What’s it like to grow up on a dude ranch? Few people can answer that question. One of them is Russell True, who grew up on the White Stallion Ranch in Tucson and eventually became owner and manager. Our newest podcast team member, Steven Clauson, interviews Russell about his experiences as and how dude ranching has evolved over the decades. By the way, Russell was inducted into the Dude Ranch Hall of Fame in January 2024.

"In my opinion the world needs more good people and more of the culture of the American West. The world’s fascination with cowboys and the West is for good reason." - Russell True

It’s estimated that we consume a credit card of plastic every week. Alarming on one hand, too easy to ignore on the other hand. But we all share the problems of garbage, no matter how we vote or where we live. How pervasive are these problems and can we do anything about them? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes says, you bet we can! The author of the new eye-opening book, “Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World,” Humes joins Russell and Alan to highlight what innovative people are doing to help our planet and what we can in our daily lives.

It’s a challenging life, cowboying and relying on the range for your living. And if you saddle up regularly in the rodeo circuit, you have one heck of a challenging and busy life. Just ask the Wright family. That's exactly what Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Branch did when he was assigned to write a story about them. Cowboys? Rodeos? Branch, who grew up in the West, was all in. In fact, he turned the New York Times story into a book about the Wrights called the “The Last Cowboys.” He chats with our podcast cowboys about the Wrights, the future of cowboying, and what life is like on the rodeo circuit. Branch also shares a few additional true stories from his newest bestseller, “Sidecountry: Tales of Death and Life from the Back Road of Sports.”

Concluding this episode is Bethany Zill’s version of “Cowboy’s Sweetheart.” Bethany hails from Tucson, AZ, where she also is a videographer and documentarian.

It was 1864, and Northern Plains Indians were not pleased with settlers migrating from east to west along the Oregon, Bozeman and Overland Trails. Thus began a series of attacks and robberies on unsuspecting emigrants winding their way along the Platte River. Shots rang out and arrows whizzed as miners, doctors, farmers, families, and war widows rallied their covered wagons together. As historian journalist Janelle Molony relates in her new book “Emigrant Tales of the Platte River Raids,” some of those involved had familiar names – Brown, Boone, Earp, Kelly, Larimer, Ringo, Rousseau and more. She joins Russell an Alan to share some of the eyewitness testimonies of nearly 70 survivors, presented in one accord for the first time in literary history.

And western singer-songwriter Jim Jones shares his song “Rockin’ Chair” from his new album “Storyteller – Tales from the West.”

How cool would it be to build your perfect horse down to their DNA? Can it even be done? Christa Lafayette has an answer to that question. The founder and CEO of Etalon Equine Genetics, Christa knows that breeding horses is not only an art but a science -- one that lets breeders, as well as all horse lovers, see horses in a new way. Genetic testing can identify potential health risks and prevent disease. It can optimize coat color and performance abilities. Christa joins Russell and Alan to delve into the cutting-edge genetic technologies that go beyond the standard DNA panels required by breed associations, technologies that are revolutionizing the equine industry.

Thank you, Cynthia Keefe, for your musical inspiration at the end of this podcast with the song “Dreaming of Paris,” co-written with Walter Salas and Bonnie Hunt while rafting down the Green River in Utah.

In this episode, historian and author John Langellier saddles up to the ranch to speak with Russell and Alan about the Buffalo Soldiers, the African American soldiers who served from 1866 into the 20th century. From their origins in the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments to their invaluable contributions settling the frontier, John highlights their struggles, triumphs and enduring legacy. A few attended West Point. Others helped develop our national parks. Still others served in foreign countries. Many are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Give a listen as cowboys and historian uncover the narratives of these courageous soldiers who paved the way for diversity and equality in the United State military. And be sure to check out John Langellier's new book "More Work than Glory."

Believe it or not, polo was first played in Persia, perhaps as early as 6 B.C. or as late as 1 A.D. Originally a training game for the king’s calvary, polo morphed into a game with four riders per side rather than 100 riders per side! The first polo game in the U.S. took place in 1876 in New York. The following year the Westchester Polo Club was formed. Now, polo is played around the country, including the Southwest. Our guests today both play the game. Diego Florez, DVM, a large and small veterinarian located in Scottsdale, AZ, is founder and developer of the Arizona Polo Club, also located in Scottsdale with an outdoor field in Casa Grande. Steven True was on Cornell University’s polo team and now plays in Arizona. Diego and Steven speak with the cowboys about the equestrian game that is becoming increasingly popular and is played by men and women, boys and girls of all ages and riding ability.

Thank you, Greg Hager, for sharing your musical inspiration at the end of this podcast.

At age 14, Kathy Zuckerman discovered the surfer culture in Malibu, CA. Soon, this wave-catching teen had earned the nickname “Gidget.” The Hollywood versions of Gidget, played by such stars as Sandra Dee, Sally Field, and Karen Valentine, were loosely based on Zuckerman’s life. But how did that happen? And what brought her to the White Stallion Ranch in Tucson, Arizona years later? The real Gidget chats with Russell about how it all went down.