Bareback rider Ryan Gray and his wife, Lacy, did home improvement projects before Ryan left their Texas home to compete at the summer rodeos with his travel partners. Ryan’s father Kevin Gray, who lives in Cheney, Wash., came to help Ryan and Lacy complete the projects. Pictured, Ryan and his father, Kevin Gray, work on reframing a wall on the exterior of the house. Ryan and Lacy’s dog, Fancy, looks on. Ryan Gray takes a moment to answer a phone call as he works on his home. Ryan and Lacy’s dog, Penny, provides companionship while repairs were being done A view of Ryan and Lacy Gray’s home in Texas as home improvements are under way.

Hello everyone, it is good to be back on the Web! Sorry it has been awhile since I posted a blog on ProRodeo.com. However, I know most of you have come to expect a bit of a delay from me. I always seem to be a little tardy when it comes to writing. But our new video blog on RodeoUp.com http://www.rodeoup.com/pride.html is doing a little of the work for me. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, click on RodeoUp.com and you will find a link to our travel group’s video page. There you will find lots of videos of us doing daily things on the road and doing our best to entertain you.

I did have some luck at the Cowboy Capital of the World Pro Rodeo in Stephenville, Texas, the first week of June. I was able to win the rodeo. I scored 86 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Black Coffee. I had the horse a few weeks before in Guymon, Okla., and was 84. So I was really happy to have that horse again. The horse is fun to ride and one you can be a lot of points on. Before then, it seemed like I was placing the last hole in a lot of places.

The two months before Stephenville we were slow, as far as rodeos go. So, my wife, Lacy, and I spent a lot of time in Arizona with her family. Her dad, Dale has been battling cancer. It is difficult for all of us, but we really want to spend time with him. Lacy''s mom has been a non-stop caregiver all winter and spring. I don’t know how she does it. She is one tough woman and God has given her a lot of patience and strength to deal with the struggles that come when a loved one fights cancer. I want to thank all of you for your continued prayers and support. It means a lot. I will continue to keep you up-to-date on Dale’s condition as best as I can.

Lacy and I came home to Texas at the beginning of May and began working on our house. We had several projects lined out that we needed to get done before the summer rodeo run hit because I won’t be home much to do them. We started by reframing a wall on the exterior of the house in the front. My father, Kevin Gray, came down to Texas from Cheney, Wash., for about a week to help me out because quiet frankly I didn’t have a clue where to start. We only planned on doing a 30-foot wall in the front of the house – about 3-foot high – and it turned out we had to do about 120 feet. Not by choice, but as we tore off the siding and got down to the studs they were water damaged and needed to be replaced and we couldn’t just stop. So a two-day job turned into a five-day job. I’m glad I had my dad there to help me because I would not have known how to go about that. We wanted to get the wall done because we were having windows installed. The week after we finished the wall they came out and installed the windows. We wanted to be here when they installed them because we had to go behind them and replace all the rotten seals, which was good because I didn’t want brand new windows sitting on rotten wood. After we got the windows in we painted the house. I know what you’re thinking: ‘Why didn’t you paint before the new windows were installed?’ Well, we had a three-day window to paint between framing the wall and installing the windows and the wind blew 60-miles an hour all three of those days. But we got it done anyway. We love the new windows. They have made a huge difference in energy cost already. Before they were installed you could stand outside the window and have a normal conversation with someone in the inside of the house with no problem! Not including the half inch of dirt on the sill every time the wind blew. I am preparing the three feet that we reframed around the house for a rock veneer. I have zero experience in that department, but I am learning a lot. It’s really not that hard it. It is time consuming more than anything. I put up two layers of moisture resistant barrier and then a metal lath. Now I’m ready to put up the mortar bed. Hopefully, next week I can start putting up the rock.

I was able to put my tractor to use. I found a small disk and started leveling out some areas and planted grass. We planted about five acres of grass about a month ago and it just started to get some rain, so maybe it will grow! I was hoping it would have already started, but you can never predict the weather, I guess. This was supposed to be our rainy season, but not this year. We will wait and see.

Well, the heat of the rodeo season is almost here and I’m ready and can’t wait to get out there and get after it! Until next time, God Bless!

(Next up, Gray and his traveling partners will compete at rodeos in Canada and then ride at the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo – a Gold-tier tour rodeo – June 19-27.) 

Gray’s June blog bible verse is Hebrews 12:1-2.

Bareback rider Ryan Gray is a four-time (2005-2008) qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Last year, Gray placed second at the Wrangler NFR and finished fourth in the PRCA World Standings. He got involved in rodeo through his family when he was 5 years old. He is the middle of three brothers (Corey, Ryan and Kayle). His parents are Kevin, an engineer for BASF, and Deb, a secretary. He has one sister, Audrey. He graduated from Cheney (Wash.) High School with 100 students; he competed on the wrestling team. Ryan Gray went to college at Odessa (Texas) College where he obtained an associate’s degree in business management. He also attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock and earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural leadership. He married his wife, Lacy, on May 20, 2006. Ryan, Lacy and dogs, Fancy and Penny, live in Petersburg, Texas. Gray travels to rodeos with fellow bareback riders Brian Bain, Jason Havens and two-time World Champion Bareback Rider Bobby Mote. The group is called “The Pride.” Gray’s favorite sports team is the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He likes to watch DVDs when on the road. His rodeo idols are Marvin Garrett and Clint Corey. Lacy makes jewelry and bow hunts with Ryan. 

 Click here to go to Ryan Gray’s Cowboy Bio