Connections help Blane Cox get back on track

That’s how Blane Cox describes his last seven years.

In 2016, the Stephenville, Texas native qualified for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo as a tie-down roper, placing in four rounds to finish 12th overall in the world standings.

It was supposed to be the start of something special. But for a long time, it felt like the high point.

“You always see the guys make it every year, and you’re hoping to be one of those guys — but it dang sure wasn’t the case for me,” Cox said. “I’ve had to work twice as hard, and sometimes I think I was working three times as hard just to get back, and it still wasn’t happening.”

Over the next six years, Cox finished inside the top 35 each season, but never any higher than 16th, putting him outside of qualifying for the Wrangler NFR.

After a seven-year wait, the veteran has returned to Las Vegas, following his 10th-place finish in the regular season. Getting back took a lot of determination and some world traveling. And it resulted in some new friendships along the way.

International partnership

It was a meeting of coincidence that proved to be incredibly important.

During his time at Hill College, Cox lived off campus with Fred Werneck, owner of HW Leather Co., a renowned leather goods producer in Burleson, Texas. Along with his schoolwork and competing on the Hill College rodeo team, Cox helped train horses for Werneck.

A Brazilian by birth, Werneck introduced Cox to fellow Brazilian Renato Antunes, owner of Sweet Water Ranch. The two talked very briefly and spent some time together during the visit before Antunes returned to Brazil.

In 2020, Cox received an Instagram message. It was Antunes inviting him to Brazil for an opportunity to show some of his horses at an American Quarter Horse Association show.

“I didn’t really know the guy,” Cox said with a laugh. “I ended up flying over there, staying with him for two weeks, showed the mare and showed a couple of his other horses also at the world show in Brazil. Ever since then, we’ve become best friends.”

The primary horse Antunes wanted Cox to work with was nicknamed Flea, a sorrel mare who was transitioning from being a tie-down roping horse to showing in AQHA competitions. In 2015, Flea earned AQHA Tie-Down Roping Horse of the Year as she helped Marcos Costa to his first NFR. She was also the primary horse Costa rode to his first world championship in 2017.

In 2022, Antunes made Cox an unexpected offer — he would send Flea back to the United States so that she could be Cox’s competition horse. She arrived in the country in March 2022, and after some recovery time from travel, then training to get back into rodeo shape, the duo got to work.

Some strong efforts during the summer of 2022 allowed Cox to qualify for many of the big winter rodeos during the 2023 season.

“Before I left (this) June for the summer schedule, between jackpots and rodeos, I think I had won $160,000 on her already just in the winter,” Cox said. “I think the years before, I was lacking in a little bit of horsepower and stuff like that. She’s the one that kind of put me over the top there and made my job easy early in the year, and got me the confidence and kind of a head start.”

Flea’s season and career ultimately came to a close following the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in July, as Antunes and Cox made the decision to send her back to Brazil so she could retire.

The shift didn’t slow down Cox. Using his own horse, Gertie, for the final few weeks of the regular season, he continued to succeed, including a win at the Pendleton Round-Up and some check-earning runs at the Cinch Playoff Series Championship in September.

Unfortunately, Gertie isn’t available for NFR, as surgery will keep her sidelined until next year. With backup horses lined up, Cox is still confident he can continue his strong showing at NFR.

“Anybody else would call it stressful, but at this point, I know what it took me to get back and I don’t stress about it anymore. Whatever happens will happen, and it’ll all work out in the long run,” he said.

Having fun again

Finding the right horse and confidence in the arena was crucial. Finding enjoyment in the sport was equally important for Cox.

The previous six years were a mental battle. Rodeo’s frantic travel pace, long hours staring out a windshield and physical demands can be trying at best. A travel partner can make the experience more enjoyable — if the partnership is good.

Enter Shad Mayfield.

A fellow tie-down roper, Mayfield has known Cox for several years. The duo decided to hop in the rig together and give it a go. It turned out to be the right decision for both men.

“In the past, I was rodeoing and wanted to go home and wasn’t winning, wasn’t having any fun or anything like that. But this year hauling with him, it was fun,” Cox said. “Even when I wasn’t winning, or he wasn’t winning, or we both were winning, it didn’t matter — we just had fun all year long. He kept it interesting and kept it fun, and I never wanted to go home one time.”

The journey was equally rewarding as the duo pushed each other to be at their best. Mayfield, a Clovis, New Mexico native, followed up his second-place finish in the 2022 world standings with another runner-up showing in the world standings during the regular season.

While he’s no stranger to success, Mayfield credits Cox for helping him keep his focus and push himself to continued success. Mayfield was happy to return the favor and help Cox find his rhythm.

“We learned a lot from each other and fed off each other. I think when he got in with me, he got out of his head and started just roping like himself again,” Mayfield said. “If you’re not with the right person in the rig, it can get old fast. You’re with that person every day, 24/7. You’re looking at each other, sitting next to each other in the truck. You definitely have to be with someone you get along with, and it helps to be with someone like Blane, because he’s always got a positive mindset and he knows a lot about horses.”

The friendship was on full display at the Pendleton Round-Up, as the duo each believed the other was going to win the short round. For Mayfield, it would have been another check, but for Cox, it was the money he needed to guarantee himself a spot in the NFR field.

Cox put together the fastest run of the round at 7.8 seconds. Mayfield didn’t register a time as his calf stood up.

“I’ve never seen a guy more happy to see his calf get up. He was more pumped than I was,” Cox said with a laugh.

That partnership will run all the way through the NFR, as Cox will get the opportunity to use one of Mayfield’s horses to compete. Both men are in pursuit of the same prize money and championship, and they will support each other through all 10 rounds.

A trip to a different continent. Using several horses. A lot of new friends. And plenty of memories. Cox’s journey back to the NFR has taken several years and a lot of twists and turns.

But ultimately, it’s been a rewarding experience, one that he will savor for a long time to come.

“To get back there for a second time, it took seven years, but it’s a huge blessing, and you don’t take it for granted, I can promise you that,” Cox said.