The hit Paramount Network series “Yellowstone” is about cowboys and to be a cowboy — you have to know how to ride a horse.
This also goes for actors portraying cowboys on “Yellowstone,” who had never learned to ride a horse. One such actor in need of riding lessons was Luke Grimes, who portrays Kayce Dutton on the show. Kayce has had several scenes through three and a half seasons in which he sits atop a horse. Obviously, those horse riding lessons did him good as he looks like a natural on horseback. “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan put some of the show’s cast members through “cowboy school” before filming for the first season began.
The actors participating in this school were taught how to be cowboys — or at least pretend to be one on TV. Part of this cowboys class was learning how to deal with horses. As we all know, horses can be rather temperamental animals at times that require a great deal of patience. Clearly, the actors — and the horses — benefited greatly from these lessons.
In a recent edition of “The Official Yellowstone Podcast,” Luke Grimes talks about his experiences leading up to the show. Part of that experience included learning the right way to ride a horse and how to befriend the large beasts. Though a bit timid at first, Grimes says he thoroughly enjoyed the experience and nows see horses in a different light.
“I had very little horse experience before “Yellowstone” began,” he says. “I had done a western before — the remake of the “Magnificent Seven,” but in that movie, I wasn’t supposed to be good at horse riding. So, they didn’t really let me get good at it. I rode one of those movie horses that just walks up and hits a mark.”
‘Yellowstone’ Star Luke Grimes Saddles Up For Kayce Dutton Role
“Movie Horses” are not used in the filming of “Yellowstone” so Luke and the rest of the cast go to it.
“With Yellowstone, we ride, like, real horses who don’t tend to sit still very much,” he says with a laugh. “I remember when I got the job and Taylor called me like six weeks out from actually shooting and he was like ‘You need to go ride, like, every day. He had me going to a reining coach twice a week. Then I would go see Jason Rodriguez and his ranch and we do more roping and, like, cowboy stuff.”
Despite the tough work, the “Yellowstone” stars called the experience “awesome.”
“It’s a skill set that I never saw coming,” he says. “It’s really been such a joy to learn.”
With a show that prides itself on authenticity, “Yellowstone” hangs its cowboy hat on a capable cast and crew. We’ll see what Luke Grimes and Kayce Dutton are up to next Sunday when “Yellowstone” returns for a new episode.