All of the stars on “Yellowstone” learned at least a little bit about cowboying prior to filming. But star Cole Hauser said there’s one skill in particular that people are absolutely “wild” for trying.
Last year, during Season 3, the show started focusing on rodeoing a bit more, especially with Jimmy’s storyline. Hauser spoke with Decider in August 2020 to discuss how he has massive respect for the guys and gals who get up on a bucking animal to rodeo.
“The buckaroo guys and the bucking bronco guys are just remarkable. Riding bucking wild horses is just something that people should not be doing for a living, but it is and they do. The bull riding is also pretty wild,” Hauser told the outlet.
Apparently, Hauser even gained a little bit of rodeo experience himself before joining “Yellowstone” as Rip Wheeler.
“I performed rodeo stunts for ‘The Hi-Lo Country’ years ago, and that’s hard on your body,” Hauser explained. He starred in the 1998 Western alongside Sam Elliott, Woody Harrelson, and Billy Crudup. “As you can imagine, these young kids, they’re pretty broken at the end of it. Rodeo is something that I love going to. I have a ton of respect for these cowboys. It’s a hard life.”
We certainly see that hard life play out on “Yellowstone,” especially in Season 3. Jimmy gets bucked off a horse within the first few episodes of the season, sustaining massive injuries. And just when he starts to feel better, he gets back on the horse and gets bucked off again with even more serious injuries.
So far, we’ve seen Hauser perform roping, riding, and wrangling as Rip Wheeler on the show. But rodeoing is a whole different story.
Would Cole Hauser Rodeo Again for ‘Yellowstone?’
“Yellowstone” star Cole Hauser’s spent years in the saddle at this point to perfect his role on the show. He’s worked with horses and cows and learned some of the intricate techniques that all cowboys need to know for the job. But rodeoing is not a skill set he’s had to perfect as Rip Wheeler, something Hauser’s thankful for.
“There are lots of disciplines, but I’ve learned to rope and cut and rein. Those skills still take a lot of effort to learn and a lot of saddle time, but those are more in line with my world right now,” Hauser told Decider. “Those are much more my speed at this point in my life.”
It’s a fair point, considering the rodeo stunts he did for “The Hi-Lo Country” took place over 20 years ago. Hauser’s 46 years old now, so while he’s happy to get up in the saddle, he’d prefer to get in the saddle of a horse that’s not waiting to buck him off and hurt him.
