A Cowboy's Best Friend: The Bonds That Make My Heroes Real

The saying "A dog is a man's best friend" gets all the attention, but a cowboy's best friend? That's definitely his horse. And after years of writing westerns, I've learned that the relationship between a cowboy and his horse reveals everything about who that man really is.

Will Colter and Jackson: The Bond That Started It All

In A Dream Unfolding, Will Colter treasures his stallion Jackson above all his other horses. As he tells Adam Larson in a letter, "Jackson, the stallion I brought from Texas, is still the best animal I have ever owned." That one line reveals so much about Will's character—his loyalty, his appreciation for quality, and his deep connection to the animals he works with.

Jackson represents more than transportation for Will. When Will dreams of starting his horse breeding business in Arizona Territory, he's building those plans around the foundation Jackson provides. The horse becomes a symbol of Will's hopes for the future and his determination to create something lasting in the harsh frontier landscape.

What I love about Will and Jackson's relationship is how it reflects the historical reality of the 1860s American West. A cowboy's horse was his lifeline—his transportation, his work partner, and often his closest companion during long, lonely cattle drives. Getting that relationship right means understanding not just how horses move or what they eat, but how they think and feel.

The Colter Sons and Their Perfect Matches

In my Colter Sons Series, I had even more fun pairing cowboys with horses that reflect their personalities:

• Sam, the reliable second son, rides Bailey, a steady pinto gelding who's as dependable as Sam himself
• Wild and adventurous Boone chose a black stallion named Outlaw (because of course he did!)
• Entrepreneur James picked a sable gelding named Brass—because "Gold" would have been too obvious for a future railroad magnate
• Discipline-loving Deacon rides Sergeant, a blood bay gelding whose name says everything about Deacon's need for structure
• Restless Preston found his match in Ranger, a liver chestnut stallion perfect for a drifter

Modern Cowboys, Timeless Bonds

Even in my contemporary Vargas Ranch Series, the tradition continues. Dalton J. Vargas IV rides a horse named Toasted Toffee, thanks to his coffee-obsessed youngest brother Drake, who named quite a few of the ranch horses: Mocha, Frappe, and more.

When city girl River Sloane arrives at the ranch, Dalton assigns her a gentle mare named Sunflower—purely because of the horse's sunny disposition. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that Sunflower is also River's mother's name! Sometimes the perfect match happens by pure coincidence, though River suspects there might be more to Dalton's intuitive choices than he realizes.

These details might seem small, but they help build the authentic ranch atmosphere that makes the Vargas family feel real.

The Research Behind the Relationships

Creating believable horse-cowboy partnerships requires more research than you might expect. I keep photos of different horse breeds and colors that I reference constantly for authentic details. Recently, I've been diving into horse training techniques for a new project, and I've discovered how much the training process reveals about both the horse's temperament and the trainer's patience and skill.

I've also been researching equine therapy programs here in Arizona, and the stories are incredible. The emotional connections possible between horses and humans run deeper than I ever imagined. Therapeutic riding programs showcase something that cowboy stories have always known: horses don't just serve humans—they understand us, respond to us, and often heal us in ways we never expected.

Why It Matters

When I write about a cowboy choosing his horse, training his horse, or depending on his horse in a crisis, I'm not just adding authentic western details. I'm revealing character. A man who treats his horse with respect and understanding is likely to treat the people in his life the same way. A cowboy who rushes the training process or ignores his horse's needs? That tells you something important about his patience and empathy.

The horse becomes a window into the cowboy's soul—and often the heroine's first clue about whether this man is worth her trust.