10 Best Cowboys & Cowgirls In The Yellowstone Franchise

Published Nov 14, 2026, 10:01 PM EST

Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones. 

You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep."

Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. 

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Yellowstone's Dutton Ranch is the heart and soul of the series, and while classic Westerns often romanticize the life of a cowboy, the shows in Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone franchise embrace the grit and harsh conditions that come with working in such a stunning location. The iconic Yellowstone brand perfectly represents this, with the ranch employing a large staff of cowboys but relatively few having the honor of wearing it.

The franchise is not always realistic, but one aspect that has repeatedly been true to life is the casting, with Yellowstone casting real cowboys to play some of the ranch hands, which is why so many of the show's actors appear so comfortable with horse riding, rodeo, and even the occasional stunts. This, combined with the performances of the main actors in the series, has ensured that the messy, intense, and demanding job of working as a cowboy or cowgirl earns the respect of the audience, no matter which Yellowstone TV show is playing.

10 Ethan

As a character, Ethan is likely a better cowboy than is shown onscreen, as he came to appear in Yellowstone through other jobs on the set. Actor and horse trainer Ethan Lee was initially a stunt double, consultant, and mentor for the show, and with the main actors needing to appear highly competent in their roles, he ran cowboy "boot camps" for the cast, sharing his expertise.

Ethan earned his brand by the end of Yellowstone's third season, proving him a trusted employee and ranch hand at Dutton Ranch. That said, much of Lee's work on the show was done outside of playing the character sharing his name and viewers have not had much of a chance to judge his character's individual work, which is why Ethan has such a low rank on this list.

9 Laramie

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Laramie came to Dutton Ranch with an already established and respected career as a barrel racer, but despite clearly being capable of carrying out the work needed on the ranch, her competence as a cowgirl was quickly overshadowed by love triangle storylines. Laramie was a polarizing character for this reason, and opinions were divided over whether she was an undeveloped character orbiting the more interesting cowboys, or a modern cowgirl who refused to conform to the hierarchy.

When Lloyd and Walker's fight over Laramie resulted in women being barred from the bunkhouse, Laramie could have chosen a different career, but instead, she left Dutton Ranch to continue barrel racing on the rodeo circuit. This proved her to be a competent cowgirl with a future working with horses, reflecting the real-life abilities of actor Hassie Harrison, who grew up on a cattle ranch.

8 Walker

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Actor and musician Ryan Bingham began a rodeo career at age 17 and, after meeting Taylor Sheridan while working on the soundtrack for his movie Wind River, Sheridan wrote the role of Walker into Yellowstone for him. Walker received his brand in the show's first season, instantly establishing his high status both as a cowboy and as the closest thing to family on the ranch.

In addition to playing Walker, Bingham has also contributed to the Yellowstone soundtrack.

Walker is clearly good at his job and seen riding horses and working cattle, but he is also able to teach other characters, like Beth, to be better riders, which sets him above the other ranch hands in the series. That said, Walker's heart is not necessarily in ranch life, as the character is an aspiring country singer who does not always support the extreme measures taken by the Duttons.

7 Jake

Jake Ream was a horse trainer and cowboy long before he worked on Yellowstone, first meeting Taylor Sheridan when he sold him a horse. Ream gave lessons to Sheridan and his family, and like Ethan Lee, he also ran the cowboy boot camp sessions for the show's main actors. This led to Ream gradually taking on a greater role in the series, first appearing at the end of the first season and getting his brand in the third.

Ream's character shares his name, and Jake is portrayed as a strong and dependable character regularly seen performing genuine ranch tasks on camera, from roping cattle to working in the bunkhouse. That said, he does not have the intense and dramatic plotlines that many of the other characters do, resulting in him fading into the background despite being one of Dutton Ranch's best workers and continuing life as a cowboy after the Yellowstone finale.

6 Elsa Dutton

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Unlike most of the other cowboys and cowgirls in the Yellowstone franchise, 1883's Elsa Dutton was not born into training for this life. That said, as a naturally gifted horsewoman, she takes to frontier life and learns through experience, becoming an excellent cowgirl through her own drive and ambition rather than through expectation. Taking place over just one season, her transformation is dramatic, going from a wagon passenger to a fierce protector of the cattle herd.

Elsa is easily one of the best Dutton family members, and her overarching storyline is arguably the most tragic in the series for her wasted potential. Had Elsa survived, she could have been one of the most formidable and talented cowgirls in the family, as she was quickly able to hold her own with experienced cowboys like Ennis and even earned the respect of the veteran trailhands.

5 Teeter

Teeter's introduction instantly proved her a talented cowgirl, with Rip hiring her after seeing her competing in a rodeo where she ropes a bull in record time. That said, on arriving at Dutton Ranch, Teeter appeared set up to be little more than comic relief at best and a hot mess at worst, but she became one of the best characters in Yellowstone for her work ethic, ability, and refusal to be sidelined for being female.

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Unlike Laramie, Teeter is seen taking on much of the heavy labor around Dutton Ranch, including branding, roping, and handling cattle, as well as riding on horseback. Having worked twice as hard to prove herself as capable as the cowboys, she finds herself in demand, working on other ranches throughout the series and finally moving to Texas' Bosque Ranch to continue life as a cowgirl after Yellowstone's finale.

4 Rip Wheeler

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Dutton Ranch's stoic and imposing foreman is one of the best neo-Western protagonists of all time, with an antihero streak. His status among the Dutton family is already established in Yellowstone's first episode, when he gives a character the choice between incarceration or being branded and working at the ranch. Rip choosing his own workers like this instantly shows that he demonstrated his own trustworthiness long ago, and his role goes far beyond just those of a cowboy.

Rip's duties are much more than those of a typical ranch hand. He handles the herd movements and tracking of cattle, manages and looks after the other workers, and acts as the enforcer for Dutton Ranch. He is responsible for the smooth running of virtually every aspect of the ranch, and while he does not have specialist rodeo skills, the abilities he has make him invaluable to both the Dutton family and to the series.

3 Lloyd Pierce

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Forrie J. Smith comes from a family of rodeo riders and began his career at just eight years old, gaining more real-life experience as a cowboy than most of the characters in Yellowstone have. Smith spent years riding in rodeos before his talent saw him taking on stunt work, leading him to Taylor Sheridan, who offered him a role in Yellowstone after seeing him doing stunts and wrangling in Hell or High Water.

Smith plays Lloyd Pierce, Dutton Ranch's resident mentor and one of the oldest ranch hands, seen during the first season and becoming a fan favorite over the course of the show. Unlike some of the other characters played by real-life cowboys, Yellowstone makes use of Smith's experience by showcasing his exceptional riding, which easily illustrates why he is the most respected of the show's many cowboys.

2 Jacob Dutton

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1923's Jacob Dutton, the great, great uncle of John Dutton, spent decades transforming the family's cattle empire, and while he is technically considered a rancher, he remains one of the Yellowstone franchise's best cowboys in terms of his competence and skills. Rather than leaving the hands-on work to the wranglers, Jacob rides with them, personally managing grazing rotations and handling the livestock directly, but there is more to his experience.

Jacob knows every aspect of life as a cowboy, from the heavy ranch work and riding duties, to the law, making him a formidable character to challenge. He understands the entire business from the ground up, and it is his determination to make something more of the business that led to Dutton Ranch being the success it became. Kevin Costner gave one of the best performances in any Taylor Sheridan show while playing Jacob, making the character an icon.

1 Travis Wheatley

Taylor Sheridan regularly appears in his Yellowstone franchise and adds some extra authenticity to his role as Travis Wheatley, as he is also a cowboy himself and a part owner of the Four Sixes Ranch that is featured in the series. Wheatley is a rodeo rider and an elite horse trainer and trader who often does business with Dutton Ranch, and his abilities are fully on display in some of Yellowstone's best horse riding scenes.

Yellowstone is based on Taylor Sheridan's childhood coming from a ranching family.

Travis' standout scenes showcase Sheridan's expert horse riding and cutting experience, with Travis impressing Beth by isolating a single cow from a herd, entering a competition alongside Rip and fellow trainer Matt, and demonstrating his knowledge of his industry by explaining bloodlines and pricing. In terms of pure horsemanship and cowboy skills, Travis is the best in the Yellowstone franchise.

Yellowstone

Yellowstone is a neo-Western drama series created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, centered on the Dutton family and their fight to protect the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch from various adversaries, including land developers and nearby reservations. Premiering in 2018 on Paramount Network, the show has been praised for its depiction of power struggles, family loyalty, and rural conflicts. It has expanded into a franchise with spin-offs such as 1883 and 1923, and an upcoming sequel series is in development.