Who was Bob Avila on Yellowstone? Explanation of the tribute card from Season 5, Episode 14

Paramount Network’s season finale Yellowstone featured a mix of unforgettable moments, but the explosive conclusion to the long-simmering feud between Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) was worth the wait. There’s no fight like a sibling fight, right? Although Season 5, Episode 14 is the final installment of this iteration of Taylor Sheridan’s popular Western saga, the episode was announced as a “season” finale (not a series finale).

On December 11, Deadline reported that the Yellowstone The universe would continue with a spin-off series starring fan favorites Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser (Beth and Rip). Exact details are yet to be announced, but the new show will likely feature additional cast members from the Mothership series.

The first episode of Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 featured a tribute card for legendary Loriner Billy Klapper, who died on September 10, 2024 at the age of 87. The finale also featured a tribute card, with the episode beginning with a dedication to famous equestrian Bob Avila.

Avila, who died on November 9, 2024 at the age of 72 while competing in the American Quarter Horse Association World Championships, appeared briefly Yellowstone during the cold open for the season three episode “I Killed a Man Today.” His cause of death has not been publicly announced.

One of the industry’s most well-known horsemen, Avila was an American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Famer, a two-time World’s Greatest Horseman, a two-time AQHA Professional Horseman of the Year, a member of the National Reined Cow Horse Association Hall of Fame, and a trained champion in AQHA , NRHA, NRCHA, NCHA and various other associations.

“Horses have given me everything I have,” Avila said, according to the American Quarter Horse Association. “Quarter horses helped me become who I am. They were my life’s work and I owe them everything.”

“I saw the ‘Bob Avila Effect’ in action, not just in his barn where we did our annual shoots for his Winning Insights section, which appeared in every issue of H&R “long before I joined the team, but in almost every Western coach I’ve encountered,” Jennifer Paulson wrote in an article titled “Remember Bob Avila” for Horse and rider. “When I summarize what I learned from Bob and what I have heard about Bob from other horsemen and women, both professional and non-professional, it comes down to four qualities: commitment to excellence, expert care of his livestock, smart business Sense and willingness to share your knowledge. These things will forever cement his legacy and continue to shape the horse world.”

RIP to a legend. See you on the dusty path, amigo.

Season 5, Part 2 Episodes of Yellowstone are available on demand on Philo. Season 1 of 1923 streams on Paramount+ and airs Sunday nights on Paramount Network. The second season of 1923 Premieres February 23, 2025 on Paramount+.