Plot Synopsis

THE LAST COWBOY is a one-hour Western-based competition series, where riders guide horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins and stops -- as they prepare for the biggest bout in the sport's history: "The Run for a Million." The series chronicles eight reiners determined to elevate and preserve the cowboy tradition as they train and engage in the exclusive, ultra-competitive athletic event. Series creator Taylor Sheridan is also launching "The Run for a Million," reining's first-ever, arena-based competition with a $1 million purse, marking the largest in its history. The upcoming experience takes place August 15-17, 2019 at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, and the competition will come to life in the series finale. The elite horsemen and women featured in The Last Cowboy are (in alphabetical order):

- Casey Deary (Weatherford, TX): A Texas native, Deary won the coveted National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity in 2012 and 2015. He's made the finals in countless major reining events and is the 2017 NHRA Derby Champion. This will be Deary's first season without his protege, Abby Lengel, an up and coming female rider. He has NRHA lifetime earnings of more than $1.7 million.

- Andrea Fappani (Scottsdale, AZ): Born and raised in Italy, Fappani followed his dream of becoming one of the all-time leading trainers of reining. For him, competition is a family affair: his wife Tish is also a champion reiner and his 14-year-old son Luca has recently taken up the sport. Fappani is the #2 all-time NRHA rider in career winnings with approximately $5.5 million.

- Abby Lengel (Gainesville, TX): Lengel has recently branched out on her own professionally after spending five years as an assistant on the ranch of fellow rider (now competitor) Casey Deary. The Eastern Colorado native runs her own business on a ranch staffed entirely by women. She was named NRHA's Professional Horsewoman of the Year in 2018.

- Tom McCutcheon (Aubrey, TX): McCutcheon is a million-dollar rider and gold medalist from the World Equestrian Games, with NRHA lifetime earnings of $1.8 million. His father-in-law is Tim McQuay, a reining legend and a NRHA Hall of Famer. He is also the father of 18-year-old Cade McCutcheon who recently turned pro.

- Cade McCutcheon (Aubrey, TX): Cade is the youngest rider ever to be named on Team USA for the World Equestrian Games. The son of million-dollar riders Tom and Mandy McCutcheon, Cade is following closely in their footsteps, launching his professional training business just out of high school.

- Matt Mills (Scottsdale, AZ): This Southern California native won gold in the World Equestrian Games and is consistently ranked on the "NRHA Top Twenty Professional Riders" list. He's won several titles including NRHA Intermediate Open Futurity Reserve Champion, as well as multiple titles at the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC).

- Craig Schmersal (Scottsdale, AZ): Schmersal is ranked #3 professionally, with more than $4 million in lifetime earnings. In 2017, he won the "NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity" and has won the "National Reining Breeders Level 4 Open Derby Classic." He was a member of the US Team at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, winning Team Gold and Individual Silver medals. He is also a gold medal winner in the World Reigning Masters.

- Jason Vanlandingham (Whitesboro, TX): Vanlandingham began training professionally in the summer of 1998. He has accumulated many NRHA Futurity and Derby Championships and has lifetime earnings of more than $1.7 million.



For its second season, THE LAST COWBOY moved to CMT, beginning Friday, November 12, 2021 at 8pm ET/PT. The series continues to take an inside look at real life cowboys and cowgirls and the high-stakes sport of horse reining -- a Western-based competition where riders guide horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins and stops -- as they prepare for the biggest bout in the sport's history: "The Run for a Million." The series chronicles reiners determined to elevate and preserve the cowboy tradition as they train and engage in the exclusive, ultra-competitive athletic event. Five riders -- Dany Tremblay, Jason Vanlandingham, Andrea Fappani, Cade McCutcheon, and Matt Mills -- automatically qualify for this year's event based on their previous performance. Ten more spots in "The Run for a Million" are up for grabs.

Season 3 of THE LAST COWBOY debuted on Friday, November 18, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT on CMT. This season goes deep into the grueling preparation as riders train to elevate and preserve their cowboy traditions, as they gear up for "The Run for a Million." Participants include: Casey Deary, Andrea Fappani, Shawn Flarida, Arno Honstetter, Francesco Martinotti, Jordan McBurney, Sean McBurny, Cade McCutcheon, Matt Palmer, Nathan Piper, Fernando Salgado Craig Schmersal, Josh Tishman, Dany Tremblay, Jason Vanlandingham, and Billy Williams. In the season opener, "The Shootout," the only thing more difficult than the Run for a Million is qualifying for it. The best reiners in the biz compete at The RFAM ShootOut in Las Vegas. But nothing is certain -- the new faces are right on the heels of the highest ranking riders.

The fourth season of THE LAST COWBOY debuted on Friday, November 17, 2023 at 8pm ET/PT on CMT, with a season opener presented commercial-free. This year, the competition includes 17 riders who will compete for the $1 million prize in a series of horseback challenges that include "cutting" and "cow horse," which test riders' ability to work with cattle. The following are featured this season:

- Cira Baeck returns after withdrawing from the competition last year upon her pregnancy announcement. With a newborn at home, her sights are set on going all the way

- Andrea Fappani has a new rival on the pro circuit -- his son

- Casey Deary has all the momentum, taking home trophies in various competitions, but can he finally conquer the "Run for a Million?"

- Matt Mills pulls out all the stops, hoping to break his qualifying curse.

- Francesco Martinotti is desperate to prove he can compete with the best.

- There's a new McCutcheon on the pro scene, threatening to take the crown.

- Young superstar Adan Banuelos challenges cutting's most accomplished veterans.
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On Friday, December 15, 2023 from 8-10pm ET/PT, CMT premiered back-to-back new episodes to close out THE LAST COWBOY's fourth season:

"The Shootout" (8pm): The 2023 Run For A Million includes competitions for Cow Horse and Cutting Horse trainers -- more riders than ever before arrive to compete to be the next Run For A Million champion.

"The Run for a Million" (9pm): The 2023 Run For A Million reining competition is finally here. With the biggest competition in reining underway, riders are on edge to see who will be this year's Run For A Million champion.