ABCRA Down The Road

At 95 years of age, John Stanton has a lifetime of stories to tell.

Born into a family of horsemen, John’s connection to horses, campdrafting, rodeo and the Australian bush stretches back almost a century. His involvement with the ABCRA reaches back to its formative years, giving him a remarkable firsthand perspective on the people, horses and decisions that helped shape the Association.

In this episode of Down The Road, host and country music artist Jake Whittaker sits down with ABCRA Life Member John Stanton to reflect on a life spent in the saddle.

From learning alongside generations of respected horsemen and helping shape early competition rules, to establishing the Riders Register, winning more than 15 ABCRA Horse and Rider titles and representing Australian campdrafting in the United States, John has witnessed extraordinary change across the sport. 

But some of his greatest lessons are much simpler – understanding your horse, learning from your mistakes and knowing the importance of confidence, balance, rhythm and timing. 

As the ABCRA celebrates 80 years, John offers something increasingly rare: a living connection to the Association’s earliest history and a generation of Australian horsemanship that helped build the sport we know today.

More than half a century of campdrafting, countless memories and a contribution to the ABCRA that has helped shape the Association we know today.

In this episode of Down The Road, host and country music artist Jake Whittaker sits down with ABCRA Life Member Fred Paterson.

Fred has been a competitor, judge, administrator, President, mentor and Life Member, but his story has never been about titles or trophies. It’s about the horses, the people, the volunteers and the generations coming through behind him.

From riding his first campdraft at just nine years old, to championing the creation of the ABCRA Junior Finals more than 40 years ago, Fred shares the stories and memories from a lifetime in the saddle.As the ABCRA celebrates 80 years, this is a conversation with one of the people who helped build its history.

🎧 Down The Road with Jake Whittaker – listen now.