Insiders told the outlet that when Costner went to shoot Horizon in Utah, he ran into a very specific production snag: he couldn’t find enough livestock. Horses and cows — the backbone of any sprawling Western — were suddenly in short supply. The reason? Rumor had it most of them had already been rented out. And the name floating around behind that livestock lockout? Taylor Sheridan. Yes, this is gloriously petty.

The anecdote has quickly become the latest flashpoint in the ongoing saga between the two cowboy filmmakers. Sheridan, the man behind the yeehaw empire, was reportedly furious after Costner’s final seasons on the hit series turned into a tug-of-war over scripts, scheduling, and ultimately the fate of John Dutton, and when Costner insisted on doubling down on financing his four-part, $200 million white elephant instead of sticking with Sheridan’s vision for the Paramount juggernaut, the relationship fractured for good.

Did Taylor Sheridan Really Hire All the Cows and Horses?

Whether Sheridan really orchestrated a cattle coup to hinder Horizon or not, the story illustrates just how bitter things became. Costner poured $38 million of his own money into the first two Horizon films, even putting up prime real estate as collateral. The gamble didn’t pay off the way he hoped: Horizon: Chapter 1 opened to dismal box office numbers last summer, prompting Warner Bros. to pull Chapter 2 from release.

Meanwhile, Sheridan’s empire has only grown stronger. With multiple Yellowstone spin-offs dominating Paramount+ and more series in active development, he’s become one of the most powerful showrunners in television. Costner, on the other hand, is still fighting to get Horizon 3 and 4 financed while dealing with lawsuits, liens, and ongoing disputes with investors. So it’s fair to say there’s only really been one winner in this head to head between the two more stubborn men in the modern wild west.

Ultimately, the war for Yellowstone and beyond boils down to he who controls the cows, controls the world.