Exclusive conversations with the biggest names in the horse world — conducted by Tracy Wager, Bridle & Bit's editor for over 30 years. Five Taylor Sheridan interviews you won't find anywhere else, plus in-depth sit-downs with the sport's top competitors, trainers, and industry leaders.
Tracy Wager has been the editor of Bridle & Bit Magazine for over 30 years — but she's not a journalist who covers horses from the press box. She's a horsewoman first. Former Miss Gold Nugget of Wickenburg, Arizona. Top Condition finisher in the Scottsdale 25-mile Endurance Race. Three-day eventer. Dressage competitor. Warmblood breeder with nearly 10 foals raised. Pioneer in BLM mustang adoption. NRHA Affiliate Champion. She has done it all — Western, English, endurance, breeding, and rescue.
Her connection to Taylor Sheridan dates back to their days riding together at the LA Equestrian Center with NRHA trainer Tom Foran — long before Yellowstone, long before the 6666 Ranch, long before Sheridan became the most powerful storyteller in western entertainment. But Sheridan isn't the first larger-than-life western figure in Tracy's world. She was a friend of Larry Mahan — the six-time PRCA All-Around World Champion who was the last cowboy to have the cultural impact that Sheridan has today. Tracy and Larry won the Team Penning at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show together. She's a time traveler — connected to the legends of both eras.
That personal history and lifetime in the saddle is what makes these interviews different. Sheridan doesn't do press junkets for horse magazines. He talks to Tracy because they go back decades — and because Bridle & Bit is one of the only publications that understands the world he's putting on screen. The result is a series of conversations with depth, honesty, and access you simply cannot get anywhere else.
Beyond Sheridan, Tracy has generated some of the greatest interviews with high-profile horse people in recent times — world champion reiners, cutting horse legends, rodeo icons, and the industry leaders shaping the future of western performance sports. Her credibility across disciplines — from dressage arenas to reining pens to endurance trails — gives her a range that no other equine editor can match.
Five exclusive interviews conducted over multiple years — the only long-form series with Taylor Sheridan focused on horses, ranching, and the real western lifestyle behind Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, and the 6666 Ranch.
Sheridan opens up about walking away from acting on Sons of Anarchy, being down to his last $800, selling all his horses, and deciding to write his way out — the origin story of Yellowstone told by the man who lived it. Includes his philosophy on authenticity in filming, why he puts actors through Cowboy Camp, and what the western world means to mainstream America.
Read on BridleandBit.com →Sheridan discusses his acquisition of the legendary 6666 Ranch in Texas, his vision for western ranching, and how the horse industry fits into his expanding media empire. A conversation about land, legacy, and keeping the cowboy way of life alive.
Issuu edition link coming soonSheridan's Run for a Million event in Las Vegas brought reining to a mainstream audience for the first time. He talks about why he created the event, what it means for the sport, and his belief that western performance horses deserve the same stage as any other elite athletic competition.
Issuu edition link coming soonAs Yellowstone became the most-watched show on television, Sheridan reflects on what the western genre means to America, why authenticity matters more than drama, and how the show changed the way the country sees ranching and the horse world.
Issuu edition link coming soonThe most recent conversation — Sheridan looks ahead at what's next for his production company, the expansion of the Yellowstone universe, and his continued commitment to putting real horses, real cowboys, and real ranching on screen.
Issuu edition link coming soonTracy Wager's editorial reach extends across every discipline in the western performance horse world. The interview list reads like a who's who of the industry:
The late Bob Avila was Tracy Wager's close friend and appeared on the cover of Bridle & Bit more than any other person — six times. Bob was a pioneer among horse trainers, the first to secure professional endorsements the way rodeo competitors had, opening doors that an entire generation of trainers walked through after him. He held the back cover of Bridle & Bit for years — a testament to both his business savvy and the trust between him and the magazine. His legacy in the industry is unmatched.
Issuu edition links coming soonNRHA Million Dollar Rider Andrea Fappani on the evolution of reining, his partnership with Teton Ridge, the American Performance Horseman competition, and why connecting with Thomas Tull will take the sport to a new level.
Read on BridleandBit.com →Matt Mills — reiner, online coaching pioneer, and longtime friend of Taylor Sheridan. From growing up in Long Beach riding lesson horses to winning the NRBC $25K Open Shootout on Guns & Dynamite, to moving his entire operation to Texas after a phone call from Sheridan. A conversation about the mental game, building a global audience through video, and filming on the set of Yellowstone. New interview coming soon.
Read on BridleandBit.com →Working cow horse champion Todd Bergen on winning his first Snaffle Bit Futurity in 2001, staying competitive for over two decades, and joining the Teton Ridge team. A pioneer's perspective on where the sport is headed and what it means to compete on television in front of a global audience.
Read on BridleandBit.com →Corey Cushing took a green-broke 2-year-old he found in a Texas pasture and turned him into Hott Rod — a champion at the Run for a Million Cowhorse Spectacular. In a world of record-high horse prices, Cushing proved you can still make your own horse and win at the highest level.
Read on BridleandBit.com →Dale Brisby — bull rider, content creator, and the man who made rodeo go viral. Tracy sits down with the voice behind Rodeo Time to talk bull riding, western culture, social media, and what it means to bring a new generation of fans to the sport.
Issuu edition link coming soonAQHA and NRHA Hall of Famer Al Dunning — one of the most respected trainers and clinicians in the western horse world. A recent conversation covering decades of horsemanship, the state of the industry, and what the next generation of trainers needs to know.
Issuu edition link coming soonOver 30 years, Tracy Wager has sat down with world champion reiners, cutting horse legends, top team ropers, rodeo icons, breed association leaders, and the people shaping the future of the horse industry. These interviews appear in each monthly edition of Bridle & Bit Magazine — free in print and digital.
Browse All Interviews →Every interview appears in Bridle & Bit Magazine — free in print and digital. Read current and past editions:
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