Taylor Sheridan’s Horses Aren’t Just Props—They’re Part of His Family (and His Shows!)
From his Texas ranches to the screen, discover why the beloved showrunner features his own four-legged stars
Any Taylor Sheridan fan knows the writer has a deep love for horses From the Duttons in Yellowstone to the T.L. (Sam Elliott) love for watching them in Landman, it’s clear that the horses aren’t just background scenery. They’re part of the storytelling. What many viewers may not realize, though, is that some of the horses seen on screen actually belong to Sheridan himself. That’s right! He often features his own horses in his productions. So why does he do it? Keep scrolling to find out.
Get to know Taylor Sheridan’s horses
As the owner of two Texas ranches—6666 (pronounced four sixes) and the Bosque Ranch—it should come as no surprise that Sheridan owns a lot of horses. In fact, he once joked on the Welcome Back to Yellowstone: The Official Yellowstone Podcast in November of 2022,
“I just make movies to support my horse habit.”
American Quarter Horse Association chief show officer Pete Kyle echoed similar thoughts, telling Cowgirl Magazine in 2021, “His passion for the American Quarter Horse led him to a career in acting and directing, and we appreciate the work he is doing to share our Western lifestyle with others.”
Also a horse lover? Sheridan’s son Gus!
“He’s never on his phone. He’s never on his Xbox. He’s always outside with the dogs, fishing with his buds or roller-skating in the barn,” Sheridan’s wife, Nicole Muirbrook, told Cowgirl Magazine in December of 2021. “He also ropes, so he’s often on horseback. He’s just always doing something.”
Does Taylor Sheridan use his horses in his shows?
As previously noted, Sheridan does use his horses in all of his shows.
“All the horses, for the most part in our business, are terrible,” Sheridan said on the Welcome Back to Yellowstone: The Official Yellowstone Podcast. “They’re not very broke, they’re not very safe, which is one of the reasons you don’t see actors very often. And I didn’t want to do that, so I bought all the horses for the show and then taught the actors how to ride them.”
Sometimes, though, riding the horses—or other animals like bulls—can be dangerous for the actors. This means that every once in a while, the cast will be replaced by their stunt doubles for the animal scenes.
“I try to, as a stunt coordinator, put the actors in the situation as much as possible so we’re not just always relying on doubles,” Jason Rodriguez, the stunt coordinator for Yellowstone, said in 2021. “The actors do a lion’s share of their action themselves and we really try to work to choreograph and make the scenes in such a way that they can do that.”
“I always enjoy the stuff with the horses, even if it’s just as simple as a team roping scene at the ranch or branding scenes. Any of those are just fun for me because that’s my bread and butter,” Rodriguez continued. “We’re real cowboys.”
Does Taylor Sheridan have any other animals?
According to Muirbrook, “We have 12 dogs, some chickens and cats because I love to rescue. It’s nice to have the space to do that.”
“It’s [also] fun seeing my husband have his own brand. He comes from here. Between the horses and the TV side of things, I don’t know where it’s going to go, but it’s always a roller coaster going somewhere fast,” she continued.
As of publication, none of Sheridan’s dogs have ever made an appearance in any of his shows, but that could change now that it’s almost time for Marshals and The Madison. What could be showcased though are his horses!
“If you think about horses, it is really the only sport that you can do with your kids. You can drive them to soccer, you can watch them do motor-cross, you can take your daughter to gymnastics or dance, your kid to baseball, or whatever. But you can’t do it with them. This you can do with them,” Sheridan told Bridle and Brit in 2024. “I think it is so important to have things that you can do with your family. I ride a lot of Cutting horses now, because my wife likes to show the Cutters. I said, ‘Ok, I’ll get a Cutter, too.’ My son loves to rope, so I said, ‘Ok, I’ll get a rope horse.’”
“We do these things together! So, I wanted to do everything I could to show the real world and shift the wrong thinking about what a Cowboy really is to what the Western Lifestyle really is,” Sheridan continued. “To make it cool, not trendy, because it is cool! Nothing is cooler than going out at 4:30 in the morning and gathering 300 head of cattle. There is just nothing cooler! “
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