Horse cutting is an event that involves separating a cow from a group of cattle. This particular event is a recent pursuit for Hadid, but she is far from a novice when it comes to riding. She's a lifelong horse girl and was an accomplished equestrian with Olympic ambitions before her diagnosis with Lyme disease stymied her career.
We’re no experts in this sport, nor are we sure what exactly Hadid was being scored on. But for what it’s worth, we think she looked like a badass. Her fans on social media agreed, as clips of her competing spread across platforms such as TikTok and were flooded with comments calling her “literally the coolest girl.”
Her previous experience leaned toward English-style horse jumping competitions, and even her most dedicated fans are surprised to see her herding cattle in full cowgirl attire. Either way, we’re glad to see her both literally and figuratively back in the saddle.@bellasdamage NEW | Bella Hadid at a National Cutting Horse Association event in Texas #bellahadid ♬ original sound - in your dreams
“Never stop trying new things,” Hadid wrote in an Instagram post documenting her time at the competition. “I feel lucky enough to have the opportunity to keep learning in life.”
Hadid didn’t compete and place all by herself, however. Her horse, Metallic Tito, is also given credit for her efforts and is pictured on her social media receiving hugs, kisses and praise from Hadid.
“Thank you, Tito,” Hadid wrote. “I will never stop loving on you like this!”
Hadid’s last noteworthy appearance in North Texas was her outing in Fort Worth with boyfriend Adan Banuelos, a highly acclaimed professional horse cutter. Banuelos was in attendance at the event and has been supportive of Hadid’s new-old dream. The two were photographed embracing after Hadid’s win.
“Proud of our girl,” Banuelos wrote in an Instagram post. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a possessive pronoun can say just as much.
When we last covered Hadid and Banuelos, we were undeniably happy for them, but skeptical of the unintended consequences. Hadid is a top trendsetter in fashion (even her face is a common plastic surgery inspiration), and we urged North Texans to be wary of models and influencers invading the region in search of hot cowboy friends to make their newest Bella Hadid-inspired accessories.
As far as we can tell, this, thankfully, did not come to pass, but Hadid’s repeated appearances in North Texas and endorsement of Western fashion and hobbies confirmed our other major takeaway: cowboy stuff, from fashion to music and now sports, has never been cooler.
Now that Hadid is fully committed to this new fashion sense and lifestyle, we offer our condolences to anyone who dropped over $100 on Nike AirMaxes because Hadid said guys who wear them were “gonna, like … get it.” Fresh sneakers are out and cowboy boots are in. But don’t worry. Adjusted for inflation, they cost about the same.
