Country Used to Be a Pejorative to Shame Black Texans. Now Everybody Wants to Be a Cowboy.

Everybody wants to be a cowboy now.

Cowboy core — the Western aesthetic that prioritizes travel experiences in places like Montana, Wyoming, and Utah, where guests can participate in horseback riding, mountain climbing, and birdwatching — was the biggest trend in travel for 2025. Cowboys boots have become commonplace in luxury fashion. “Yellowstone” is one of the most valuable franchises on the silver screen. And country music is surpassing rap in audio streams. Every industry is trying to cash in on the new gold rush of country’s revival in the mainstream.

But, what about those who were country before it was trendy? What about the generations of Black farmers and ranchers whose lands were seized from them by eminent domain? What about the Black rodeos that provide a platform for Black cowboys and cowgirls to showcase their talents? Where are their forty acres and a mule? Are they not deserving of the same spotlight afforded to their white counterparts, who have been seen as stewards of the genre and lifestyle?

“High Horse: The Black Cowboy,” the new docuseries produced by Jordan Peele now streaming on Peacock, attempts to answer those questions and more. The 3-episode season starts with a critique of the American cowboy myth, transitions to the historical and ongoing attacks against Black land ownership and ends on the reclamation of cowboy culture by Black Americans.

There are obvious mentions of “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé’s award-winning album that ignited conversations about Black women in country music. Tina Knowles, Beyonce’s mother, is one of the many Black academics, cowboys, farmers, ranchers, journalists, and industry professionals featured in the project. In episode three, she recalls a harrowing experience at the Kentucky Derby, where she was racially mistreated by an employee at the horse race.


https://thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/21/high-horse-black-cowboys-jordan-peele/