The rodeo world in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region has been rocked with the New Year’s Eve death of hall-of-fame pickup man Kenny Clabaugh, 78.
“He was a legend,” said longtime friend and fellow pick-up man, Bill Greer, 77. “He saved a lot of lives out there and he was pretty tough.”
Gigo Pelosi, an Italian friend of Clabaugh he met at a dude ranch, remembered a time when a tourist asked if Clabaugh was a cowboy since he wore a hat.
Clabaugh had answered, “Am I a Cowboy? No, I just found this hat on the ground!”
Clabaugh was known worldwide for his humility and ability to stay out of the limelight. He preferred to be invisible to the crowd when he picked up since that also meant he was being efficient at his job by going mainly unnoticed during a rodeo.
Pickup men in a rodeo are the ones who assist roughstock riders from their bucking horses after an eight-second ride. They are mounted on tough, aggressive horses, and must move in swiftly before a ride is over to help a stricken rider hung up in the bareback rigging or saddle and in desperate need of help.
“One of the most overlooked attributes of Kenny was he was there for a lot of kids when they were trying to learn to ride,” former bareback rider and head of the PRCA Tom Glause said. He had been personally plucked off his horse by Clabaugh and appreciated the rescues over the years for both himself and the other bareback competitors.
“They needed the best experienced pickup man available to keep them out of storms and bad situations so they could continue to hone their skills,” he said. “That’s where Kenny really excelled at.”
What mattered, Clabaugh had said, is that the cowboys knew he was there and trusted him to get them safely off their broncs.
“I like what I’m doing,” Clabaugh said in a mid-90's interview with well-known South Dakota rodeo sportswriter Gordon Hanson. “It’s a constant challenge to make the worst scenario in the world become a smooth transition. You can see the wrecks coming most of the time and just cut them off. If they happen, you make the best of a bad situation. It keeps you thinking all the time.”
“He was probably less legendary among the rodeo fans but absolutely loved by all the cowboys and the judges,” state Sen. Ogden Driskill said when talking of his long-time friend and fellow cowboy. “He was just as levelheaded as it gets. The guy was an extreme horseman.”
Recognition For A Real Cowboy
The ultimate recognition came March 27, 2023, when Clabaugh was announced as part of the 2023 class of inductees into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
It was a fitting way to cap off a three-decade career that was highlighted by seven trips to the National Finals Rodeo in 1983, 1986-88, 1990-91 and 1994.
Well wishes and congratulations poured in from Wyoming U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, who posted on her socials at the time: "Congratulations to Arvada native Kenny Clabaugh on being named a Class of 2023 ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee! Rodeo has long been a tradition of Wyoming and throughout the west, and Kenny is rightfully being recognized as one of the best to ever do it."
“He was one of the most talented pickup men that ever went into Rodeo Arena,” added Greer. “I have seen Kenny ride up beside a rider that was hung up and catch him and hold him because he had long arms. He was long and lean for dang sure.”
Clabaugh earned many nicknames over this nearly 40-year career, including “Ichabod.” “The Invisible Man” and “Mr. Smooth.”
This was, according to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame website, because of his uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time to save a bareback or saddle bronc rider from a nasty situation. He has also been credited with being more concerned with the cowboy than his own safety.
“Most all the time, he had a big smile on his face,” Greer said. “When some kid was in trouble, he was right there to help them.”
Left, Kenny Clabaugh was a man who preferred to be in the shadows rather than the limelight. Despite this, he is known as a legend both in and out of the arena and will be missed by people across the world. Right, James Bhama was inspired to create this painting based on Kenny Clabaugh at the Cody Nite Rodeo. (Courtesy Ogden Driskill;) 
Left, Kenny Clabaugh was described as a man easy in the saddle who liked his horses big to match his own tall stature. Left, Monte Snook, owner of Kara Creek Ranch, spent years working with Kenny Clabaugh and said that he was a legend both in and out of the arena. (Courtesy Ogden Driskill; Courtesy Monty Snook) 
"In-the-Nick-of-Time." This Bronze Sculpture by Bob Burkhart was inspired by a rescue Kenny Clabaugh did, saving the life of an unconscious cowboy. (Cowboy State Daily Staff) 
Break time! Even a cowboy has to eat. Gigo Pelosi (aka Italian Dude), Monte Snook and Kenny Clabaugh. (Courtesy Ogden Driskell) 
Gordon Hanson, sports writer, wrote a short feature on Kenny Clabaugh and his fellow pick up man, Steve Sutton. (Cowboy State Daily Staff) 
(Cowboy State Daily Staff)
Unexpected Career
Clabaugh got his start while sitting atop the chutes at Casper Junior College.
They needed a pick-up man, and coach Dale Stiles chose him to take up the job. It was said that Clabaugh tried to ignore the pull of rodeo by spending some time in California.
When rodeo eventually won, he found himself picking up cowboys from the college, high school and amateur rodeos in Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota. Clabaugh joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) in 1983 and was chosen in his rookie year to work the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City.
Over his career, Clabaugh worked the National Finals Rodeo seven times. He picked-up at 20 National High School Finals, six National Intercollegiate Rodeo Finals, two National Indian Finals, one Old Timers Rodeo Finals, and one Dodge Circuit Finals. In 1993, Clabaugh was voted National High School Man of the Year.
Clabaugh was quick to credit his success to his horses and partners. He owned and trained the horses that he used. He would usually haul four to six of his own horses to the rodeos that he worked.
Inspiration For The Art World
Clabaugh has not only inspired other cowboys but also had been immortalized in art. Western artist Bob Burkhart created a sculpture of the “legendary Kenny” based on a lifesaving rescue he had made years earlier.
In the wild ride, a bronc rider was still unconscious in the saddle. Clabaugh, getting beside the animal that was still kicking, managed to turn the young cowboy loose from the lead rope and grabbing him by the shirt, dragged him onto his horse and saved him.
The famous painter James Bhama was also inspired by a photo taken in Cody Night Rodeo for his painting “The Grand Entry.” Clabaugh is portrayed in the saddle holding the American flag waiting for the sound that officially open the rodeo event.
Helping The Dudes
Clabaugh retired in 2001 as a rodeo pick-up man to his ranch near Arvada, Wyoming. However, his work continued as he helped others discover how to properly handle cattle.
Monte Snook, owner of Kara Creek Ranch, spent time with Clabaugh outside the arena and said that the quiet cowboy would be missed by people around the world. Clabaugh had worked on Snook’s guest ranch for years with the European visitors who had come to experience a real cowboy life.
“He was definitely the best cowboy I ever worked around,” Snook told Cowboy State Daily. “For being a rodeo man he was so quiet and easy around cattle and was always in the right spot. Slower is faster was his motto.”
“He was just a no-nonsense type guy,” Driskell said. “On top of it, he was just an incredible personality. He had kind of a yuk yuk laugh that I am going to miss.”
As Kenny Clabaugh rides into the proverbial sunset, he will forever be remembered as a legend in and out of the arena.
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
