On September 18, 1975, the same day that they finished recording "Horses", Smith and her band performed a live show in promotion of the upcoming album at an Arista Records convention, where they were personally introduced by Clive Davis. They previewed five songs from the album: "Birdland", "Redondo Beach", "Break It Up", "Land", and, as their encore, "Free Money". According to a contemporary account by journalist Lisa Robinson, the performance was met with an "ecstatic" response from the Arista executives in attendance. "Horses" was released on November 10, 1975. Commercially, it performed respectably for a debut album, despite receiving little radio airplay. In the United States, "Horses" peaked at number 47 on the "Billboard" 200 albums chart, remaining on the chart for 17 weeks. The album also managed chart placings in Australia, where it reached number 80, and the Netherlands, where it reached number 18. "Gloria" was released as a single in April 1976. Smith's cover of the Who's "My Generation", performed live in Cleveland, served as the single's B-side.