Al Dunning Interview | Bridle & Bit Magazine

Al Dunning · Bridle & Bit Magazine · March 2026

Al Dunning has spent more than five decades at the top of the cutting horse world — winning titles, building champions, and shaping the careers of trainers who now dominate the show pen. In this March 2026 conversation, Tracy Wager sat down with Al to reflect on the Sun Circuit's continued growth, what Taylor Sheridan has done for western culture, the art of mentoring, and the lasting legacy of his great friend Bob Avila.

Q The Sun Circuit keeps breaking records year after year. As someone who has been attending for nearly five decades, what do you think is driving that continued growth?

I think the sport itself is just in a great place right now. The prize money is up, the quality of the horses is better than it's ever been, and WestWorld has made those huge improvements that make it a world-class facility year-round. When you can hold a major cutting event in Scottsdale in the summertime with air conditioning, that changes everything. The Sun Circuit has always had great leadership and great community support, and those two things together are hard to beat.

For me personally, the Sun Circuit is like a family reunion every year. You see the same people, you watch the kids who used to lead horses in the warm-up pen now competing at the highest level. There is a tradition there that money can't buy.

Q Taylor Sheridan — Yellowstone, 1883, the 6666 Ranch — has put the western lifestyle front and center in American culture. What has that visibility meant for the performance horse world?

Taylor Sheridan has been a gift to this industry. Pure and simple. The number of people who have called me over the last few years saying they watched Yellowstone and now want to get into horses — it is remarkable. He showed the world that this life is beautiful, it is real, and it has a dignity to it that you don't see on television very often.

When you see a show like that featuring reining, working cow horse, the ranching lifestyle — it creates curiosity. And curiosity brings new participants. New participants bring new money into the sport. We have all benefited from what Taylor has done, whether we realize it or not. I've been lucky enough to sit down with him for Bridle and Bit, and what struck me most was how genuine his love for horses is. That comes through on screen and people feel it.

Q You have mentored so many of the top trainers competing today. What does that mentoring relationship mean to you at this stage of your career?

It means everything. It is the part of my career I am most proud of. Winning titles is wonderful, but watching someone you helped develop go out and win on their own — that is a different kind of satisfaction. It is lasting. When I'm gone, those trainers will still be out there competing, and they'll pass what they know on to the next generation. That is how the sport grows and survives.

My mentor was the great Jim Paul, and I have tried to give back what he gave me. The fundamentals, the horsemanship, the attitude — those things were passed to me and I feel a responsibility to pass them on. I would tell any young trainer: find someone who has done it right, not just someone who has won, and study everything about how they think, not just how they ride.

Q Bob Avila was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame and has had such a remarkable career — and you two go back a long way. What would you want people to understand about Bob's legacy?

Bob Avila is one of the finest horsemen this industry has ever produced. Period. What he accomplished across multiple disciplines, across multiple decades, is almost impossible to comprehend when you break it down — 37 World titles, Hall of Fame, the training videos that educated an entire generation of riders, the horsemanship clinics. He has given so much back.

But what I want people to understand about Bob is who he is as a person. He is humble, he is generous with his knowledge, and he genuinely loves horses and the people in this industry. Those qualities don't always come with the talent level Bob has. The fact that they do is what makes him truly special. Bob and I have been friends and competitors for a very long time, and I can tell you — the greatest thing about competing against Bob Avila is that you always knew you were competing against the best.

Q What are you most excited about for the cutting horse world in the next few years?

I am excited about the youth. The quality of the young riders coming up right now is exceptional. They are better athletes, they have access to more information, and they have more competitive opportunities than any generation before them. The future of this sport is in very good hands.

I am also excited about the crossover between disciplines. Reining, cutting, cow horse — those worlds are blending more and more. Events like The Run for a Million are showing that performance horse fans will show up in big numbers when you put the best horses and riders on the same stage. That is a great thing for all of us. The sport is healthy, the horses are great, and the people who love this life are as passionate as they have ever been. I wouldn't trade a minute of it.