Longtime mentor, teacher and legendary horseman, Clarence Chown, passed away on February 9, 2015. He was 87 years old.
Known to many as, “Mr. C”, he taught many of the top trainers in our industry how to ride including Charlie Cole, Brad Jewett, and Matt Mills. Chown’s legacy was also passed down to his four sons who are all AQHA World Champions; Robert Chown in reining, Troy in cutting, Tom in western pleasure and Leonard in working cowhorse.
In 1963, Chown founded and operated Rawhide Ranch in Bonsall, California. Over the years, the Ranch was a camp, boarding school, and then a two year vocational college. In 1976, Charlie Cole first attended Rawhide Ranch as a camper and eventually moved to the Ranch as a full-time boarding student at age 12. That’s when Cole said he found his love of horses.
“Mr. C was an incredible horseman and teacher,” Cole says. “The first time I rode, trained or showed a horse was under Mr. C’s watchful eye. He was tough and demanding, but also giving and caring. You never sat down when Mr. C was around. He taught responsibility and work ethic. He had me managing a stud barn and college students at the age of 14. He was a true cowboy and lover of the old west. Rawhide was built like an old western town with a main street, frontier hotel, livery stable, old red school house (pictured below) and the horse palace. It was a great place to grow up and learn from such an amazing man.”
Trainer Brad Jewett of San Antonio, Texas credits Chown for getting him involved with horses. Jewett said that he didn’t want to go to the type of college where he would have to sit at a desk all day. But he saw an ad in the back of Western Horseman for a two year vocational college at Rawhide Ranch and he knew this was where he was meant to be. Jewett said he had never been around horses, but he developed a great foundation about horses at the college. According to Jewett, there were 35 students that started with him at the college, but only three graduated.
“I wouldn’t be in the horse business if it wasn’t for Mr. C. He taught riding lessons and yelled at us everyday,” Jewett recalls laughing. “It was always known that it was a good thing if he yelled at you. He set standards and he wanted us to be the best we could be, as horseman, not just trainers. He taught me about reining, bits, saddles, reins and also about the cowboy way which involved hard work and dedication.”
NRHA trainer Matt 
Mills of Scottsdale, Arizona says that when he thinks about Clarence Chown, his black dually truck with the license plate, Mr. C, his aviator sunglasses and cowboy hat come to mind. (pictured above in the earlier years)
“He created a lot of horse owners,” Mills states. “He cultivated that interest through people taking lessons, buying horses, putting horses in training, and just his passion about horses and the western lifestyle. Whenever he was around, people sat up straighter and we tucked our shirt in. We all wanted to impress him. He was someone who touched many lives, and I appreciated that he always remembered my name whenever I saw him after I became a trainer.”
Trainer and AQHA Executive Committee member, Sandy Arledge says that Chown was a legend in San Diego County. “I loved him,” Arledge says. “He was a great horseman and business man. He was always kind to the horses and took great care of them. We did a lot of business together trading horses and tack over the years. His main desire was to get people involved with horses and he influenced thousands of people and introduced them to the equestrian lifestyle. He will be greatly missed.”
His son, Robert Chown believes his father will be remembered for the incredible legacy he left in the performance horse industry. “He taught countless trainers how to ride and he put that seed in them to become successful in this industry. All of his sons are AQHA World Champions. At its peak, Rawhide gave over 31,000 riding lessons a year and he touched hundred of thousands of people through his love of horses. He was a man of faith who was a great horseman as well as a father.”
Chown’s daughter, Linda, said that her father was her best friend. “He was truly a man of God and had so much wisdom. He loved children and he really meant everything to me. Over 250,000 children came through Rawhide Ranch when my father ran it which is amazing. He was admired by so many.”
Chown was cremated on Thursday, February 12 and there was a memorial service on the 12th where family and friends gathered to honor his memory. He is survived by his wife, Mary Jean (Mother Mick), his four sons, daughter, Linda, as well as 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Rawhide Ranch, P.O. Box 216, Bonsall, California, 92003 or to Hospice Plus, 116 S. Woods St., Sherman, TX 75092.
