Bella Hadid is an internationally renowned supermodel who’s spent countless hours modeling for names such as Prada, Victoria’s Secret, and Dior. While Hadid is largely known for her modeling career, there’s another side to her life that many people may not recognize. However, to fully capture the story, we must go back to Hadid’s childhood.
Hadid grew up on a ranch in Santa Barbara, California, with her brother, Anwar, and her sister, Gigi. According to People Magazine, Hadid attributes her love and passion for horses to her mom.
“My devotion stemmed from my mom’s love of horses,” Hadid told Porter in 2015. “I have been riding since I could walk, and the fact that my mom knew everything about horses really helped my passion grow.”
Hadid’s mom, Yolanda, grew up riding in the Netherlands and claims to have fallen in love with a pony at age four. Unsurprisingly, Hadid began riding at just three years old, alongside her older sister, Gigi.
While an accomplished rider, Gigi didn’t share the same aspirations for horse showing as Hadid did. She was an accomplished equestrian in her junior career, competing in high-level jumper and equitation classes.
Her career and passion were so strong that Hadid was training for the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, these aspirations fell apart when she was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease in early 2013, alongside her mother and brother.
Hadid has experienced “headaches, insomnia, light and noise sensitivity, brain fog, anxiety, confusion, joint pain, disordered eating, nausea, and weight loss and gain,” according to People Magazine.
These have impacted her daily life significantly since her diagnosis, and she claims to have started feeling these symptoms two years before her diagnosis. She was even hospitalized in September 2025, and states that the symptoms have worsened since she turned 18.
Hadid and her mother both received recognition in consecutive years, 2015 and 2016, at the Global Lyme Alliance Gala.
However, in the most recent years, Hadid has connected with horses once again. She states that she’s gone back to horseback riding to combat her diagnoses and burnout. Hadid bought her horse Blue in August 2019, and she posts sweet dedications to him on Instagram.
However, Hadid’s equestrian lifestyle really shot into the spotlight when she moved to Texas and met Adan Banuelos in 2023. Banuelos is a renowned American professional equestrian, horse trainer, and top-ranked cutting horse competitor. Hadid was first seen training western in late 2023 and won her first buckle in 2024.
However, Hadid’s life with horses and relationship straight out of a western romance aren’t the only things that draw us fellow equestrians to her. Her hard work, horsemanship, drive, and passion are all things equestrians have in common, but most importantly, pure adoration and love for horse companions.
Any girl with a horse relates to the failed aspirations and dreams, the mental health impact, and lifelong attraction to the sport. Hadid represents the hard truth as well as the beauty across all equestrian disciplines. The most addictive thing about horseback is the personal connections a person may find, whether that be with horses or the people.
Not only does Hadid represent grit and determination, but she’s brought great recognition to a sport and a positive connotation to the nickname “horse girl.” With her elevated style and lethal face card, it’s finally “in” to be a horse girl.
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