The documentary series follows competitors in the high-stakes world of elite horsemanship.
The wait is over: Paramount Network announced on Wednesday the premiere date and time for The Last Cowboy, the eagerly awaited unscripted series about highly skilled men and women who compete in the high-stakes world of elite horsemanship. The show will kick off at 11 pm ET/10 pm CT July 24 — immediately after Yellowstone, the smash-hit weekly drama co-created by Oscar-winning writer-director Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water, Wind River).
Sheridan also is the executive producer of The Last Cowboy, which follows riders and trainers on the professional reining circuit. The series focuses on eight reiners determined to elevate and preserve the cowboy tradition as they prepare for the biggest event in the sport’s history: “The Run for a Million,” reining’s first-ever arena-based competition with a $1 million purse.
Set to take place August 15-17 at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, “Run for a Million,” launched by Sheridan himself, will be documented in the series finale of The Last Cowboy.
The reiners featured in The Last Cowboy include:
Casey Deary (Weatherford, Texas) — A Texas native, Deary won the coveted National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity in 2012 and 2015. He’s made the finals in countless major reining events and is the 2017 NHRA Derby Champion. This will be Deary’s first season without his protégé, Abby Lengel, an up-and-coming reiner. He has NRHA lifetime earnings of more than $1.7 million.
Andre Fappani (Scottsdale, Arizona) — Born and raised in Italy, Fappani followed his dream of becoming one of the all-time leading trainers of reining. For him, competition is a family affair — his wife Tish is also a champion reiner and his 14-year-old son Luca has recently taken up the sport. Fappani is the No. 2 all-time NRHA rider in career winnings with approximately $5.5 million.
Abby Lengel (Gainesville, Texas) — Lengel has recently branched out on her own professionally after spending five years as an assistant on the ranch of fellow rider (now competitor) Casey Deary. The Eastern Colorado native runs her own business on a ranch staffed entirely by women. She was named NRHA’s Professional Horsewoman of the Year in 2018.
Tom McCutcheon (Aubrey, Texas) — McCutcheon is a million-dollar rider and gold medalist from the World Equestrian Games, with NRHA lifetime earnings of $1.8 million. His father-in-law is Tim McQuay, a reining legend and a NRHA Hall of Famer. He is also the father of 18-year-old Cade McCutcheon who recently turned pro.
Cade McCutcheon (Aubrey, Texas) — Cade is the youngest rider ever to be named on Team USA for the World Equestrian Games. The son of million-dollar riders Tom and Mandy McCutcheon, Cade is following closely in their footsteps, launching his professional training business just out of high school.
Matt Mills (Scottsdale, Arizona) — This Southern California native won gold in the World Equestrian Games and is consistently ranked on the NRHA Top Twenty Professional Riders list. He’s won several titles including NRHA Intermediate Open Futurity Reserve Champion, as well as multiple titles at the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC).
Craig Schmersal (Scottsdale, Arizona) — Schmersal is ranked No. 3 professionally, with more than $4 million in lifetime earnings. In 2017, he won the NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity and has won the National Reining Breeders Level 4 Open Derby Classic. He was a member of the US Team at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, winning Team Gold and Individual Silver medals. He is also a gold medal winner in the World Reigning Masters.
Jason Vanlandingham (Whitesboro, Texas) — Vanlandingham began training professionally in the summer of 1998. He has accumulated many NRHA Futurity and Derby Championships and has lifetime earnings of more than $1.7 million.
May the best reiner reign!
