Carter Captures X Bulls Glory in Reno
RENO, Nev. – This was definitely the right time for bull rider Riker Carter to have a great time.
In a field of star-studded competitors, the Stone, Idaho, cowboy won his inaugural Xtreme Bulls Division 1 event when he captured the crown in Reno, June 14.
Carter won the average with 174 points on two head.
“It has not really sunk in yet, but this is awesome,” said Carter, 26. “I’ve been needing a boost to jump up there in the (standings) to give me a little more hope, and this is going to help.”
That’s for sure.
Carter entered the Reno X Bulls 31st in the RAM | PRCA World Standings with $25,145. He will rocket up the standings after earning $13,216.
“This is the biggest win of my career,” Carter said. “I’ve never won this much money at rodeo before. I couldn’t be happier right now.”
When Carter arrived in Reno, he was riding a tidal wave of momentum as he split the win at the Sisters (Ore.) Rodeo on June 10 with Ty Wallace and Dalan Duncan. Each had 87.5-point rides.
Carter’s confidence showed immediately in Reno as he had an 86-point ride on Rosser Rodeo’s Custer, which placed him second in the first round. Cole Melancon won the long round with an 86.5-point ride on Diamond G Rodeo’s Break Dance.
In a key match-up in the first round, Shane Proctor, the 2011 world champion, was bucked off Big Stone Rodeo’s Hillbilly Rock in 4.76 seconds.
“I have been going to Reno since 2011, and I think that’s the first bull I have ever stayed on there,” Carter said. “I had never seen that bull before, but I talked to some guys about him and they said he was a good, 80-point bull. I think he grew up and had a lot better day than he ever had before. The first two jumps he really kicked out of there and he almost whipped me down on his head, but I was able to blow my chest out and sit up. Then he came around to the right and I was able to stick it out.”
As Carter watched the short round unfold, four-time world champion Sage Kimzey and Joseph McConnel were tied for the lead with 173.5 points on two head.
“Garrett Smith and Tyler Bingham were helping me, and as soon as Sage and McConnel rode I told them I better stick it on this one,” Carter said.
This one was All In Pro Rodeo’s Yo Momma – a completely unknown bull to Carter.
“I had never seen that bull and everybody I asked didn’t know anything about him,” Carter said. “I went in there blind and honestly with me that was better. I see bulls do a lot of the same thing every time and I go out there and try and set a trap and they never do what they are supposed to do when I get on them.”
Sitting on Yo Momma in the chutes, Carter kept things simple.
“I cleared my mind, and I nodded my head and then I reacted,” Carter said. “It was an awesome ride. That bull was really kicking up in the air. He was a big, wide bull and he felt good. I have a lot better luck with those bigger bulls. I couldn’t stub my toe on him or I wasn’t going to make it. After I made my ride, I was sweating it out.”
With his 88-point ride on Yo Momma, Carter clinched the victory.
“I had four guys hit me on the back and congratulate me when the final scores were posted, and it was a good feeling to win,” said Carter, who will compete at the Reno Rodeo, June 16. “I’m just going to celebrate by hanging out with my friends and have fun and let this sink in.”
Carter joins the list of other 2018 Xtreme Bulls Division 1 event winners, which consists of Lane Nobles (Fort Worth, Texas), Josh Frost (San Antonio), Kimzey (Fort Mohave, Ariz.) and J.W. Harris (Del Rio, Texas).
“All week long I was telling myself I was going to come here (to Reno) and win,” Carter said. “I’ve never won one of these (Division 1) Xtreme Bulls buckles and I was wanting one for a long time. Now, I have one.”
Carter, who joined the PRCA in 2010, is still chasing that coveted bid to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He finished 29th in the world standings last year with $51,757. In 2016, Carter placed a career-best 19th in the world standings with $58,261.
“The biggest problem I’ve had is the mind games,” he said. “I try and overthink everything. This win will really light my fire big time. I’m going to go all out to make the NFR. I have to just remain positive in everything I’m doing and keep trying and never give up. There have been times in my PRCA career that I wanted to quit and get a job, but I kept telling myself I have to stick it out and prove myself.”
He did exactly that at the Reno X Bulls.
Courtesy of PRCA