Just before Christmas in December 2025, I flew to Fort Worth, Texas, to photograph several projects, including the National Finals Breakaway Roping and a feature on Red Steagall. Surprisingly, I had never met Red in person, so my heart rate was a little faster than usual as I prepared to visit the Western icon.
A few days shy of his 87th birthday, I met freelance writer Ross Hecox and Western Horseman Marketing Coordinator Callie Keaton outside Red’s office. Red greeted us with a broad smile and the old-fashioned warmth of a true gentleman, pulling us ladies into an inviting hug.
As we climbed the wooden stairs, the screen door squeaked open, and Red held it with an easy hospitality, welcoming us into a bunkhouse-style space. Photographs of legendary figures lined the walls: President Ronald Reagan, President George W. Bush, Reba McEntire, Bill Owen and other Western greats. We said our hellos, and Red spent a few moments speaking with his longtime assistant, Debbie Bowman.
I felt instantly at ease as I turned the corner into his main workspace. Awards and magazines filled the room, while a couple of bison and Texas Longhorn mounts presided over the space. Saddles and various tack blend throughout the room, filled with cowboy paintings, memorabilia and recording equipment.
I could have spent all day listening to Red’s stories — tales of cowboy life, the music industry and the lessons he’s gathered along the way. His wife, Gail, soon joined us, and their two dogs ambled in to pose for a few photos.
We took a break from the meeting and stepped outside to visit his equine friends on the ranch. Two miniature horses for his grandchildren and a mare and her filly bearing a Four Sixes Ranch brand walked up to greet us. The afternoon unfolded less like an interview and more like a visit with family.
Red is no stranger to the pages of Western Horseman — he graced a feature in our January 2018 issue — but the magazine’s 90th anniversary and this special Cowboys’ Issue felt like the perfect time to check in on his latest endeavors. As you’ll see in his story on page 56, Red’s wisdom runs deep, but it’s his genuine authenticity that sets him apart. After spending time with him, I couldn’t agree more.
I keep coming back to a moment from that day, one that captures the heart of this August issue. Red told stories of an earlier generation of cowboys who sang to their cattle on long nights, their voices drifting to settle the herd and pass the time. There’s a romance to it all, the image of a gritty cowboy juxtaposed by the lulling sound of cowboy songs.
You’ll find echoes of that allure throughout this issue, from Teal Blake’s reflections on life around the wagon to stories from the Tongue River Ranch. Texas musician Jake Hooker also shares his passion for preserving traditional music and Western culture, carrying forward many of the same values Red has championed throughout his career.
In this issue, as we celebrate the enduring spirit of the cowboy, I hope Red’s story reminds you, as it did me, that being a horseman is less about what you do and more about who you are. Adversity does not define your future, and character is measured by how you treat others along the way.
MURDER MYSTERY
In 1970, Cross Bell Ranch Manager E.C. Mullendore was shot and killed in the ranch’s pool house. More than five decades later, the crime remains unsolved. Read “Over Troubled Water” on page 66 to learn how one of the West’s most iconic ranches continues to balance its storied past with a new future.
Kristen Schurr | Editor, Western Horseman
