Cutting Horses in NYC: Bella Hadid and Adan Banuelos Bring Horses to Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week attracts all the biggest stars in the fashion world, so it’s no surprise to see model Bella Hadid at the event in New York City. But what was a surprise was seeing her horseback with boyfriend and EquiStat Elite $7 Million Rider Adan Banuelos.
Banuelos and Hadid were there as part of an event launching Teton Ridge’s new short film series “Window to the West” at a Kemo Sabe pop-up.
For Teton Ridge, they showed New York City. audiences a preview of the first episode projected on a Teton Ridge horse trailer and set up a small pen with a CowTrac flag for a cutting demonstration.
While CowTrac flags are nothing new in the Western performance horse world, the demonstration may have been the first time many people watching had seen them used. Cutting flags such as the CowTrac are used to teach the horses how to move properly for the event of cutting — building muscle memory and allowing trainers to let a horse learn at a slower pace. The pressure is really on when trainers allow their horses to begin learning the skills with an individual cow in the arena, then by cutting one cow away from a larger herd.
Adan Banuelos and Bella Hadid attend while Teton Ridge brings “Window To The West” series from the heart of Texas to the streets Oof NYC at Kemo Sabe pop-up on September 12, 2024 in New York City. * Photo by Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Teton Ridge
Showing Horses
The two compete in the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) regularly, and Banuelos’ career is training horses to compete in NCHA events. Banuelos won the NCHA Futurity on All Spice, one of his biggest accomplishments and is a two-time champion of The American Performance Horseman. Hadid has competed at numerous NCHA events including the prestigious NCHA Summer Spectacular.
Hadid has shown a number of cutting horses including: Metallic Tito (Metallic Cat x Sweet Abra x Abrakadabracre), Imma Be Smooth (Smooth As A Cat x Desires Rey x Dual Rey), and Whippish (Hottish x Watch Me Whip x Playgun),
What Horse did Bella Hadid Ride in NYC?Banuelos and Hadid could both be seen demonstrating on cutting horses in New York City on Sept. 12. Here’s more info about what horses Bella Hadid and Adan Banuelos rode in NYC:
Purrn Likeasmoothcat- Rider: Bella Hadid
- Pedigree: 13S (Smooth As A Cat x Purr N Like Magic x Abrakadabracre)
- Earnings: $135,820
- Owner: Ascencion Banuelos
- Breeder: Kathryn Brown
- Career Highlights: NCHA Futurity Open Finalist, Jared Lesh Cutting Aged Event Open Derby Champion, National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) World’s Greatest Horseman Cutting Preliminary Reserve Champion
- Rider: Adan Banuelos
- Pedigree: 11S (Metallic Cat x Twice as Reycy x Dual Rey)
- Earnings: $302,999
- Owner: Tom and Juanita Selman
- Breeder: Double Dove Ranch
- Career Highlights: NCHA Open Reserve World Champion, Showdown In Cowtown Open Champion, Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association (PCCHA) Open Derby Finalist, Breeders Invitational Open Derby Finalist, The Ike Open Classic Finalist, Brazos Bash Open Classic Finalist
Bella Hadid and Purrn Likeasmoothcat in New York City. * Photo by Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Teton Ridge