The bumper stickers on Tammy Cox’s pickup truck reveal how much she loves horses, as do the slogans on the t-shirts she sells in her tack shop.
“A woman’s place is on a horse.” “The more people I meet, the better I like my horse.” “Cowgirls rule,” they say.
Tammy collects carved horses, and paintings of horses and horseshoe art adorn her walls.
She got her first pony when she was 12 years old, but Tammy’s father, Carl McMaine, says she’s been riding “every time she got around a horse” or pretty much all her life.
Her love of horses is something “I don’t try to hide,” she says with a laugh.
Tammy’s interest in horses has evolved from hobby to business over the years. She opened “Hillside Tack” about twenty years ago in a small room on the side of her house.
About a year ago, she started on a large log addition to her home, where she now houses her newly expanded tack shop.
Last weekend, Tammy and her husband Kenny hosted an open house at the shop, where just about anything horse-related can be bought or traded for.
The smells of leather and cedar greet all who enter. Located on the southeastern edge of the county toward Brushy Mountain on Highway 1209, it’s a cowgirl’s—or cowboy’s—dream store.
Now Tammy has plenty of space in her storeroom for saddle repair and restoration. She also makes chaps and chinks (a shorter version of chaps) to custom fit, and she makes belts and bridles to order too.
She sells artwork made by her friends, as well as lots of western-themed apparel, including blankets, boots and clothing.
Tammy is a trained paralegal, but she’s chosen to focus on her homegrown business and take care of her many critters.
She and Kenny own ten horses, one of which is a miniature one not much larger than the German shepherd dogs she breeds to sell.
There’s also a blue heeler, a chocolate lab, several chickens and a couple of guineas running around the farm.
Most every Saturday that the weather is fitting will find Tammy and her friends riding horses across nearby mountain ridges, through creeks and over wooded hillside trails.
Tammy’s shop is open every weekend though, from daylight to 7 p.m., or by appointment.
“People are welcome to come here during the week,” said Tammy, “but it’s a good idea to call first.”
She can be reached at Hillside Tack by calling 723-0071.