chris Cox is a man with a sense of tradition combined with a view to the future. In his training, he has implemented a style and technique that has universal effectiveness, whatever the riding style. His common sense, straightforward approach enables horsemen and women at all levels to gain insight into horse behavior and leads them into a safe, versatile partnership...on the ground and in the saddle.

Chris travels regularly to expos and horse events across the country. Anyone with a horse can join one of his numerous clinics and learn first hand the valuable lessons of an experienced and truly American horseman.