Ever since he first crawled onto the back of a calf at the age of eight and tried to hold on, Lachlan Little has been bound for the home of rodeo, the USA.
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At 14 years of age, Lachlan is following in the footsteps of his elder brother Jordan and professional bull riding father, Paul Little.
After successfully competing in the Australian High School Rodeo Association (AHSRA) finals in Tamworth, Lachlan said that although the number of high school riders in his group was small, the competition was still keen.
"There were 150 riders and in the first round I won that and in the second I got flung around a bit and my leg got caught up in the flank," he said.
Scoring a 7.8 in his last ride secured him first place and the privilege of representing Australia in the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA)finals in Lebanon Tennessee, from June 19 to the 25th.
As one of only 25 high school students, who come from all over Australia, Lachlan will be taking advantage of the trip to gain a valuable insight into rodeo culture in the USA.
"We're going to stay there for three weeks with my dad's friends, because he used to ride bulls over there too," he said.
During the six days of the finals, where roughly 1,000 contestants from around the USA, Canada and Australia will be competing, Lachlan will be riding to win.
Being the largest high school rodeo in the world, with $75,000 in prizes up for grabs and the possibility of securing a $100,000 college scholarship, Lachlan is excited about the prospect of competing on the world stage.
"If I go well and get into the top 20 then we have a shoot-out to decide who are the national champions," he said.
The winner of the finals will be determined on their scores during the final's three rounds.
With high school rodeo in Australia still in its infancy, Lachlan's mother Leeanne Little said that the USA rodeo scene will be an eye-opener for Lachlan.
"It's heaps more professional and it's a lot more competitive because in Australia, he's not allowed to get on bulls until you're between 14 and 18 in the other associations," she said,
"He can at home and at the AHSRA rodeos, but not at the other ones."
Apart from a drive to emulate his family's successes, there is one other factor that motivates him.
"It's a real adrenaline rush," he said.
