Bella Hadid, Taylor Sheridan and more to ride at cutting horse event in Fort Worth
Supermodel Bella Hadid and “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan will soon show off their equestrian talents in Fort Worth.
The National Cutting Horse Association Summer Cutting Spectacular kicks off on Saturday and will bring the best in the sport to Cowtown. Will Rogers Memorial Center will host the festivities.
Both Hadid and Sheridan are riding in the Summer Spectacular later this month. Here’s what to know:
Bella Hadid to show off equestrian background in Fort Worth
Hadid, 27, is one of the more well-known runway models in the business, with over 61 million Instagram followers.
She moved to Fort Worth over the past year to be closer to boyfriend Adan Banuelos, a celebrated horse rider and trainer from North Texas. In a TMZ video posted last fall, Hadid and Banuelos were seen walking and canoodling around the Fort Worth Stockyards.
While Banuelos has been named National Cutting Horse Association leading open rider in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022, Hadid has an expansive equestrian background as well.
Hadid grew up riding horses and recently returned to the sport after taking a hiatus due to her bout of Lyme disease. The supermodel competed in a few cutting horse events earlier this year, pocketing over $13,000 in winnings.
At the Summer Spectacular, Hadid will ride two horses: “Imma Be Smooth” and “Whippish”. Banuelos will also be at the competition, riding several different horses.
Taylor Sheridan to cowboy up in Fort Worth
Sheridan, 54, is a North Texas native who is the creative force behind some of the biggest television series of the last few years.
In 2018, Sheridan created the Kevin Costner starring western series “Yellowstone” for the Paramount Network. Sheridan was also behind the show’s two prequel series “1883” and “1923,” along with other projects such as “Tulsa King,” “Lioness,” “Mayor of Kingstown,” “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” and the Fort Worth-filmed “Landman.”
While Sheridan is known for depicting Western life on screen, he has plenty of lived-in cowboy experience.
Sheridan owns the legendary Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas, and Bosque Ranch in nearby Weatherford.
He will ride the horse “Mr. JJ Smooth” at the Summer Spectacular in Fort Worth.
What are cutting horses?
The first known cutting horse contest was held in 1898 in Haskell, Texas.
Cutting refers to action of separating a cow from a herd of cattle, according to the National Cutting Horse Association. Cutting as a sport, involves a horse, rider and herd of cattle.
Since cows have “herd mentality,” the horse and rider team need to quietly separate one animal from the pack. Once the cow is selected and cut from the herd, riders are no longer allowed to use the reins.
“Trained cutting horses are required to think on their own and anticipate and react to the cow’s moves,” the organization said.
A cutting horse competition is judged on factors such as difficulty and how well the horsereacts. It’s the only equestrian sport where horses are required to think for themselves, according to the NCHA.
This story was originally published July 12, 2024 at 10:36 AM.
