Clay Gant’s sculptures portray images of horses that are correct to the trained eye of horsemen, but could also grace the shelves of any western art gallery.

He’s the real deal, having been a farrier and a horse trainer before teaching himself how to sculpt the bronze statues that are coveted prizes at top shows all over the world. His art reflects his thorough understanding of both a horse’s anatomy and the spirit which makes them such special creatures. While Gant’s business, Cowboy Bronze, is booming, he still resides on his Rusty Spur Ranch, nestled in the Ozarks near the tiny town of Cross Timbers, Missouri.

“My father was a cowboy’s cowboy, working the big ranches up in Colorado,” Gant recalls. “I learned how to respect and train horses from him. My mother was a watercolor artist, and I got my love of horses and art from her. She turned me loose to go in my own direction.”

Perhaps her spirit as well as his father’s influenced Gant’s training philosophies. Gant is a believer in training horses for what they want to do, not what the trainer wants them to do. “We went for all-arounds back then, and we’d leave a show and tally up our points, and we may have gotten points in classes we didn’t expect to do very well in. To me, that is the backbone of having a good horse: keeping them happy doing what they want to do.”

From a young age, Gant’s entrepreneurial spirit was evident. In a high school art class, when the assignment was painting ceramic quails, his classmates recognized his talent, and their lack of it.

“They were asking me to do their work for them,” Gant said with a laugh. “I said, ‘sure, for a couple bucks.’ The art teacher figured that out pretty quick, and thought it was funny, but he told me I had to let them do their own assignments.”

Following his father’s advice, that one good horse was better than two bad ones, Gant sold all his horses to buy one black Quarter Horse gelding that he thought would be a tough competitor.

“I was about 14 or 15, and after selling all my other horses, I still came up a bit short of the money I needed. We were working construction back then, and my Dad said that he’d make up the difference if I worked for him all summer,” Gant said. “I thought he was kidding, but at the end of that summer, I never had gotten a check. But I had that horse, and he started me in the show industry. He was a Poco Pine horse, and boy, he was tough to beat. I really enjoyed arriving at a show with my homemade trailer and pulling him out of it.”

Right out of high school, Gant went to farrier’s college, shoed for 25 years, and trained horses for the public. He had mostly Quarter Horses in his barn, but wound up showing Paints as well. He’s still involved with both organizations, creating awards for their larger shows and year-end awards.

“Most of the work you see on our website is mine, but Betty, my wife, learned to sculpt, and her work is there, too,” Gant said proudly. “If something happened to me, she could continue with the business. She’s the person who handles social media, the bookkeeping, and all those tasks that go with having our own business. Horse show awards are our main product, and sometimes we call ourselves ‘achievement suppliers.’ We pride ourselves on our designs, and keeping prices reasonable so any cowboy can afford our sculptures.”

While the ranch is still comprised of 300 acres, and is distinguished by the forest green pipe fence that delineates the pastures and corrals, there are only two horses in residence. All the outbuildings (almost 15,000 square feet) are used for Cowboy Bronze storage, with the old stallion barn serving as the main production facility.

“We have two employees besides us, and we couldn’t do this without them,” explained Gant. “Cross Timbers is a tiny town, so we aren’t a big employer, but I have to say that we are keeping our Post Office alive by shipping awards all over the world, including Australia, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Switzerland, and once we sent awards to China. The Cross Timbers Post Office was established in 1837, to help open up the land at the time of the Louisiana Purchase. Someone in Washington who’s in charge of shutting down little rural post offices must wonder what’s going on down here.”

PHBA CHALLENGED HORSEMEN’S AWARDS

Debbie Wall, who has the herculean task of procuring all the awards for the PHBA World Championship Show, is very grateful to have Gant on board.

“He’s been doing our year-end and World Show awards for about ten years, and he’s passionate about giving us high-quality products. He even created a unique design for our Challenged Riders. We just can’t thank him enough for all his help. He’s instrumental to our World Show success.”

The Challenged Rider award is a horse head, or ‘bust’, with a heart on it.

“This design is just for these riders, because I notice that special connection between them and their horses. In the show pen, they become a different person. To symbolize the connection, and the love between them and that horse, there is a heart, and part of the heart is a hoof. Also, looking as if they’ve been carved into a tree, are the words, ‘My Ride.’ They are always talking with such pride about ‘their ride,’ that this award is named that.”

Gant takes a special interest in the Challenged Rider program, because he recognizes their desire to be like everyone else.

“They just want to ride and show like everyone else. I love seeing them come out of the ring. They’re so happy. And what’s unusual is that the person who came in last is just as happy as the person who won. They’re a big family.”

Gant praises Palomino’s decision to have all the Challenged Rider classes on one day.

“I’ve seen other shows run late. If the riders are supposed to go at 1 p.m., and the class really doesn’t go in until 2 p.m., it’s hard to explain the delay to these kids. Keeping them ready and focused is difficult, so having all the classes on one day is a great idea. They love it, and they go at their own pace.”

Gant loves to use art to help associations like PHBA hold fund raisers. This year he will have a silent auction at his booth featuring the art of different individuals for PHBA’s Challenged Rider Program. 

WHAT’S NEXT?

True to his American roots, Gant is planning a new line, American Made, for next year. He’ll be using Henry Ford’s principals of mass production, but the assembly line is far, far, from Detroit. Proud of supporting rural America, Gant says that it doesn’t get much more ‘rural America’ than a town with a couple hundred residents.

Another form of art he enjoys is photography. Gant loves to go ‘camera hunting’, and has transformed much of his ranch into areas that encourage wildlife to enter and graze peacefully along mazes that he’s mowed, or sculpted, if you will, into paths, similar to a corn maze. As with his sculpting, he’s always challenging himself and raising the bar.

            “Through the lens of my Nikon, I’ve seen things I’ve never seen before,” Gant admits. “The biggest thrill with wildlife photography is the challenge of getting better every time. I’ve taken shots with the animals reflected in mirrors. They, and I, have to be in a certain area at a certain time to pull that off.”

When asked what he does for fun, Gant replied that sculpting relaxes him, and so does watching the wildlife around his home, even when there isn’t a camera in his hand. 

            “We can sit out on the deck and the animals will come right up. Being here on our ranch, with the business, and the wildlife, it’s the best 401-K on the market, right here in rural America. We’re blessed to be able to do what we love, and even though we aren’t showing horses any more, we still feel a part of the journey.”

            At shows, Gant will sculpt, and often has young people show an interest. 

            “Some have talent and desire, and some do not. I wind up talking art with the ones who do and one of my nuggets of advice is surf where the board takes you,” he said. “You go to the sea with a surf board you look it over and go out to a point you feel you will come back in on the next wave … you head back in with this plan in mind: my place in life… however the waves take a different direction, so you must go with them in this new direction or crash. It’s your choice …”

            Gant sees it like this:

            “Art and life, is adjusting to the needs before you. If they have the desire and the drive and the talent, with talent last on that list, I will hand them a card with ‘can’t’ written on the back. And then I tell them that I don’t want to ever hear that word because it does not exist if you wish to try art or life. These kids come and go and they are free to be what they will be. Some come back. One that did, and is a great artist, is Joni Beinborn. Joni business is Joni’s Ponies, and she did the print for PHBA of Gifted n Gold. We are great friends.” 

            Gant believes in art being there for everyone. 

            “Art is not your nose in the air and thinking ‘I am the greatest and this is what I am trying to portray in my work,’” he said. “It’s heart. It’s fun. It’s passion with a mission.”

Photos by Caroline Waters