Cowboy Camp: How The Dutton Ranch Stars Trained For The Yellowstone Universe

"Yellowstone" fans were eager to follow the relationship between Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, played by Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, on the spinoff show "Dutton Ranch." The husband and wife attempt to make a new life for themselves in Texas, but Beulah Jackson, played by Annette Bening, is out to make it more challenging for them. Beth and Rip aren't alone in Texas, they brought along Carter, essentially their adopted son. He's played by Finn Little, and Carter's love interest on the show is Jackson's granddaughter Oreana, played by Natalie Alyn Lind. 

Along with recurring characters, another common thread between "Yellowstone" and "Dutton Ranch" is the extensive time spent on horseback by many of the main cast. That meant the stars of the show had to be able to ride convincingly, which involved going to "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan's "cowboy bootcamp." Little and Lind spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the immersive experience, clarifying that beyond just riding horses, they took a week to work on a range of horseback activities, including "riding, roping, cutting," (via YouTube). 

For the uninitiated, cutting is when the rider separates one cow from a herd; it involves a strong connection with the horse and a fair amount of trust. At one point, riders drop the reins entirely and let the horse lead. Both Tyler Sheridan and his wife Nicole Muirbrook, with whom he shares a sizeable age gap, have competed in cutting competitions.

Natalie Alyn Lind admitted that the hardest part about "cowboy bootcamp" for her was "roping." The actor also opened up about just how seriously Taylor Sheridan took it. "Usually when you're learning things for shows, they'll show you in a way that's just for camera," Lind explained to Entertainment Tonight (via YouTube). "And the difference between this is they really wanted us to learn real skills. [...] You genuinely know how to do things instead of just making them look good." The "Dutton Ranch" "cowboy bootcamp" carried on a tradition that began with "Yellowstone." 

The handsome Taylor Sheridan, who played horse trader Travis in "Yellowstone," started the camps because he wanted the actors on his hit show to be familiar with horses before filming started. "The purpose of cowboy camp is to get actors comfortable enough on the horses that they weren't nervous when riding," Sheridan noted in a Paramount+ video (via Whiskey Riff). "The better I can make them as a rider, the more they understand the thing they're acting out." It sounds like it was quite the experience for all concerned. Although Cole Hauser acknowledged that, in the past, the camp left him sore, especially in the beginning, it was worth it to be able to play the role well. 

Obviously, most of the actors don't have the real life cowboy experience that their characters boast on "Dutton Ranch." But many of the ranch hands on "Yellowstone" already had extensive horseback training thanks to their upbringing, including Forrie J. Smith, who played Lloyd, Ryan Bingham, who played Walker, and Jake Ream and Ethan Lee, who started out as consultants but ended up a part of the onscreen bunkhouse.