Dale Brisby Goes West: A Downright Cowboy Experience with Derrick Begay

A little over 10 years ago, Dale Brisby exploded on the rodeo scene with some much needed humor around the western lifestyle. Along with his Netflix series, How To Be A Cowboy, and a thriving social media presence, Brisby's podcast is also incredibly popular. While most of his brand is built on humor, catchy slogans, and a funny facade as the "greatest bull rider who ever lived," Brisby loves to share the cowboy way of life. On Radiator Ranch, his interns can live and learn from hands on experience in the western and rodeo industries.

In a fantastic episode of the Rodeo Time podcast with now $2 million PRCA cowboy, Derrick Begay, the two discussed in depth what life at home looks like for Begay. While the life of any professional cowboy is anything but average, we think it would be fair to say that Begay's life is even more unusual than most. When he is not taking $65,000 wins at RODEOHOUSTON, Begay is at home on the Navajo Nation.

A talented team roper with no plans to retire anytime soon, Begay also has big things going on at home. With his own herd of cattle, Begay is as cowboy as it gets. One of his favorite past times is catching wild cattle in his home state of Arizona. Brisby and Begay discussed this extensively in the recent podcast episode and ultimately, Brisby traveled to Begay's home turf to experience it for himself.

Saying "there is nothing like it" is probably the understatement of the century. For those who have not explored the Arizona back country, you may not realize just how rough parts of the state are. It is not all flat, sandy desert. There are mountains, hills, rocks, washes, and every type of cacti you can imagine, of course. Due to the rough terrain, it is common for some cattle to escape and live in the wild. Over time, they have continued to reproduce and live in undomesticated, unbranded herds. These cattle are incredibly smart and cannot simply be gathered and herded like domestic cattle.

Many of these wild cattle (also known as mavericks) are inhabiting privately owned land, so it is common for crews to come in and "catch" them. In a nearly two-hour documentary style YouTube video, Brisby documented his full experience with Begay. From their journey into the camp site, things only get more interesting throughout the process of locating the cattle and hauling them back to civilization. It is truly impossible to put into words how western the experience gets, but there is only one way to do this job and it involves a whole lot of "cowboying up."

At Rodeo On SI, we have an appreciation for all things western and we certainly enjoyed it. Hats off to Brisby and his crew for using their platform to shine a spotlight on a rare group of cowboys capable of such an undertaking. There are so many misunderstood or unrepresented aspects of the ranching lifestyle and this video certainly gives you an appreciation for the challenges cowboys face. As for Begay - we all knew he was cowboy to the core, but whether he is competing at one of the biggest rodeos in the country or roping wild cattle in the middle of nowhere, he certainly makes it look cool to be a cowboy.

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