Tougher than the rest: South Dakota pickup man to retire; appears in final Roughrider Days rodeo
Jun. 27—DICKINSON — As soon as the 8-second whistle blows, cowboys riding on that raging bronc are looking for their way out. In comes a pickup man ready to rescue the cowboy and set him safely to the ground. With the horse still kicking in the air, the pickup man will remove the flank strap off of the horse, leading them to the out gate.
What appears flawless in action, actually takes years to build the confidence and skill needed to get the job done right. Tyler Robertson is known to many in the rodeo world as one of the best pickup men there is across the Intermountain West, but he's worked tirelessly over the past 30 years to perfect his gift.
"I started off picking at 11 years old," Robertson said. "My dad and his friends was bucking horses in Hermosa... They threw me on a horse and got me started that way and I just progressed from there."
For his 27th year, Robertson appeared in his final Roughrider Days PRCA rodeo this past weekend, garnering special recognition from the Roughrider Commission with a shoutout each performance of the three-day weekend event. For many, the retirement announcement of the Hermosa, South Dakota, native came as a bittersweet moment.
"He's the one who gets paid to keep the cowboys safe and kind of the unsung hero out there in the rodeo world," Roughrider Commission Secretary Lori Vernon said. "... He's all business when he's out in the arena... There's no horsing around, literally, when he's out there. It's all work for him, as is for pickup men in general, I'm sure. They're a great breed of cowboys. They're very necessary for you to have in your rodeo."
Rodeo has always been a second home for Robertson. In high school, he rode saddle broncs and attended Korkow Rodeo School. The first time he'd ever visited Dickinson, Robertson was 11 years old. Now at 44, Robertson came back for one final rodeo performance for Roughrider Days.
"I've been up here all my life... It's good to be back here. It's like I'm like a second family up here," he said. "Been here for a long time."
Robertson has picked up rodeos all along the East Coast, West Coast, southern border and Canadian border. From Salinas, California, to Buffalo, New York, he's put on many miles throughout his career.
After the rodeo is over, Robertson is always making sure that everything is ship-shape and "all the critters are where they belong," Vernon said, noting that he checks that animals don't have any injuries that need tending. When it comes to contestants, the pickup man is all about getting the cowboy to safety, she added.
"He gets himself in a position where he's almost upside down on his horse when he's trying to get down and grab the rigging and... tie it off to his saddle horn so they can stop (and) get control of the horse. And then he'll be leaning back to loosen the flank strap, which also then relieves the horses... It's just amazing to watch them work. It's real art, I think, that you learn over the years. Practice makes perfect," Vernon remarked. "They're out there to save the cowboys and that's really what they do. It doesn't matter to them if it's 100 degrees in the July sun or if it's pouring rain outside and muddy and dusty, it's just part of the game. You run to the scene when most people would run away from it, and a charging bull is just a charging bull. It's not the most gracious animal to go after but they're not afraid of them."
Being a pickup man is not the easiest job to have, Vernon said, explaining that it requires a certain level of physique in order to be pulled from every direction when a cowboy needs to get off a bull or bronc.
"... You look at his hands, and any working ranch person has rough hands anyway, but you can tell they're very strong hands. But they've been worked hard," she said, adding, "We've enjoyed having him here all these years. He's been a real asset to our rodeo."
Over the years, Robertson recalled he's had some close-calls in the rodeo arena, especially with horses going down with him and rolling over.
"Oh, I learned there's never a surprise," he said, with a chuckle. "Because you always see something new all the time. You think you might have seen it all and there's always something that'll surprise every once in a while."
Recounting his years in rodeo, he shared a piece of wisdom for upcoming young pickup men.
"It's not a weak man's game by no means. You got to be tough," he said. "You got to be determined to get it done. That's one thing about it, and you got to be ready for anything that comes your way."
When he's not on horseback in the area, Robertson likes to enjoy the company of his rodeo basset hound, Sass, who follows him and his wife everywhere they go.
"She's more famous than I am really," he joked. "I'm pretty sure everybody would rather see her than they would me... She's always right in the middle of the action most of the time she can."
In August, Robertson will hang up his pickup man hat for his final rodeo gig in Rapid City — a hometown event that's about 20 miles from his ranch. As he retires from the rodeo arena, Robertson will still be spotted on horseback at his ranch in Hermosa, South Dakota, with plans to continue expanding and working the cowboy way of life.
"I sure appreciate everybody's supported me over the years. I made a lot of good friends in different places over it and it's going to be hard to walk away from," he said, "but it's just due time, I think."
