T E X A S 2 0 1 6 | The LandReport 23
LANDREPORT.COM
W
atch him as he works the
livestock," says Roy Cox. A
beautiful border collie named
Walker casts back and forth across an
Oklahoma pasture, inching a small herd
of Angus cattle forward. Roy's commands
to Walker are soft, almost relaxing.
"The whole time the cattle are moving,
the dog stays calm. More important,
the livestock stays calm," he says. Spooked
cattle are stressed cattle. Stressed cattle
lose weight; lost pounds means lost dollars.
An Australia native, Cox, 56, moved
to Texas in 1979 to train cutting horses.
In short order, he was running cattle
on his own place in Southern Oklahoma.
Back home in Australia, the Cox family
used cattle dogs on their dairy farm near
Buchanan in New South Wales. Not
surprisingly, Roy began training one
for his own use.
Jake eyes a wary steer at the Will Rogers
Equestrian Center on December 9. Los Angeles
Dodgers co-owner Bobby Patton Jr. paid a record
$27,500 for the Roy Cox-trained cowdog at auction.