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Martha Cox: Martha A. Cox 2018 Hall of Fame. Martha is originally from Bourbon County, Kentucky where she grew up on a cattle and tobacco farm. From the time she was born, she loved horses. Although she lived in the middle of horse country, she was not allowed to have her own. It was considered a luxury to have a riding horse on a working farm. So she grew up not owning a horse, went to college, met her husband, Bobby Cox, got married and had a son, then had a daughter - who, like her Mom, was in love with horses from the day she was born. Life took Martha and Bobby and their kids from Kentucky to Virginia, to Tennessee, to Louisiana, then back to Kentucky where they have stayed for 43 years. When they were headed back to Kentucky, they decided to get their daughter, Laura (Green) a horse. Bobby and Martha lived in Louisville at the time, so weekends were spent in Elizabethtown riding at Bobby's parents' small farm. It was nothing serious or of any specific discipline. They just rode and loved horses. Bobby bought Martha her first horse when she was 52 years old. Fast forward to 2009 and Bobby and Martha were living in Elizabethtown as was their daughter Laura. Laura worked at the local equestrian center and went with the staff to Equine Affair in Columbus, Ohio. There she watched every single minute of Craig Cameron's Extreme Cowboy Race. At the time they owned two ponies that were being ridden by Laura's children, Eliza, Cullen and Bennett. Laura came home and told Martha, we HAVE to get me a horse. We WILL start competing in Extreme Cowboy Racing. Amazingly, within a couple of weeks, a perfect horse came available at the center and Laura purchased her. Two weeks later was a Race in Tennessee. The equestrian center staff all headed south and competed. They were hooked! So Laura started working with her kids and making plans. Martha was ALL IN!! After that first race, they all traveled as "The Green Team", even though Martha is a Cox. The Green Team and their matriarch, Martha, have travelled many, many miles EXCA Racing and attending clinics. Martha has been the cheerleader, the coach, the financier and the sounding board for the four competitors she supports. She has ridden every stride with them from where ever she sits watching. People love her. She is known to most EXCA family as Gram. She has absolutely loved being a part of the EXCA and the people associated with it. She has a license plate on her Suburban that says "The Green Team" with a picture of each them on their horse. To receive the Hall Of Fame buckle is a huge award and compliment for Gram. She has supported EXCA by making sure her grandchildren had suitable horses to ride, and by making sure they got to lessons, clinics and races. She has watched them and her daughter win and lose. And she has been there to congratulate them or to wipe their tears and tell them, "don't give up", "you'll get it next time". She has been there when they have gotten hurt. She has cheered on ALL of her friends (many she knows and many she doesn't know). She has ridden thousands of miles in the back seat of the truck while the rest of the team jammed to music, very LOUDLY, to get fired up for their race. She has slept in that truck, too. She has loved EVERY SINGLE MINUTE of her time with the Extreme Cowboy Association. Thank you for honoring her with this award. |
