Presenting your Pick-Up Men for the
2014 RAM PRCA California Circuit Finals Rodeo!!!

 

Teaming up again - It's

Bobby Marriott and Matt Twitchell

“…Lifeguards on horseback are not the center attraction. They [Pick Up Men] are like the air we breathe – often taken for granted.  Without them lives hang in the balance. With them a rodeo is well coordinated and runs smoothly, making the event exciting but safe. The pickup man is poetry in motion when doing his job correctly. He and his horse become as one and maneuver with speed to the right place at the right time to save a cowboy from injury…”  (Paula Pitt – Amarillo Globe News)

Bobby Marriott  and Matt Twitchell are two of the best cowboys and Pick-Up Men in the business.  Both exemplify the true heart of a cowboy – they are accomplished horsemen, ultimate professionals, and each, through hard work and dedication, has earned the respect of their peers and contestants alike.

 

Pick-Up Men play a vital role during any rodeo.  Safety for riders and bucking horses is a Pick-Up Man’s main concern. It takes courage and riding ability to be a PRCA Pick-Up Man; they must also be skilled horsemen and ropers. Any bareback or saddle bronc rider will tell you the ride isn’t over when the required eight seconds have elapsed. Pick-up men ride alongside high-kicking bucking horses and assist the contestants safely to the ground. Pick-up men also remove the soft flank strap from the horse and herd it safely out of the arena.

“…Getting rough stock riders to safety is a delicate dance without choreography, just plenty of intuition and quick reactions.  They glide in and rescue rough stock riders from twisting fury on the hoof, usher bulls and broncs to the exit and vanish into the background. Anything can happen. Competitors can get hung up in rigging or stirrups or find themselves on the dirt eyeballing a set of deadly, flying hooves…”  (Kathy Aney of the East Oregonian).

Please Meet Bobby Marriott:

Bobby Marriott is an accomplished Pick Up Man who joined the Growney Brothers Rodeo Company (website) about 16 years ago. Bobby was born in Ogden, Utah.  He moved to Idaho as a teenager. In high school he competed in all three rough stock events.  He was awarded the Idaho High School Rodeo Bronc Riding Championship in 1981.

After high School, he rodeoed for a few years before going to work for Jay Hogan's Rodeo Company as a Pick-Up Man.  He also worked and picked-up for Lewis Fields.  In 1997, Bobby went to work for the Growney Brothers Rodeo Company.

Bobby has demonstrated his proficiency as Pick-Up Man on numerous occasions. He was selected to pick-up at the Dodge Finals in Pocatello, Idaho in 1999 and 2004. He was chosen to be pick-up man for the 2002 Olympic Rodeo where the Canadian cowboys faced off against the cowboys of the United States. In 2006 and again in 2009, he was voted by the PRCA rough stock riders to pick-up at the PRCA National Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was also at the WNFR in 2013. Bobby and his wife Michelle live in Woodcross, Utah.

Please meet Matt Twitchell:

In high school, Matt Twitchell rode bulls, broncs, and bareback horses.  He also rodeoed while attending the University of Utah.

Matt has been a member of the Growney Brothers Rodeo Crew ( website ) since 2010.  A highly respected Pick-Up Man, Matt credits Bobby Marriott and Lewis Fields, for the knowledge and skills that have made him so successful and one of the most respected Pick-Up Men within the industry, by both his peers and cowboys alike.

We all had the honor of watching Matt at the 2013 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo as one of the Pick-up Men!

When Matt isn’t rodeoing, he works on ranches, rides some outside colts, and occasionally has time for some hunting.  Matt and his beautiful wife, Molly, make their home in Spring Lake, Utah.

Congratulations to both Bobby and Matt!!