By now, it is news to no one sentient and even vaguely aware of the Sisters Hadid that Bella is in quite a serious relationship with Adan Banuelos, a Texas-based professional horseman. Not only has she actually competed in cutting competitions, Banuelos’s specialty—and a far cry, it should be noted, from the sort of riding that she did growing up in Southern California—but Hadid has also (frequently) dressed the part, ambling around New York City in denim and cowboy boots.
All the same, it came as rather a delightful surprise when on Thursday night, at the premiere of “Horse Sense,” a new documentary short starring her beau, Hadid didn’t just turn up in full-on cowgirl drag—dressed in a pinstriped Susamusa button-up shirt undone to about her sternum (it was warm out), a big hat, jeans, fringed full-chaps, and a big, silvery National Cutting Horse Association belt buckle announcing her status as a finalist in the 2024 Super Stakes Classic (limited-amateur division)—but she also…did a bit of a reining demonstration?
In what appeared to be a small ring erected on Gansevoort Street in downtown Manhattan, both Hadid and Banuelos showed off their horsemanship skills for the gathered crowd, with Banuelos even doing a few maneuvers bridleless. (In videos from the event posted to X, Hadid can be seen proudly looking on, and sweetly shouting things like “Yeah, baby!” as Banuelos and his mount, Chapo, execute sliding stops.) The evening also notably included a screening of the short, which was projected onto the side of a trailer. Appropriate!
Suffice it to say that the display—presented by Teton Ridge and Western decor retailer Brumbaugh’s Furniture Design, with sponsors including Bloomer Trailers and Tito’s vodka, and a pop-up shop from Western apparel brand Kemo Sabe—helped to wrap up New York Fashion Week in rollicking style. Who needs to walk in a show when you can do…all of that? No notes from our end, frankly; just one utterly unironic “yee-haw” with a heaping side of “Good for her!”