02/05/2026
Itโs sad to see The American Performance Horseman come to a pause or end, but I also think the conversation around it needs a little more honesty and a lot less assuming going on.
We were fortunate to be involved with this event from the back side early on from a media standpoint , and because of that, I saw things many spectators never did.
First exposure matters.
Say what you want, but this event put Western performance disciplines in front of audiences who otherwise would never have known they existed. Reining, cutting, cow horseโฆ on a mainstream stage, professionally produced, visually compelling. That alone is a win for the industry. You cannot grow a sport if no one outside the bubble ever sees it.
Now letโs talk businessโฆ real business.
A production of this magnitude at venues like this requires an almost immeasurable cash outlay. We are not rodeo. We donโt have thrilling eight-second runs, instant understanding, or casual spectators who immediately โget it.โ Western performance sports take time to understandโฆ the rules, the scoring, the nuance, the horsemanship. Thatโs a steep learning curve for the general public, especially when youโre asking them to buy tickets, bring families, and commit attention.
From an economic standpoint, that matters.
At the end of the day, I donโt believe there was any harm done to the industry by a billionaire-backed organization like Teton Ridge attempting to give our equine athletes, riders and breeders the mainstream stage they deserve in modern times with this event. In fact, Iโd argue the opposite: it took guts to try.
And hereโs something that needs to be said louder, the boots on the ground behind producing The American Performance Horseman were deeply invested in multiple layers of this industry. These werenโt outsiders chasing a quick headline. These were people who genuinely love horses, horsemen and the culture weโre all trying to preserve and elevate.
Do I wish it had unfolded differently? Absolutely.
Do I wish it had found a long-term, sustainable footing? Without question.
But the reality is this: any business, no matter how well intentionedโฆ has to make sense. Vision without viability doesnโt survive forever.
If nothing else, this event proved that our horses and riders belong on big stages. And maybe the lesson isnโt that the idea failed, but that the industry still has work to do in figuring out how to bridge tradition, education, and modern entertainment in a way that is sustainable.
This is not a loss.
Itโs a starting point.
