As soon as Bill could hold his head up, he sat in front of his barrel racing mom's horse in the grand entries. As he got a little older he was her biggest fan. You would find him sitting in the stands shouting "throw the steel to him Mamma, I want to ride or buy something!"

Love for rodeo was a natural, and bareback horses and bulls drew him like a magnet in his teens. Along with riding rough stock however, the race track also caught his attention and he race rode successfully on tracks around South Florida for four years. In off season he broke and trained horses. Of course, being raised on a ranch, horses and cattle were always a large part of his life, as it is today.

A natural businessman at heart though, he exercises his past experience and love of stock in the function of farm management. As an added note (here is a secret for all kids that have rodeo-itis): Bill Bishop is a real pushover when it comes to helping kids that show the same passions he had as a youngster.

The saying: "I wasn't born on a horse, but I got on one as soon as I could" surely applies to Billy Bishop. Born the fifth generation of trainers and competitors, his love of horses, cattle and competition is a natural. As a little guy he competed in horseshows, 4-H etc. As his passion for roping developed, he competed in junior, high school, college and amateur rodeo. He appreciates and values very much the experience he gained at the U.S.T.R.C. ropings. As he was on his own by this time, the trips to the pay windows felt good also!

Along with his roping, Billy trained horses for a year, then went to the track in Grand Prairie, Texas, where he loped horses in the mornings and outrode in the afternoon. Preferring training to the track however, he took a job breaking, training and preparing horses for the sales in Shawnee, Oklahoma and Clovis, New Mexico. When the sales were over, Billy moved to Florida. He wanted to be a part of what his family is doing, both in ministry and the horse business. Along with contributing his talents to the Lazy J, he plans to get real serious about his roping in this coming year.