Real Country: Them Wranglers ain’t for show

Multiple country music stars are card-carrying members of Horse Nation. Laura Cox investigates the connection.

From Laura:

One small section (Elvis' to be exact) of the "Records Wall" at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN

What do Platinum, Gold, and Silver Record selling country music stars have in common with the rest of us?

Last week, my husband took me to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the heart of Nashville as a part of my birthday present, and while inching my way along at a snail’s pace, I started to notice an interest amongst the stars that they share with us: HORSES! That’s right, a large number of country stars actually have a fondness for horses.

The King of Country, George Straight, is a Team Roper. In fact, if you go to his official fan website, you can find information on the 30 years running George Straight Team Roping Classic.

According to the display at the museum, Reba McEntire was born into a rodeo and ranching family. Click here for a video of Reba showing off her barrel racing skills where she served as host to a rodeo where according to the video description, “the crowd talked her into showing off.”

Charlie Daniels at the Grand Ole' Opry. Photo courtesy of my cell phone, hence the poor quality.

Charlie Daniels, owner of Twin Pines Ranch, prides his operation for ranching the way of the old west. I wonder if Charlie and George have ever considered teaming up, as both share an interest in roping.

Taylor Swift grew up riding on her parent’s Christmas tree farm, but in an interview, she mentions choosing singing over riding (I don’t get it, but I also lack any form of musicality). Her mother, though, is apparently the horse fanatic of the family.

An updated article posted on Willie Nelson’s official fan page indicates he is an advocate for humane care of horses. In response to the seizure of two horses burned and starved, the legendary singer is going to use Whisper and Traveler’s story of abuse and triumph to aid in his quest to protect the heart of our obsession from mistreatment. According to the story, Mr. Nelson made plans to bring the two horses to his Texas ranch as his own.

Loretta Lynn’s Ranch is located just outside of Nashville, and is the host of numerous equine events throughout the year. Stay tuned for updates on those events, as they are open to the public, in which case I may go stalk the place may attend the events on your behalf.

The list goes on and on, and if you are interested in learning more about some of the others in more detail, Lisa Wysocky has done us all a favor and written a book titled The Power of Horses: True Stories from Country Music Stars.

Top photo courtesy of Wrangler.