At golden hour on Thursday evening, at the tail end of New York Fashion Week and in the heart of the Meatpacking District, Bella Hadid was saddled up on a horse instead of strutting on the runway. The model, who grew up riding in her hometown of Los Angeles, has recently become a full-time Texas resident and horse enthusiast, joining her boyfriend, the professional cowboy Adan Banuelos, in Fort Worth. On Thursday, the pair were demonstrating for a crowd of onlookers including Jenna Lyons, Dascha Polanco, and a cadre of influencers and editors decked out in “urban cowboy” attire a brief introduction to Cutting Horse. There’s no better introduction than watching Banuelos ride—he’s the sport’s national champion.
The event, “Window to the West,” was put on by sports media and lifestyle company Teton Ridge and included a pop-up by Kemo Sabe and a screening of the first film, “Horse Sense,” in a six-part series highlighting athletes, musicians, and artists who embody the spirit of the American west. “Western culture is deeply intertwined with fashion, and horses, in particular, have long been an inspiration within this space,” Teton Ridge CEO Deirdre Lester said. “It was a vision of ours to close out NYFW in a way that blended Western sport with fashion and connected the timeless elements of the culture with cutting-edge energy.”
“Horse Sense” tells the life story of 35-year-old Banuelos. He’s been riding horses since before he was born, with his mother continuing to ride while seven months pregnant. “This has been a passion of mine since before I can remember,” he told W at the event. “Without a doubt, there was never anything else that I was going to do.” Banuelos, a back-to-back Champion of the American Performance Horseman event and a National Cutting Horse Association Hall of Famer, has been referred to as the future of the sport. “Adan is a master at his craft as a performance horseman, and he’s played an integral role in elevating not only the sport of cutting but also the broader category of equestrian sports,” Lester added. “Bella, too, has been incredible to collaborate with. Her global influence has helped accelerate awareness of the sport.”
A quick primer for the city folks: Cutting is a western-style equestrian competition in which a horse and rider work together to separate cattle from the herd. The two-minute performance, which almost looks like the horse is dancing, is evaluated by a panel of judges and can yield prizes up to a million dollars. The practice dates back to the early days of the American West, when ranchers hired cowboys to organize cattle on the open range. And now, Hadid is a practitioner of the timeless sport.
“If it wasn’t for horses, I’d have never met the love of my life,” Banuelos told W as Hadid looked on, smiling. “We met at a horse show,” he said of their relationship beginnings. Bella’s mother, Yolanda Hadid, is engaged to Texas businessman Joseph Jingoli, and was at the competition to watch him compete. “It’s a passion that her whole family shares,” Banuelos said. “I was just a lucky guy that said hi. I didn’t really know who I was saying hi to. I just knew, she’s gorgeous. And if I would’ve known, I probably would’ve stuttered my way right out it.”
At the Teton Ridge event, Hadid and Banuelos took turns showing off their horse skills, with a set-up that included a quickly moving black flag in place of a real-life cow. The moment was a bit surreal, with the paparazzi flashes that trail Hadid wherever she goes illuminating the glimmering coats of the horses on the cobblestone streets of Gansevoort.
“These guys, forget about it, bro,” Banuelos said of the horses. “They’re incredibly tough. They’re strong, mentally smart. And speaking for the cowboy, I can’t think of an athlete that was on this planet before us. We are the original athletes. We’ve survived this long, and now it being 2024 in New York City, we’re shining some light on our culture and the raw, natural beauty of what we do.”
As for the 27-year-old Hadid, she’s always seemed as comfortable on a horse as posing for a shoot, a sentiment Banuelos echoed. “She’s very natural, very good at it,” he said. “All animals, not only horses, love her. Her lifestyle is a lot of fashion and it looks glamorous and this and that, but at heart, she’s a cowgirl.”
