Like many, as a little kid Ray wanted to be a cowboy. He rode a saddle horse to school starting in the first grade in High Valley, Ola and Riggins, ID.
On a ranch in Riggins, Ray and his brother were introduced to trick roping. In Weiser Idaho Ray learned about the art from a sister-in-law of Gene Autry’s. The two brothers performed in Emmett at the Gem County Fair, Ray was 11 years old the first time. The duo went on to perform at rodeos in Boise, Grangeville, Colefax, Moscow, Winnemucca, Mackay, New Plymouth, Gooding and others. When Ray was 16 years old he started riding bucking horses, and gave bull riding a try at Nampa and Weiser the next year. Ray determined that bucking horses was a better fit for him than bull riding. Ray but in the work on a lot of Billy Stephens practice horses. The practice paid off, Ray won or placed in the bareback riding at Union, Or, Elgin, OR, LaGrande, OR, Preston, ID, Murray, UT, Kennewick, WA, Moses Lake, WA, Florence, AZ, Longview, WA, Coulee City, WA, Dayton, WA, Goldendale, WA, Coeur d’Alene, ID, Gooding, ID, Burley, ID, Jerome, ID, Malad, ID, Grangeville, ID, Caldwell, ID and others.
After retiring from riding Ray went on to Judge from 1980-1999 finding a true joy in the job. Ray worked the NFR for 36 years under the direction of Shawn Davis.