Kenny Clabaugh is set to join a prestigious list of ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees in 2023, praised by many friends and peers as ‘The Master.’ Known for his successful career as a pickup man for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, starting in 1983 while attending Casper College, Clabaugh is widely acclaimed for having already earned numerous accolades throughout the sport.
Kenny Clabaugh, an Arvada-native, is to be inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2023, joining an elite list of rodeo-affiliated members. His long-time friend and former pickup man for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Steve Sutton, refers to Clabaugh as ‘The Master’. This title comes with a great honor, as both his father’s and grandfather’s names are already enshrined in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Clabaugh himself expressed his pride, saying “It was never anything I thought would happen but to be in the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame with my peers is a great honor.”
Clabaugh began his successful career as a pickup man in 1983 when he was attending Casper College, and since then has been honored as the ‘Unsung Hero of Rodeo‘ by The Cowboy Channel in a November 8th, 2022 article.
He was hired for an impressive number of rodeos, including seven National Finals Rodeos between 1983 and 1994, one National Dodge Circuit Finals, six National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Finals, two National Indian Rodeo Association Finals, one National Old Timers Rodeo Association Finals, one North American Rodeo Commission Finals, 15 Black Hills Stock Shows in Rapid City, South Dakota, and 20 National High School Rodeo Association Finals, where he earned Man of the Year in 1993. Clabaugh proudly earned his pro card in 1983 at the age of 37 and has since been celebrated as a rodeo legend.
He was even inducted into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum’s Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2000. Clabaugh was an exceptional rodeo pickup man, working with Don Malli, who sadly died in a one-car auto accident near Arvada in June 2016, and Richard Lee Peterson, who passed away in May 2022. His last rodeo was in Rapid City, South Dakota in 2001, when he was injured after a horse fell with him during the event. Despite never sharing a meal together, Clabaugh and fellow pickup man Sutton were a great team; their horses seemed to instinctively know where each other was going to be at any moment in the arena.
Clabaugh was proud to be part of the pickup team, understanding that the man behind was actually more important than the one who caught the cowboy.
Along with Sutton, he spent the entire summer working with 10 horses – five experienced ones and five new to the sport. Clabaugh and Sutton showed their expertise by taking turns riding each horse and evaluating which ones could make it to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada. By the end of the summer, they had effectively determined the best horses for the big show.
Though they had their differences at first, they soon found an understanding between them that enabled them to work together successfully. Clabaugh even became Sutton’s teacher, giving him a crash course in the basics of rodeo pickup and making him a pro before long.
This combined effort led to the incorporation of their ranch on October 27th, 1970 – a feat that Clabaugh is exceptionally proud of. On July 15th, both Clabaugh and Sutton will be inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a recognition of their accomplishments and dedication to the sport.
Kenny Clabaugh is a rodeo legend who has certainly lead a long and accomplished career in the rodeo field. Receiving the title of The Master from fellow Superior Rodeo Cowboys Association member Steve Sutton says volumes about his incredible reputation. As Kenny Clabaugh himself expressed, being inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame with his parents’ and grandparents’ names enshrined is a great honor that no one expected could happen. From seven National Finals Rodeos and fifteen Black Hills Stock Shows in Rapid City to Man of the Year in 1993 — without a doubt, Kenny Clabaugh should be celebrated for all of his varying and impressive contributions to rodeo.
