Jock Maxwell is one tough ten year old.
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Born with a cleft soft pallet, Jock had an operation at 6 months that went pear shaped, collapsing both lungs and almost killing him.
Maybe that's part of what makes him tough enough for bull riding, a sport most adults would be terrified of tackling.
Jock is getting ready to take on the premier rodeo event in the US, training to stay on the beast for 8 seconds in front of a TV audience of millions. The Glen Innes primary school student will later this year compete in the Junior Roughstock World Finals, which are held side-by-side with the NFR world finals from December 4-10.
And he will be one of the younger competitors there, exactly three days older than the absolute minimum cutoff.
To qualify he won bullriding events in Inverell, Lightning Ridge, Bingara and Narrabri (where he won equal first), and came second at Gunnedah. With the highest score after the five rodeos he won a spot in the massive US event.
At those extremely young ages athletes tend to ride either horses, poddy calves or mini-bulls, but it's still rodeo and injuries still happen.
Working in hospital x-ray mum Camilla Maxwell has seen more than her fair share of broken bones on other people's kids and wasn't too keen on seeing more.
"I used to be really nervous," she said.
Her other son Eddie, 12, has been injured in the sport before; she remembers him being hung up and dragged around an arena.
She had a "mother moment and panicked" but he was fine.
"I asked him - is that scary - and he said - no mum I loved it I want to do it again!
"That was not the answer I was looking for."
Jock has also taken knocks; he once broke a bone while steer riding, only to get back on the horse and place. He barely even complained.
"Jock is just one of those kids where when he gets it in his head and puts his mind to it he will do it," said mum Camilla.
"When Jock says he's hurt you've sort of got to take notice because it could be serious!"
The Maxwells are "horse people" who three years ago moved from Scone, and his precocious interest in the bull sport is bit of a surprise. But husband Lachlan, has been involved with the Campdraft and Rodeo Association, the ABCRA for many years.
And Camilla says he was hooked from his first ever ride, in Bingara two years ago.
"He didn't want to do and his brother and I talked him into it!
"He locked himself in a caravan and was scared. But he did it because his big brother did - they look after each other.
"He rode time and I think he got a place so he went home with a ribbon and prize money."
He was hooked forever. He watched his mum's video over and over.
"No fear since."
Could he go all the way?
"Jock is just one of those kids where when he gets it in his head and puts his mind to it he will do it."