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2019 Best of the Boat cowboy: Ray Heid

Ray Heid is equal parts cowboy and skier. He rides horses to ski, has filmed with Warren Miller and lays figure-eights above the corral of his Del’s Triangle 3 Ranch in North Routt County.

Come winter, you’ll find him saddling his guest ranch’s horses in a hand-sewn, knee-length elk skin coat with beaver pelt collar, topped by a balaclava and cowboy hat. Come summer, he does so in a yellow rain slicker and jean jacket.

In fall, he leads horsepack trips to hunting camps in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area. 



Even at 82, atop his trusty horse Stormy and on a custom saddle copied from his grandmother’s, he’s still riding as much as ever.

“I just love riding,” he says. “You get out there and hear nothing but the horses’ hoofs and breathing and the wildlife calling, and I think, ‘This is the way to live.’ I ride for a living six days a week and ride for fun on Sundays.”



2019 Best of the Boat winners

Click here to see the complete list of winners from 2019’s Best of the Boat.


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