Family is not an important thing, it’s everything.

– Michael J. Fox

Family is at the center of the Cook family’s approach to showing horses.

JR Cook grew up showing Cutting and Halter horses with his parents and grandparents by his side. His wife, Melissa, and her family were deeply involved in the American Paint Horse Association and now their three daughters – Georgia, Isabella and Elizabeth are all enjoying life in the show pen.

“This is a family affair for us,” said Texas Non-Pro competitor JR Cook. “We do this as a family. It’s very seldom for us all not to be at the horse show. It’s something that we can all do as a family.”

JR has had quite the successful last couple of years showing Line Up Behind (Calvin), a 2017 bay gelding by VS Flatline and out of Shez Immortal. Ironically, he ended up back in the show pen after a long break from it to start a new business when he approached Florida trainers Cole and Elizabeth Baker to see if they would help Georgia with All-Around classes with a Western Pleasure foundation.

“They are really good with the horses, and most importantly with the kids,” JR said.

But it wasn’t long before JR and Melissa started to “get the itch” again. They remember spotting Line Up Behind at the National Snaffle Bit Association’s 2019 World Championship Show.

“We thought WOW,” JR said. “He was really nice. He was big and pretty and had a ton of natural self-carriage and rhythm. At the time, we weren’t really looking for another horse, but thought man if we were that would be the first one we would look at.”

Between the NSBA World Show and the Quarter Horse Congress JR and Melissa started talking more and more about possibly trying to find a 2-year-old that JR could possibly show in 3-year-old events in 2020. About half way through the Congress, the talking got serious and they decided to bring Cole and Liz into the discussions.

“I think my exact words to Cole and Liz were: ‘“Go out and find me the best 2-year-old there is,’” he laughed. “I think we all kind of had Calvin on our mind. But we weren’t sure if he was going to be for sale.”

Bred and raised by Capital Quarter Horses, Line Up Behind was at the Congress to show in the 2-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure by Hillary Roberts, a class they ended up winning unanimously. Cole reached out but the Roberts family was not sure they were ready to part with him.

By the end of the Congress discussions were underway and arrangements were made for Cole to Show Line Up Behind in the 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure at the AQHA World Show for Capital Quarter Horses. They placed sixth in the class and won the $25,000 VS Flatline Bonus  Incentive. By the end of the show, JR and Melissa were the new owners of Line Up Behind.

“I knew right then he was the perfect fit,” Cole said. “He is as easy as of horse there is to train. He has never come out of his stall unwilling to work.”

The COVID-19 pandemic limited how much Cole and JR could show Calvin in 2020 but they did capture wins in both the 3-Year-Old Open and Non-Pro Western Pleasure at the Arizona Fall Championship Circuit.  At the Tom Powers Futurity, JR and Calvin won the 3-Year-Old Limited, Intermediate and Open Non-Pro Western Pleasure and Cole and Calvin won the 3-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure.

In 2020 Cole and Line Up Behind placed fourth in the 3-Year-Old Western Pleasure Stakes Class at the AQHA World Show and in his first time showing in a Junior Western Pleasure class. Calvin captured a Reserve World Championship title in Level 3 competition with Cole in the saddle. JR, not to be undone, rode Calvin to a Level 2 Reserve World Championship  title in Amateur Western Pleasure.

“He has so much natural cadence. You  couple that with his strength and you have something special,” JR said. “Because of that, everything comes easy to him and he is always consistent every stride. He’s truly a great athlete. But with all the natural talent he has, you still have to have a horse with a good mind to match and he is great minded. He’s quiet, doesn’t get upset about much of anything. He wants to please so much.”

Line Up Behind ended the year by being named the 2020 QData Reserve Leading Western Pleasure money-earner, recording a total of $27,662. And since then he has only gotten stronger.

Calvin won Circuit Championships in Junior and/or Amateur Western Pleasure at the March To The Arch and Georgia On My Mind Circuits and captured open and non-pro titles at the Fun In The Sun Futurity in Venice, Florida in January and at the Sudden Impulse Futurity in Ocala in May. There he and Cole also won the $10,000 added Super Sires Maturity Stakes Open Western Pleasure.

“After the Sudden Impulse Futurity we gave him a few weeks off as we were hitting the road pretty hard before that,” JR said.  “Cole just gave him light exercise to keep him in shape. He brought him back out about three to four weeks later to get ready for the Big A Circuit. He loped off just like he was loping in Ocala when he won the Super Sires Maturity. He is just an amazing horse, truly a once- in-a-lifetime horse.”

Last month in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the NSBA World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity, JR and Line Up Behind were named World Champions in Amateur Western Pleasure and won the BCF 4 to 6-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure. 

Cole could not be more proud.

“He can ride,” he said. “He rode cutting horses as a youth. Melissa introduced him to pleasure horses when they showed together just before and after they were first married. JR, in fact, has quite the resume in Cutting competition. He was top five in the World standings in 1996, 1997 and 1998. In 1999 he was Reserve World Champion in the Senior Youth division and fourth in the $50,000 Amateur division. Once out of youth he was inducted into the NCHA Youth Hall of Fame.

But Cole says it’s his dedication to his family and to the welfare of his horses that sets JR apart.

“The Cooks are great to work with,” he said. “They have been in the business for a long time so they understand it. They have jumped back in this time to do it as a family. They always put the horse first and know you can’t take short cuts.”

As much as JR has accomplished in this short period of time he has been back inside the show pen, he is even more proud of the accomplishments of his daughters.

Georgia and her show partner, Famous N Foolish, won their first NSBA World Championship title last month in Walk-Trot Horsemanship and had top fives and 10s  in all the other Walk-Trot classes they entered. Isabella competed at the NSBA World Show for the first time this year and placed in the top 10 in Walk-Trot Western Pleasure with her horse, Cierras Bold N Gold. 

“We were so proud of both of them,” JR said. “My grandfather still shows a few Halter horses and both Georgia and Isabella show some of his Halter horses in the youth classes. Georgia won the Yearling and Aged Mares at the APHA World Show this year and Isabella was Reserve World Champion in the Aged Mares. Georgia just won her first gold globe a couple weeks ago in the 3-Year-Old Mares showing her great-grandpa’s Halter mare, KR XFINITI. Elizabeth is having fun doing Leadline. It is truly a family affair.”

Cole says the focus for the rest of the year is on getting ready for the fall with the Championship Show in Ocala, the Quarter Horse Congress and then the AQHA World Show.

“Our goals for this horse are to keep Calvin healthy and performing the best we can,” he explained. “Ultimately all we can do is prepare the best we can and hope to have the continued success that we have been having. Eventually we would like to move one of his daughters on to him down the road to show and add Western Riding.”

Cole says JR and his family have the kind of dedication it takes to achieve long-term success in the industry.

“He puts in all the time and effort to practice,” he said. “There are times he drives all night to get to my place for the weekend with his girls to practice and then he’s back home Monday for work.”

JR and Melissa own and operate Allstate Signal & Construction in Cypress, Texas. Allstate specializes in heavy highway electrical construction, installing lighting, traffic signals, signage and intelligent transportation systems for Texas roadways.

The couple set aside their love for showing horses to start their business but now, thanks to the renewed interest sparked by their daughters’ interest, they are back to stay.

“I love showing horses and will continue to,” he said. “One thing I would really like to see is Melissa back in the show arena. Western Pleasure and showing horses is something she has loved for longer than me. I really would like for her to be able to start showing here soon and getting back what she used to enjoy so much.”