About Us

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 James Cox Saddlery began in 1945 when James D. Cox was the manager of Comer and Jordan Livestock Company in Springdale, Ohio.  James traveled extensively buying and selling horses and livestock all over the country for that auction.  He used to buy stock sight unseen, and have it delivered by rail car to the Glendale Station.  He would go and inspect the herd, and have them off loaded onto trucks there and brought to the sale barn.  He sold one of the horses to Hollywood, that was used in making the movie Cisco Kid!  He eventually ventured into the equipment for horses and livestock which included harness and saddlery.  His son Del learned how to auctioneer at the sale barn by selling saddlery for his dad.  The sale barn was struck by a fire and never re-built, so for a time James ran the livestock business from their farm on Boyle Road.  As many as 30,000 head of cattle went up and down the lane in 1 year.  The saddlery market was strong during that time and James quit the livestock business for the saddle business.  James Cox Saddlery was started.   James and his son Del started going to London, Kentucky almost every week.  During this time Del established the wholesale part of the company and began buying and selling from the factories in Chattanooga as well as contracting with saddle makers who had learned their trade from the companies in Chattanooga like Southern Saddlery, Bighorn, Simco, etc.    The barn on Boyle Road was remodeled into a saddle shop.  His son, Charles got into the business and they started a base for their retail and wholesale operations.  Debbie Cox, Del's daughter joined the company and worked in the retail operation and replaced her mother Wanda who was doing the accounting.  Eventually Jimmy,  joined his sister and started working for the company in 1987.  Charles Cox was instrumental in getting the company into importing bits and spurs which at that time, was not offered readily in the USA anymore.  Jimmy, who started going by James after the death of his grandpa in 1988, helped the company get into manufacturing of saddle pads and other horse items.  They developed many saddle brands such as Circle 'C' and resurrected the Big 'W' Western Saddlery Brand, Buford Saddlery, and Monterrey Makers Brand of saddles which was called Western Saddlery & Leather  

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 Granson James had started another company in 1997 called Western Hide and Tanning Company.   Mainly to tan deer hides and buy and sell leather job lots, etc.  He started working closely with Caldwell/Moser and bought harness and latigo from them, and distributed much of their leather.  Large quantities of leather were sold in Tennessee to many of the saddle companies that he was already doing business with.  James was in a unique position as he could trade leather for finished products, and run them through the distribution business.  Eventually James took the wholesale and manufacturing business, and split from the retail operation in 2002, under the name Western Saddlery & Leather and then eventually Moser Leather.  Debbie has continued with the retail operation at the same location.  This is when Caldwell/Moser shut down, and James bought the trade name and recipes for Moser, as well as some of the equipment and chemicals, etc.  The new Moser set up shop with some existing tanneries here in the states to custom tan for them, as well as  tanneries in Mexico that tanned on U.S. hides provided by James.  Leather was tanned in Mexico, and brought back here and finished in the same dipping tanks that came out of the old tannery, to make harness and latigo leathers.  We still hot stuff and dip latigo and harness leather at our operation in Hamilton, and are one of 3 companies that are still doing this in the United States.   Our leather has been compared to the best Old Style Harness Leathers that are being produced in the U.S. Market place.  We are also specializing in double shoulders... something that is not being produced here in the USA on a continuing basis.  We have strict guidelines that our tanneries and our employees must follow, to bring you the best products that we can, for a reasonable price.  We have always told our employees that we are only as good as the last shipment that was sent out.  In other words, if we cut corners on anything, it could be the last time we sell someone.  So we always are on guard to put the best effort we can, to continually make a good product for our customers. Brands were bought and sold over the years, as well as companies.  In 2018 we purchased Wright-Bernet Brush from DQB Industries in Lavonia, Michigan.  Wright-Bernet was founded in Hamilton, Ohio before it was purchased and moved years before.  James Cox brought the grooming and barn broom division back to Hamilton.  Most recently we purchased the Tex Tan Western Leather Company of Yoakum, Texas.  James Cox did this with the help of a group of investors.  James paid more than the rest to retain the name and any finished goods that came with it and to continue with the brand.  He was partners in all the equipment and work in process.  In January of 2021, James and his partners had the biggest auction in Texas History.  It lasted 3 days, and the entire contents of all factories was either sold, or retired.  It was a huge salvage operation with over 10 containers of scrap, 4 pickup loads of scrap, 6 pallets of finished goods shipped to another auction, and over 3 acres of machinery, tools, leather, and work in process that was sold by the auction company that James Cox and his partners ran.  These auctions are something the Cox family has been doing starting with Del Cox who retired from the Saddlery business to do estate auctions.  These auctions have evolved over the last 30 years where both worlds have collided when present day James Cox started doing tack and leather auctions, and trade shows under the Western Leather and Equipment Show / Auctions.Back in the day,  we were the first to have a 3 day tack auction of its kind in this part of the country.  Organizing what has became the dealer tack auctions, and combining leather and machinery into one huge sale.  James Cox has helped many companies that have decided to close or downsize with finding new homes for their old equipment and goods! Effective Dec, 4 of 2020 - the company started doing business as Tex Tan Western Leather Company with Moser, and Wright-Bernet becoming brands of Tex Tan.  Other brands include Southern Saddlery, Big W Western Saddlery, Circle C Saddlery, Lamb Classic, Anchor Brand Bits - Spurs - Hardware, and others serving price points or niche markets for that item.We will be continuing the manufacturing of Western Saddles for Tex Tan in Texas at another location.  We will be making all the matching Tack Accessories including Saddle Pads, Strap Goods, Belts, Wallets and other personal Leather Goods at the Hamilton, Ohio plant. We look forward to this new adventure and continuing with Tex Tan's product lines.  Tex Tan got its start in 1919, and was originally called the Texas Tanning and Hide Company.  It was founded by Phillip Welhousen.  Saddlery and Riding Equipment were soon being manufactured there and not long after belts and billfolds were added to the line to keep up with Public demand.  Just like with Moser Leather, we will be adding various pictures and art work to give you a feel for what Tex Tan did in the past.  We plan to be a much larger presence in the industry in its future.  At one point in time, Tex Tan produced over 30% of the goods sold in the USA for Saddlery.  That's a pretty big chunk of business.
EFFECTIVE 8/29/2023 TEX TAN PURCHASES THE BRUSHY CREEK BELT AND BUCKLE COMPANY.  THIS WAS AN ASSET PURCHASE WITH NO LIABILITIES.  TEX TAN WILL CONTINUE WITH THE PRODUCT LINE THAT BRUSHY CREEK WAS MANUFACTURING.  MOST OF THE PRODUCTION WILL BE MOVED TO OUR HAMILTON, OHIO FACILITY.  TEX TAN WILL NOW CHANGE ITS DBA TO OLD WEST BRANDS.  

Thank you for all the folks at all these companies that worked hard to give us the opportunity we have today in carrying on these great legends.  James Cox 

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