America’s oldest cowboy: Incredible comeback story of Clayton Savage, back on the bull after 60 injuries to provide for his family

After a decade of injuries and being thrown off the backs of hundreds of bulls, the world’s oldest cowboy has made a triumphant return to the show ring.

Clayton Savage, 37, started competing in rodeos 20 years ago and quickly rose through the circuit to reach the National Finals Rodeo in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

But sixty high-profile injuries and a diagnosis of epilepsy kept him out of competition for a decade, before returning to the circuit in a big way until 2021 as the oldest bull rider in the top 50.

Savage told Cowboy State Daily, “I just love it. There’s just no better feeling than going into a rodeo and showing up and just wanting to stay.”

The father of three’s inspiring journey was captured in a new documentary, ‘Savage, the Relentless Pursuit of a Dream’.

But sixty notable injuries and a diagnosis of epilepsy left him unable to play for ten years

Filmmaker Morgan Law went to school with Savage and was inspired to make a documentary about his journey when she encountered him at a rodeo.

Law worked in construction and had never made a film before, but she sold her house to finance the project and Googled “how to make a film.”

She got Savage involved in the project and began following him for fourteen months.

She told Cowboy State Daily, “When you travel with him in his van, you really see what it’s like to cover up all the injuries and then drive 12 hours through the night to do it again.

“There’s no off-season, it’s twelve months at a time. His wife and three little girls are back home and he is on the road taking care of his family.

‘So it was exciting and tiring and sometimes really difficult.’

Only in 2021 did he return to the circuit on a large scale as the oldest bull rider in the top 50

Savage hopes his journey will be seen by future bull riders so they understand what they are getting into. He is pictured in the ring in 2013

When Savage watched the documentary, he said, “Every time I’ve seen it, I’ve had different emotions.

‘The first time it’s a bit sad, and the second time it was really an adrenaline rush that pumped me up. The last time I saw it I was like, “I’ve already seen it.”

Savage hopes his journey will be seen by future bull riders so they understand what they are getting into.

Documentary filmmaker Law said: ‘There’s no off-season, it’s twelve months at a time. His wife and three little girls are back home and he is on his way to take care of his family.”

Following his triumphant return to the top 50 in 2021, Savage is considering his next steps

He said: ‘I certainly don’t plan to travel fast or reach the final again’

“I want them to know how hard a sport it is and how hard it is to just ride and be away from your family.

“It’s not really how television makes it all seem.”

Following his triumphant return to the top 50 in 2021, Savage is considering his next steps.

He said: ‘I certainly don’t plan to travel fast or reach the final again.

‘It’s been hard all year leaving my family behind. I have a 10 year old, 8 year old, and almost 4 year old, and I’m just getting to the point where I’m tired of missing all their sporting events and activities and want to sleep in my own bed.

‘But I have some smaller goals that I would like to achieve. I still want to win the circuit final and have a good driving percentage.’