Ed Ashurst

Ed Ashurst is an American cowboy, author, and ranch manager with more than five decades of experience working across over 7,000 square miles of rangeland in the American West. Ashurst manages a large cattle ranch in southeastern Arizona, and his extensive background in ranching and livestock management informs his writing in the Western genre.

Ashurst has participated in producing rodeos, horse shows, and horse sales, and has competed in rodeo events for more than 50 years. His lifelong involvement in cowboy culture, from ranch work to the rodeo arena, provides a perspective rooted in authentic Western traditions. Ashurst’s storytelling draws from personal experiences and oral histories, emphasizing the significance of storytelling as an art form within Western heritage.

Ashurst is the author of more than a dozen books, each reflecting his direct experience with ranching, cowboy life, and the history of the American West. "Wagon Boss: A True Cowboy Story" offers a realistic and often humorous account of life on the Diamond A Ranch in Northern Arizona. "Mavericks" presents historical accounts of gathering bronco cattle in the American Southwest, featuring rare photographs, original artwork, and biographies of notable wild cow cowboys.

Ashurst’s writing also addresses broader topics such as border politics and biography. His book "Alligators in the Moat: Politics and the Mexican Border" examines life along the U.S.-Mexico border from a rancher’s perspective and received the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for best non-fiction Ebook. He is also the author of "The Life and Times of Warner Glenn," a biography of a prominent cattle rancher and lion hunter, and "Stealin' From the Neighbors," which received the New Mexico-Arizona Hillerman Award.

Ashurst’s body of work spans cowboy memoir, Western history, political commentary, and biography. His books reflect his lived experiences and deep understanding of ranching, cowboy culture, and the social and political issues of the American West. Whether writing about the open range or the complexities of the borderlands, Ashurst brings the perspective of someone who has lived the stories he tells.