DALLAS – The highly anticipated “Yellowstone” season (series?) finale aired Sunday night. But before the opening scene, the show began with a tribute to a legend of the Quarter Horse world.

According to Quarter Horse News, Bob Avila, 72, died in November while competing in the American Quarter Horse Association World Championship Show. His cause of death was not revealed.

Avila was a well-known equestrian, particularly in the Quarter Horse scene, which featured prominently in “Yellowstone.” Series creator Taylor Sheridan owns a quarter horse ranch and facility in north Texas, south of Weatherford, and Sheridan has made a point of featuring real quarter horse riders, including Avila, in several seasons of “Yellowstone.” , to present in cameo roles. “

As Parade noted, Avila appeared in Season 3 of Yellowstone alongside Kevin Costner’s John Dutton.

Before Sunday night’s episode, a message appeared on the screen: “This episode is dedicated to Bob Avila. See you on the dusty path, amigo.”

Avila was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2020.

Avila grew up in a cowboy family in Northern California: His father was a horse trainer and rodeo cowboy, and his mother worked in a western shop, according to his Hall of Fame biography. Avila remained in the family business and developed into one of the most renowned horse trainers, winning numerous competitions over the decades and earning millions in profits. Among his greatest victories, according to Quarter Horse News, were his record-breaking five victories in the National Reined Cow Horse Association Stallion Stakes.

“Horses have given me everything I have,” Avila said in his Hall of Fame biography. “Quarter horses helped me become who I am. They were my life’s work and I owe them everything.”

Avila also published his own magazine, Ride With Bob Avila.

According to his bio, Avila worked in Oregon for years and then later moved to Arizona.

Sunday night’s episode wasn’t the first time Sheridan honored a real-life cowboy who recently passed away. An earlier episode this season featured legendary Texas spurmaker Billy Klapper, who died in September, just months after filming a scene for “Yellowstone.” The show also honored Klapper with a dedication message at the end.