By Mitzi Oxford
A passion for farming, horses and boots led Benjamin Bowen to combine the three and start a business last year. Coming up with a name for his venture was easy. He grew up on a family farm spanning more than 300 acres in Randolph, Mississippi, which is named, you guessed it, Double B.
“I grew up on the farm around horses. We had Spotted horses, Quarter horses and Tennessee Walkers. My first walking horse show was in Starkville, Mississippi. I won the class on The Hot Line,” Benjamin explained.
His first show at the Celebration was on Sanman in 2004. He won top juvenile honors and over the next three years would capture world championship titles, including a world grand championship in 2006.
When it was time for college, Benjamin chose Ole Miss in Oxford, less than 30 miles away from the family farm. The Hotty Toddy chant, the grove and the Walk of Champions are three prevalent traditions that have become cornerstones in Ole Miss culture even outside the sphere of sports.
There is something prophetic about those traditions for Benjamin, especially the Walk of Champions. His “walk” has been created by a love of faith, family and champion horses.
“From riding horses around for hours at my parents' farm at seven-years-old, later going to football games in college with the best people this side of the Mississippi, to now going into the real estate office, I’ve done all these things wearing my favorite pair of boots.”
A lifetime of high cotton and champion horses
For four generations, Double B Farms has been a family operation in Pontotoc County, Mississippi. The area is part of the Black Belt Prairie which stretches from Virginia to the Carolinas and west through Alabama and Mississippi. Cotton is king in the fertile soil and besides growing cotton and operating a cotton gin, the Bowen family also grows corn, soybeans and timber, operates a duck hunting experience through their South Woods Duck Club, and raises cattle and horses.
The business of farming and everything encompassed under the Double B banner is truly a family affair. Benjamin’s parents, Mike and Terrie Bowen, are the owners, but most everyone in their family helps to manage the farm or is responsible for pitching in to help with at least one or more endeavors of this huge operation. Although the original family farm sits on 300 acres, Double B farms several thousand acres.
Love of the farmland runs deep in this family. Benjamin’s brother David is his dad’s right-hand man in growing cotton and the duck hunting side of their business. Just about everyone in the large Bowen family from grandparents, to parents, and brothers and sisters has a job and commitment to making the family business productive.
Double B covers more than 8,000 acres. For perspective that is about 12 square miles. While you might could walk that in about four hours, why not ride it? You could choose a truck or four-wheeler, but why not ride it in style on a Tennessee Walking Horse?
There are no shortages of horses to choose from at Double B, whether at their barn or roaming the pasture. Their family has no problem picking a winner to enjoy a smooth ride around their farm. Aside from Benjamin showing, his grandmother, Pam Russell, is also no stranger to the show ring.
“We started in the horse business about 30 years ago. I told my husband if we were going to shows and watch horses go around in circles, we needed to be in the show ring ourselves. We bought a three-year-old, Spirit After Dark. Two days later, I entered my very first show in Columbus, Mississippi,” Pam related.
The only problem was she had nothing to wear. Everything she needed was ordered from World Champion Horse Equipment and sent via overnight delivery including a riding suit, shirt and boots.
It was a rush, but Pam told her husband, “I’ve got this.” And she did. It was her first show and the first of many blue ribbon rides.
The Bowen and Russell horses have acquired 16 world championships and four world grand championships at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.
Whether it was Benjamin or Pam in the saddle, you will recognize some of the names of their horses you’ve seen walk out with blues or floral horseshoes over the years in a Mississippi minute. They include The Land Shark, Jose It Ain’t So, Escape From Alcatraz, Good Samaritan, Sanman and Tommy Lee Jones.
“One of my favorite things is the fact that we’ve provided a great home for some of our award winning, retired horses,” said Benjamin.
It started with a dream
“I worked for a furniture company right out of college, and while I learned about manufacturing, I knew it wasn’t my long-term goal. I also knew the Lord had me exactly where he wanted me to be because of the experience.”
It taught Benjamin what he needed to know about manufacturing in order to eventually fulfill his dream. About three years before he even had something tangible to sell, he had all the plans in place to produce a line of boots. In November 2022, he started his Double B Boot business.
“The work ethic instilled in me, the family I love and the farm where we have all lived my whole life inspired the names for the boots I produce.”
About the work ethic, Benjamin also works in commercial real estate development all while developing his new business Double B Boots.
His dedication and determination are to be admired, but he comes by it naturally. Double B Boot Company was created from generations of a love of all things done while wearing boots, along with expressing a timeless appreciation for the person wearing them.
Boots on the ground and on the stage
Benjamin brought his dream to life through his beloved family. They wear his Double B Boots on the farm and at horse shows, and when they do, they are admired by folks who share his love for farm life, those who show flat shod and pleasure horses and beyond.
Benjamin’s father Michael taught him strength and resilience, and was one of the main reasons behind the Double B brand. “He is the hardest working, and most dependable father a son could ask for. The Michael Louis boot is named after him. This boot is made for hard work on and off the farm.”
The Terrie Lynn boots are named after his mom. “From horse shows early on in my childhood and not missing a second, she has always been there. Love you, Terrie Lynn! She always supported me in everything I’ve ever done.”
“I wear his boots on the show grounds all the time and everyone loves them. They look at mine and ask where I got them,” said Pam.
The boots in her name are the Russell Rancher. “Living across the pasture from where I grew up, my grandmother, Pam, has always been close by. These boots have a story rooted in deep tradition, hard work and family,” Benjamin explained.
Another pair of boots honors his late uncle Larry Dale. “I can see him now standing in the yard on Double B Farms telling stories and being the center of conversation. Nothing would be better than to see how excited he would be about the Double B Boot company.”
His sister Eden and his sister-in-law Chelsea both model his boots, as does his entire family. They aren’t the only ones, singers Morgan Wallen, Hardy and Ernest, a singer and songwriter for Wallen and Florida Georgia Line, have also found his boots and love them enough to wear on stage during performances.
Boots everywhere all at once
Cowboy boots have been around for eons and, from what we can tell, will be for the foreseeable future. Fashion houses and celebrities are embracing the trend, which can only mean one thing, they're here to stay.
From Urban Cowboy to Coachella to Yellowstone, the Western look is a trend that returns again and again in the fashion mainstream. This year retailers in the US and across the world introduced 240% more new styles of cowboy boots and western wear than ever before.
"Double B Boot Company is an extension of our family and our farm. The quietness of the morning, the horses running across the pasture and the running of a combine all remind us why we do what we do. The foundation of Double B Boot Company was built on Double B Farms."
Benjamin is now focused on developing new boots for his line, more colors of boots and creating partnerships for stores to carry them. For now, you can order them through www.doublebboots.com.
The mission of Double B Farms is innovation, tradition and passion. Benjamin wanted to do something that fit with that shared purpose by hitching his love for family traditions and a passion for horses to the innovation of a business venture, after all, hard work and a love for God’s green earth was built into his foundation.
"I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6