Cheyenne.Frontier Days has always been important to Billy Ward. At the age of seven he was working with Paul Bruegman and Archie Johnson "hot walking" or cooling down pick-up horses. Billy's family worked with the Bruegmans in the parade lot, harnessing and hitching horses up for the parades. When that task was
completed, the family could be seen riding along the route as outriders. After the parade was finished for the day, the Wards would go to the rodeo and help cool horses after the events. Billy remembers these tasks as well as sorting out the
horses for the next day's events.

An excellent roper, Billy pursued a career in rodeo. He competed in high school
and in 1988, at the age of 19, appeared in the CFD arena. In an outstanding demonstration of roping skill, he set a new arena record in tie-down roping. Sadly, his record was short lived when Jerry Jetton, two runs later, roped in 10.8 seconds.

The next year, Billy began a new career with Cheyenne Frontier Days as a pick-up man for Harry Vold. Already experienced in doing the same work for high school and college rodeos, this was the beginning of a stellar career that kept him in the
CFD arena for twenty five years. He did pick-up work at rodeos all over the nation and was asked to participate as a trusted pick-up man for several years for the College National Finals in Casper, Wyoming and for the National Finals Rodeo seven times as well as for the Dodge National Circuit Rodeo in 1996. Billy went to the National Circuit Finals in 1996 and 1998, and was selected in 2008 but unable to
attend due to a blizzard. He was selected for 21 circuit finals, including Mountain States, Texas and Turquoise.

In 1990, Billy began supplying horses for Cheyenne Frontier Days' parades. This was done as part of his program to produce new pick-up horses for rodeos. Queens and rodeo judges alike have been on horses that Billy trained. He also supplied bucking horses to CFD as a stock contractor under Billy Ward Rodeo Company/Broken Arrow Rodeo from 2003-2007. Billy's work with CFD and rodeo
has been a family affair. His wife, Marlo, assisted him in everything he did and his sons Dalton and Denton carried on in his place.