Bob Avila: Who was the legendary rider honored at the Yellowstone finale?

On By Littum

Yellowstonethe western drama series created by Taylor Sheridan, has officially ended with a tribute to a real-life cowboy legend.

The season five finale, which aired on the Paramount Network on Sunday (December 15), was dedicated to the memory of Bob Avila. The episode opened with a simple black “In Memoriam” card that read, “This episode is dedicated to Bob Avila. See you down the dusty trail, amigo.”

The legendary rider previously made a brief appearance on Yellowstone like himself. During the eighth episode of season three, titled “I Killed a Man Today”, Avila could be seen riding a horse in the background and chatting with John Dutton (Kevin Costner), who was there with his grandson Tate (Brecken Merrill).

Who is Bob Avila?

Avila died on November 9 at the age of 72. A member of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame with more than 37 championship titles, Avila is widely regarded as one of the greatest horsemen in history.

Born into a family of equestrians, Avila’s father was a rodeo cowboy and horse trainer, while his mother gave riding lessons.

Legendary rider Bob Avila died on November 9 at the age of 72

Legendary rider Bob Avila died on November 9 at the age of 72 (Paramount network)

He lived on his family’s ranch in Temecula, California, for 18 years before moving to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he lived until his death. Throughout his career, Avila earned $381,339.94 in National Reining Horse Association earnings and $1,113,022.09 in the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA).

Avila won the coveted title of NRCHA’s World’s Greatest Horseman in both 2000 and 2007, and he was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2020.

As a businessman, Avila created a number of small things through his partnership with Professional’s Choice – a leading equestrian supply company – and became a mentor to many future professional riders and fellow trainers.

He has also published several books on horse training, including Be a Smart Horse Buyer: A Guide to Avoiding Common Mistakes and Finding the Right Horse for You and Win with Bob Avila: Beyond Training, Mentoring from a World Champion Rider.

The 'Yellowstone' series finale pays tribute to Avila, who previously appeared in season three

The ‘Yellowstone’ series finale pays tribute to Avila, who previously appeared in season three (Paramount network)

Avila died while competing in the American Quarter Horse Association World Championship in November. Shortly thereafter, AQHA issued a tribute to Avila on its Instagramwrites: “The AQHA family has lost a legend. AQHA Professional Horseman and American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame member Bob Avila passed away today at the age of 72.

“We send our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to his wife, Dana, son, BJ Avila, and the rest of the Avila family and their extended AQHA family.”

His cause of death has not been released.

Yellowstonewhich debuted on screens in 2018, ended Sunday with a finale that left viewers divided and questioning whether the show will continue in a new form.

*Warning — Spoilers ahead Yellowstone end of season*

During the episode, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) followed through on her plans to save the family’s historic Montana ranch by selling the property to its original owners, the Broken Rock Indigenous tribe. Dutton sold the land for the same price his ancestors paid in 1883 – $1.25 per acre, meaning the largest ranch in the state sold for just $1.1 million in total.

Elsewhere, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) killed her brother Jamie (Wes Bentley) and left to start a new life on another ranch with her husband, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser).

The 'Yellowstone' series finale left viewers divided

The ‘Yellowstone’ series finale left viewers divided (Paramount)

However, many viewers were disappointed by the show’s finale. “Stupid ending,” one person wrote on X/Twitter, while another viewer added: “That was probably the worst final season in TV history.”

“It’s official. Game of Thrones is no longer the worst final season of any television show ever. Yellowstone has taken that award,” said a third person. “What a disaster of a final season.”

still, Yellowstone fans shouldn’t be completely upset about the show’s ending. Last week, it was reported that a deal has been closed for another spin-off with Reilly and Hauser reprising their fan-favorite roles as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, respectively.

Sheridan, the co-creator responsible for Yellowstone and its numerous iterations, “working on the creative” for the new show. It is believed that other cast members from the original series will also feature in the upcoming spin-off.