THE BALLOON MAN

Rodeo wrangler swaps spurs for circus sequins

Andre McClain, a former rodeo cowboy, still wears his western duds, but decorates his jeans with sequins as animal trainer for the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus. Photo provided
May 04, 2011
By BOB GOEPFERT, For The SaratogianALBANY —
Growing up, most young boys dream of being either a rodeo cowboy or running off to join the circus. Andre McClain couldn’t make up his mind, so he did both.
A child prodigy as a rodeo performer, McClain is now a valuable member of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus that is at the Times Union Center tonight through Sunday.
Asked which dream job he preferred as a child, the man who trains animals for the circus rather than wresting them to the ground in the rodeo, said, “I love both. But I have to admit the circus is a lot easier on me physically.”
He spent most of his life as a cowboy, but for the past 10 years, he’s been living a dream he never knew he had.
As a child, the circus never entered his mind. “I never even saw a circus,” he said. “When I was a kid it was thought that only robbers and murders ran off to the circus. That wasn’t me. I was a cowboy. One of the good guys.
“The circus found me and now they can’t get rid of me. They say the circus makes dreams come true. It certainly made my dreams come true. I wake up every morning and I can’t wait to get into the ring to perform and look at the faces of all the kids who are having the time of their lives. I’m a lucky guy.”
Although a major attraction with the circus, McClain still calls himself “America’s favorite cowboy.” Indeed, if they were still making those old cowboy movies he’s probably be the modern Hopalong Cassidy. He was born and raised on a ranch in Kansas, Mo. His father founded and ran the Bill Pickett Rodeo, America’s first African-American touring professional rodeo show. McClain sings, does rope tricks and animals obey him when he whispers to them.
Andre was bucking ponies and wrestling steers at the tender age of 5. By the time he was 7, he was a competing with older men for prize money.
But Andre knew that in the modern world, even cowboys have to have an education and he took a break from the rodeo to earn a degree at the University of Missouri. Since there are no bronco busting courses at college, he got his degree in business management and was also a vocal major.
After college, McClain went back to the rodeo. When not wrestling steers, he could be found training ponies. Before long he was traveling in his father’s show with his own animal act.
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