X6 Ranches Reflects on Program That Earned the Coveted 2024 PBR Canada Stock Contractor of the Year Title

AIRDRIE, Alta. – In 2024, Linsday and Vinee Carlier’s bucking bull operation X6 Ranch were awarded the prestigious PBR Canada Stock Contractor of the Year Award.

Ending the reign of Vold Rodeo, who had won the honor the eight prior years, Lindsay, the patriarch of the family operation, says finding out during the Ty Pozzobon Foundation Sportsman Dinner at the PBR Canada National Finals was quite a surprise.

“It was a big shock. That is what all the contractors strive for, but you never know if you do enough, if the bulls are enough, if people appreciate it,” Carlier said.

“To be in an elite class like Nansen [Vold] and different guys through the years, it is a big honour.”

Hailing from Medicine Hat, Alberta, the Carlier family is no stranger to the bull riding game.

In his younger years, Lindsay got on some bucking bulls but preferred the horses and steer wrestling. Never going professional full time, his two boys, and eventual son-in-law all had degrees of success in bull riding.  

His oldest son Jordan competed for a few years in rodeo and within the PBR Canada ranks, and with some rodeo wins under his belt, moved on from the sport. Carlier’s son Tristan also competed and won PBR Canada events and rodeo events, but injury eventually sidelined him.

Carlier’s son-in-law, Wacey Finkbeiner was a long-time PBR Canada campaigner and CPRA (Canadian Professional Rodeo Association) Bull Riding Champion.  

From 2002 onward, Carlier was known as a top bucking cow stock contractor, providing cows to the boys steer riding at rodeos across western Canada, eventually moving into breeding, raising and hauling bulls.

“After a few years with the cows, 15 years, we started raising bulls and sending them with other guys,” Carlier explained. “Then we switched to full time raising our own and hitting the PBR events and the whole circuit. It was quite a process, but it worked out.”

The earliest bull who not only made a name for the X6 Ranch, but also confirmed for Carlier that the work he was putting in was paying off, was Jesus N’ Bocephus who he eventually sold to a stock contractor stateside to compete at the highest level within PBR.

“He turned out to be something special,” Carlier explained. “We sold him to a fellow out of Missouri. Bought him as a 4-year-old and did big things. Pennywise and Midnight Rain went to Chad Berger and went onto a couple-year career on the Unleash The Beast.”

“Those were the earlier days, and stuff really started to shine from then on.”

Two-time PBR Canada Champion Dakota Buttar said he feels the X6 Ranch deserves the title this season is because you can always tell that they put in the work with their bulls at home before ever bringing them to an event.

“They get them figured out at home and get them in road shape. They have a pen full of bulls that everyone wants to get on,” Buttar said.

“You might not see them at every event. But when they show up, they are always better than the last time. And that means a lot to all of us bull riders. They do the work at home, and it shows.”

And that fact is not lost on Carlier, who says the work his son Tristan puts in reflects his own experiences as a bull rider.  

“The thing that keeps you going is striving to be better. Then you see the results. You get the appreciation back from the bull riders and the other contractors. With the crew we have, Tristan takes care of all the bulls and does lots of training with them. That is his passion. Him being a bull rider not that long ago, he wants them to be chute broke, be pure bucking bulls,” Carlier explained.  

“My whole family, all the kids, works at it with me. We are always just trying to be better. Keep breeding better,” Carlier added. “We firmly believe that we have to take care of the cowboys, we can’t be bringing bulls they don’t want to get on or bucking out of line and hurting them. Without bull riders we have nothing to do.”

As for what the future holds for the X6 Ranch, Carlier says this title simply means they know what they are working towards and will continue to try and be the best they can be, and turn out the best bucking stock they can.

With a part of their operation now in the United States, they will be pushing towards more opportunity with the PBR south of the border as well.  

“I think the future looks really good. With Stock Contractor of the Year in Canada, we are going to continue to work that much harder to try and make it better and better. We want to expand down here a bit more, go to whatever we can for the Unleash The Beast events, Team events, Velocity events. Maintain the status in Canada. Expanding so you can have a rotating roster. I think things look pretty good,” Carlier said.

“The thing is just striving for things to be better and better and doing it right.”