A 50-year camper

Campdrafting is the discipline most linked with Australian history and folklore producing many legendary masters of horsemanship and bush craft.

John Stanton from Macksville on the NSW North Coast is one of these masters, having competed for more than 50 years and staying pretty much at the top for the past 28.

Riding horses he trained and shod himself, John has won the Australian Bushmans Campdraft and Rodeo Association (ABCRA) Horse of the Year title seven times, and the outright Rider of the Year award six times.

Laconic and relaxed, he recounts the highlight of his competitive career. "It was performing on my horse Tarzan until he was 22 years old, and in his final competition, he ran a high class round scoring 86," he said.

"He won a hundred titles, and he was as easy to ride then as in any other performance."

Half a century in campdrafting has given John great knowledge of Australian saddlers, specifically makers of the Australian Stock saddle.

He believes there are many high class tradesmen in the saddlery business today, but recalls all the saddlers he's been associated with - Thrift, Hartman, Furlow, John Davis, Warren Newcombe, and Cliff Kileen.

Today, he deals with Denis Jackson, Dennis Lane and Dave & Kim Rogan. "I also have 10 Jim Hill saddles made personally for me."

When it comes to bridles, John prefers synthetic with his own handmade reins plaited from silver rope.

"The PVC bridles are virtually unbreakable," he says, "the first part to wear out is the tongue on the buckle."

As he trains his own horses, John is very particular about the methods and feeds used, sticking basically to his own traditional methods.

He steers away from nutritional supplements and shampoos, saying a horse which is fit inside will naturally look good.

John shoes his own horses with Clarke Horseshoes, which he maintains are strong enough for the rigours of campdraft.

When he dresses for competition, the overwhelming consideration is comfort. He wears High Top Justin Roper Boots and Silverdale jeans from Bob Berg Cowboy World.

"A lot of campdrafters are wearing these jeans," he says, "because they are a special cut for riding which don't work up your leg."

On top of the Silverdales, John wears Robin Yates chaps and has done so for 35 years.

"Not the same pair of course," he laughs, "but they do last well."

In wet weather John wears a Claybourn Riding Coat which is cut to cover the saddle. And nothing else but an Akubra hat will be seen on John's head, a tradition he has stuck to forever.

You may have run into John Stanton at a rodeo or campdraft competition because he's travelled all over the country chasing titles.

These days he takes it easier, and this year restricted himself to NSW competitions. This makes it even more astounding that he again won the ABCRA and Quarter Horse Association High Point Horse Campdraft Horse of the Year on his gelding "Stanton Stud Quill."