Bob was on a horse as soon as he could leave his mother’s lap. His father Artie taught him to ride and be one with his saddle. Bob remembers early on going to a rodeo in Massacre Rocks, where cars were lined up in a circle so their headlights lit up to make the arena.

When he was 17, Walter Toevs has a string of bucking broncs. Jimmy Poulton and Walt decided Bob was good enough to be a rider in Emmett, Idaho. Bob remembers them asking him which bronc he thought he could ride and he chose the “Strawberry Roan” with a “Bolly” face. He remembers the gate opening, then nothing else until he was picked up off the ground to the sounds of people cheering. Only then did he find out he’d won.

His second rodeo was at Mormon Day in Carey, ID. As the gate opened, his foot got stuck in it, jerking him off the horse. He got a re-ride. When he mounted, one of the guys helping him with his rig said “what’s that bone sticking out of your shoulder?” Bob had broken his collar bone and didn’t know it.

Bob’s son Scott was born in 1961. The two of them team roped together and won a lot of money, champion header and heeler. Bob won his last buckle in 2001 at the Bid D event with his son Scott as the header.

In 1983 Bob became the Director of Declo Big D Roping Club “Wilderness Circuit.”

In the early days, Bob was a good bareback rider. He knew every trail from Hidden Valley to Picabo to Muldoon. He also knew where to find water, and could drive 3200 head of cattle. Today, Bob still shoes horses and attends the auction every week.