Jackson Schmidt prepares his horses for calf roping practice at a friend’s ranch in Eugene. At 16-years-old Jackson manages much of his family's ranch and is dedicated to put in the work it takes to achieve his dream. “[Rodeo] is the biggest part of my life," he said. "I love having a young horse, working with it and creating a bond, and, in a year, seeing how far it’s come. It means a lot.”

After a day at work, Jackson arrives back to his family’s ranch. He studies welding at State Fair Community College. When he graduates next year, Jackson will have a high school diploma and associate degree, and plans for his welding career to fund his dream of competing in rodeos.

Jackson greets Baby Fly, one of his family’s Border Collies, when he walks outside for morning chores. Since the moment he was born, animals have been a part of Jackson’s life. His family said they've never lived anywhere that felt like home without animals.

Jackson is dedicated to his work as he unloads feed for his family’s horses. In addition to developing his cattle roping skills, he mucks stalls, tends to the animals and even hangs shutters on the house. “It’s hard for me to remember that I’m just a 16-year-old kid and I don’t have to have multiple jobs to pay for things,” Jackson said. “[I need to] remember to slow down, but I have a lot on my plate. It’s exhausting.”

Jackson trailers DP, one of his Quarter Horses, for roping practice to prepare for weekend rodeos. His mom, Randi Battson, described Quarter Horses as “the most versatile of breeds.” Schmidt’s dream is to have his own ranch where he trains horses for rodeos.

Jackson, right, greets his coworker as he sits down for a meal at the Windsor Livestock Auction in Windsor, Mo. He works at the auction rounding up cattle for sale. 

From left, Jackson sits at the kitchen island with his 7-year-old sister Clancy and his mom, Randi Battson. He walks down to the barn each morning around 6:45 a.m. to do his morning chores.

Jackson waters one of his family's horses. His family has already sold two horses because a drought in Sedalia caused the price of hay to skyrocket. Randi Battson, Jackson’s mom, said it has been almost a decade since the last major drought in the area and cattle farmers are starting to sell off more and more of their livestock. "My parents have tried to not let it affect me, but we’ve had hay shipped out here and it’s really expensive,” Schmidt said.

Jackson rodeo buckles and awards are on display in his family's living room. Schmidt has competed in rodeos since he was 6 years old, and he said he wants to continue for years to come. 

Jackson rides his horse DP at the Windsor Livestock Auction in Windsor, Mo. Schmidt rounds up cattle at the auction making $25/hour, and he’s now saving up to buy his own truck. At 16-years-old, Jackson said his biggest challenge in life is "keeping a good mentality, keeping motivated and striving to be better."

Jackson rides his horse DP during team roping practice with his friends at a friend’s ranch in Cole Camp. During the summer, Jackson qualified for the National High School Rodeo Final in Wyoming.

Jackson ties down a calf during roping practice. Because there only a few pens for tie down roping in Missouri, Jackson trailers his horses an hour and fifteen minutes every week to practice. "Whenever and wherever we can get practice is ideal," he said.