Sumith Prasad
While most of the Duttons dedicated their lives to the operation of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch in Paramount Network’s Western series ‘Yellowstone,’ Beth Dutton has been an exception. Rather than tending cattle and riding horses, Beth chooses a different way of life. Throughout the show, Beth has expressed her dislike towards her family members’ obsession with horses. Thus, it is no wonder that she surprised the viewers by deciding to join her husband Rip Wheeler for cattle run on horseback. Since the fifth and sixth episodes of the fifth season feature Beth riding a horse extensively, we have found out whether Kelly Reilly had learned horse riding for the Western drama. Let us share our findings!
Kelly Reilly is a Natural Horsewoman
Kelly Reilly joined the cast of ‘Yellowstone’ with immense experience as a horse rider. “I grew up riding but I’m the only character that doesn’t really ride in the show but I have ridden all my life. But not obviously Western, I mean I have over the years ridden a lot of Western but I grew up riding English and I was also a groom for a polo club,” Reilly told WFAA. “I used to go out and exercise all the polo horses but I have no interest in anything competitive on a horse. I just want to sit on the horse and go out and be in nature. I love the animal and it’s just a beautiful thing to watch,” the actress added.
Although Reilly knows horse riding, Beth is the character that most likely rides horses the least in the show. Because of the same, the actress was excited about having Beth on horseback as part of the Dutton’s camp to brand the Dutton Ranch’s cattle. “I loved playing that [cowgirl] part of Beth because you see her so often in a suit and she’s working and fighting,” Reilly told ExtraTV. “To actually see her in the elements on the back of a horse, a daughter of a rancher, a wife of a cowboy, was fun for me to play… to see her find excitement and happiness and smiling,” she added.
In addition, Beth not only knows horse riding but also is the best rider among the cast of ‘Yellowstone,’ according to co-creator and real-life cowboy Taylor Sheridan. “Ironically, the person who gets to ride the least, Kelly Reilly, is the best rider. She grew up riding,” Sheridan told Deadline. When Reilly had to adapt to the Montana way of life to play Beth, riding horses regularly became a part of her routine. “Now I live in Montana five months of the year. We film on an actual ranch. I ride horses every day. I’m friends with cowboys and cowgirls and ranchers. I have gone on a journey of understanding a culture and a way of life that I didn’t before,” Reilly told Los Angeles Times.
Over the years, Reilly had ridden several majestic horses and shared her experience of doing the same. In May 2021, the actress also rode through 6666 Ranch, one of the prominent settings of the fourth season of the show. Therefore, Reilly was displaying her real horse riding skills whenever Beth rides a horse in the Western drama.
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