Want to tap into Black cowboy culture in L.A. beyond the Beyoncé concert? Start here

When you deliberation of cowboy culture, possibly Clint Eastwood’s westerns, John Wayne’s drawl oregon the Montana-based play “Yellowstone” starring Kevin Costner travel to mind. But those are the whitewashed versions — Hollywood’s curated phantasy that sidelines the truth. For excessively long, Black cowboy civilization has been tucked down folklore alternatively than celebrated arsenic a halfway portion of American history.

The iconic Lone Ranger, for example, was traditionally portrayed by achromatic actors, contempt the quality being based connected Bass Reeves, a erstwhile enslaved who became 1 of the astir palmy lawman marshals successful the American West. In fact, 1 successful each 4 cowboys during the 1800s was Black. And Black cowboys were down galore of the traditions we subordinate with rodeo today. Take Bill Pickett, the archetypal Black antheral inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame, who invented bulldogging (steer wrestling), wherever a rider leaps disconnected a equine and wrestles a steer to the ground. July’s L.A. County halt for the fashionable rodeo named successful Pickett’s grant is already sold out.

Celebrating 40 years successful 2025, the Bill Pickett Rodeo is the longest-running Black rodeo successful the U.S.

(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)

But determination are plentifulness of different chances to drawback past yet riding into the mainstream. Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album, which tips its chapeau to the Black cowboys and cowgirls whose labor, accomplishment and benignant shaped the American West, didn’t conscionable motorboat a caller question of state fans, it reopened a taste conversation. And close successful clip for the tour’s kickoff successful Los Angeles connected April 28 astatine SoFi Stadium, there’s a question of events, exhibits and assemblage activities celebrating the city’s Black cowboy culture.

From a groundbreaking “Black Cowboys” accumulation astatine the Autry Museum to “Untold Legacies” astatine Rancho Los Cerritos — an exploration of Black cowboy civilization done modern expressions successful music, film, manner and plan — California is afloat of opportunities to larn astir the bequest up close. Add successful the Compton Cowboys, a radical of lifelong friends from Compton who usage horseback riding to uplift inner-city youth, hitting the nationalist signifier astatine Stagecoach, the state euphony festival successful Coachella Valley, and it’s clear: The Black West isn’t conscionable being remembered, it’s riding beforehand and center.

We’ve rounded up 7 indispensable ways to witnesser the Black West successful each its grit, glory and gallop.

CJE offers tract trips, afterschool programs, summertime camps and specialized riding tracks, providing younker with objective wellness enactment and beingness skills training.

(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)

“When this Black West inclination ends, we privation to marque definite there’s a flagpole successful the crushed that says the Black West is here. It’s not conscionable a trend. It’s real,” says Randy Savvy, laminitis of the Compton Cowboys.

Straight retired of Richland Farms, a agrarian pouch of Compton wherever residents inactive rise goats and chickens and thrust horseback, the Compton Cowboys are a corporate of lifelong friends utilizing horses to uplift their assemblage and grant Black equestrian heritage. The radical formed retired of the Compton Jr. Posse, a section equine programme founded by Mayisha Akbar successful 1988, present known arsenic Compton Jr. Equestrians, oregon CJE. Together, the Cowboys and CJE person spent much than 3 decades keeping kids connected horses and disconnected the streets, offering mentorship, vocation grooming and a almighty alternate to pack culture.

Richland Farms has ever been their location turf, and erstwhile the caller L.A. wildfires threatened horses crossed the city, the Cowboys mobilized to assistance evacuate and attraction for animals successful danger. They’ve besides completed grooming to beryllium acceptable for aboriginal emergencies — due to the fact that for them, it’s not conscionable astir the ride; it’s astir showing up.

This year, the Compton Cowboys are headed to Stagecoach, the monolithic state euphony festival successful Indio. There, they’ll correspond Black cowboy civilization connected a nationalist stage, implicit with merch from their ain enactment and a Forever 21 collaboration you’ll privation to snag earlier it sells out.

If you’re moved by their mission, you tin donate straight via their website oregon inquire astir volunteering to enactment CJE’s younker programs, oregon conscionable travel on arsenic they proceed to thrust for a aboriginal wherever the Black West isn’t overlooked — it’s starring the way.

Urban Saddles, a Black-led nonprofit, helps riders of each ages reconnect with land, bequest and self.

(Michael Gammage)

Cowboy civilization is rooted successful community, and Urban Saddles rides that contented forward. This Black-led nonprofit uses horsemanship to thatch underserved youths real-world skills — from ethical carnal attraction to farming, carpentry and mechanical trades. The group’s motto says it all: “As the cowboy wrangles cattle, we wrangle consciousness.”

It’s not conscionable astir the saddle (though Urban Saddles offers hands-on programs to assistance participants thrust with confidence) — it’s gathering thing bigger. Events similar Saddle Up Saturdays, which teaches astir equestrian culture, cultivation acquisition and section practice celebrations, and Foster Feathers, wherever you tin larn however to attraction for animals responsibly and unrecorded sustainably, bring the assemblage unneurotic to observe cultivation traditions and thatch sustainable surviving practices. Volunteers assistance attraction for animals, enactment mentorship programs and assistance with riding events, creating shared spaces wherever culture, attraction and corporate ownership thrive.

Visit Urban Saddles’ website to get progressive oregon program a visit.

Cali Cowboy Co.’s “Three Cees” are for community, committedness and collaboration.

(Ashley Robertson / Golden Hour Photo Co.)

Forget the emblematic barroom crawl — however astir a moonlit way thrust successful “horse heaven”? Cali Cowboy Co., affectionately known arsenic the Three Cees (for community, committedness and collaboration), is simply a divers unit of riders based retired of the Hansen Dam country who are redefining what modern cowboy civilization looks like. Their motto? “All states, shapes, shades and gaits are welcome.” Whether you’re a seasoned rider oregon conscionable saddle-curious, the nine believes everyone deserves a spot successful the equine community.

Their ngo goes beyond the saddle — they’re astir preserving tradition, gathering taste bridges and creating a much inclusive aboriginal for the adjacent procreation of equestrians. That ethos was connected afloat show during the January L.A. wildfires, erstwhile members helped attraction for hundreds of displaced horses and became trained for aboriginal emergencies.

While astir of their full-moon rides successful the San Gabriel Mountains are private, the radical opens 1 oregon 2 of them to the nationalist each year. Keep an oculus connected their socials for erstwhile those dates drop, due to the fact that riding nether a afloat satellite is an acquisition similar nary other. This year, don’t miss their Cinco de Mayo solemnisation connected May 3 astatine Gibson Ranch, which volition beryllium unfastened to the public. Expect riding demos, unrecorded music, nutrient and a full batch of dust-kicking bully energy.

A presumption of the historical workers quarters astatine Rancho Los Cerritos.

(Jasmine Desiree / For The Times)

Step backmost successful clip astatine Rancho Los Cerritos, a historical location and plot successful Long Beach’s Bixby Knolls vicinity that brings California’s layered past to life. Long earlier it was a 19th period cattle and sheep ranch, the onshore was location to the Gabrielino-Tongva radical for implicit 5,000 years. Today, the two-story adobe residence is simply a local, authorities and nationalist historical landmark offering year-round exhibitions, acquisition programs and taste events that research the galore identities of the West.

Now done June, the tract is hosting “Untold Legacies: Rethinking the American Cowboy,” an accumulation spotlighting the often-erased contributions of Black, Latino and Indigenous cowboys and cowgirls. Through works by 5 section artists — Lorenzo Baker, Hely Omar Gonzalez, Nia S. Lane, Daniel Tyree Gaitor-Lomack and Brooklyn Sabino Smith — the grounds reimagines cowboy civilization done the lenses of history, popular civilization and good art.

Beyoncé albums are connected show astatine Rancho Los Cerritos.

(Jasmine Desiree/For The Times)

Visitors besides volition find stories and visuals from modern municipality equestrian groups that are educating younker and keeping cowboy traditions live successful schools and neighborhoods. While the grounds is included with wide admittance (which is free, though reservations are encouraged), Rancho Los Cerritos besides hosts peculiar ticketed events similar taste tours, plot concerts and family-friendly programs that grow connected the themes of the exhibition.

Explore upcoming events oregon docket a circuit via their website. You won’t locomotion retired without learning thing new, and you mightiness permission feeling called to transportation the communicative forward.

Herb Jeffries’ cowboy boots, worn successful Harlem connected the movie “Prairie” c. 1937.

(Autry Museum)

The Autry Museum’s upcoming exhibition, “Black Cowboys: An American Story,” brings the untold tales of iconic figures into afloat presumption done a premix of uncommon artifacts, photographs, oral histories and film.

Among the archetypal pieces visitors volition spot are a saddle and boots utilized by 2 Black Texas cowboys — an particularly uncommon find, arsenic astir cogwheel was repurposed oregon worn through. Black contributions to occidental civilization done movie and euphony besides instrumentality halfway stage, spanning aboriginal Black occidental posters up to costumes designed by Antoinette Messam for the 2021 movie “The Harder They Fall,” which based its characters connected the Black cowboys, lawmen and outlaws of the 19th period American West.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $14 for seniors (62+) and students (13 to 18 oregon implicit 18 with ID), and $8 for children ages 3 to 12. Children younger than 3, Autry members and active-duty U.S. military/veterans person escaped admission. Additionally, the depository offers escaped admittance to each visitors each Tuesday and Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m. with beforehand registration.

Charlie Sampson competes successful the National Finals Rodeo successful Oklahoma City successful December 1982.

(Denver Post / Getty Images)

Bull rides, enactment tricks and a assemblage conscionable arsenic focused connected past arsenic the thrill — the inaugural Charlie Sampson Rodeo is acceptable for June 28 successful Norco, Calif., and it’s already shaping up to beryllium a high-octane event, arsenic good arsenic a tribute to the Black cowboys who helped signifier American history.

Born and raised successful Watts, Sampson made past successful 1982 arsenic the archetypal Black antheral to triumph a satellite title successful nonrecreational rodeo. Now 67, he’s launching this rodeo successful grant of the cowboys helium rode alongside, galore of whom, helium says, “have passed connected but near their people close present successful the L.A. area.”

“I’m doing this for my fallen friends,” Sampson says. “They were portion of this community, this culture. They merit to beryllium remembered.”

The all-day lawsuit volition diagnostic classical rodeo competitions including bull riding, calf roping and tube racing alongside assemblage programming that celebrates Black occidental heritage. Expect nutrient vendors, family-friendly activities and peculiar tributes to the cowboys who came before. Sampson besides has invited a roster of riders who bespeak the adjacent procreation of Black rodeo talent.

Even now, Sampson brings cowboy occurrence to everything helium does. “If I didn’t get a bully score, I’d spell back, ticker the video and spell consecutive to the judges: ‘Tell maine wherever I messed up,’” helium recalls. “I made it hard for them to disregard me.” Trust america — you can’t disregard Charlie Sampson. If this rodeo is thing similar his spirit, you’re successful for 1 unforgettable ride.

Tickets are connected merchantability present via Eventbrite: $39.19 for wide admission, $23 for children 12 and younger, and $81.88 for VIP access.

DeBoraha Townson, National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum Hall of Famer, offers horseback riding lessons successful Agua Dulce.

(Northcott Photography)

Looking to sharpen your skills successful the saddle oregon yet unrecorded retired your barrel-racing dreams? Head to Townson Ranch successful Agua Dulce, wherever six-time Bill Pickett Invitational champion DeBoraha Townson offers horseback riding lessons and hands-on programs designed to physique beardown horsemanship skills.

The archetypal Black pistillate to vie successful the International Professional Rodeo finals, Townson present dedicates her days to grooming the adjacent procreation of riders. Whether you’re a beginner learning the basics of occidental riding oregon a seasoned equestrian aiming to tighten your turns astir the barrel, her lessons are tailored, idiosyncratic and packed with contented from decades of title experience.

Want to instrumentality a people oregon enroll your kid done a charter schoolhouse program? You tin publication a session, circuit the ranch oregon larn much astir Townson’s younker mentorship enactment by visiting Townson Ranch online.