Willinga at Juandah Plains Campdraft Open winners Luke Bennett and stallion Millungeras Moon Beam. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.

Winners crowned at Willinga at Juandah Plains Campdraft

By Roger Fitzhardinge

There is no question that the input into the sport of campdrafting through the enthusiasm and passion from Terry Snow has increased the awareness of not only a sport that is uniquely Australian but has also realised a potential for breeding better horses for the sport. It has created a want to become more involved in a uniquely Australian competition, about horse and horseman, that is salt of the earth. Campdrafting identifies with Aussie spirit and is a sport that creates comradery amongst genuine stockmen and horsemen. It engages in the understanding of horses and cattle that is a way of life in country areas where growing cattle is of the utmost importance.

From Juniors all the way through to the Open classes, it’s a sport that involves the entire family. It was through this competitive nature of people on the land where the sport of campdrafting first started; it was about who had the quickest, soundest and smartest horses in the camp. It was one property’s breeding programme against another, with everyone trying to produce their best.

It’s grown into a fun rivalry, where competitors stive to be the best at controlling and understanding stock through the agility and horsemanship acquired through moving cattle on horseback. Campdrafting is a sport that now ignites families, from juniors all the way to older riders, and in fact one of the finalists at the Willinga at Juandah Plains Campdraft, Bruce McNaughton, was 78 years old and gave every ne a real shake in the final round!

Bruce McNaughton, competitive at 78. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.

To watch the amazing drafting ability of these experts who read cattle and horses with an intuition that is inexplainable is something to behold. No pressure, no jerking or obvious aids, no force. Balance and empathy with a horse and rider who actually become one. To see horses loving the experience of following and guiding cattle around two pegs and through a final line is inspiring. There is no doubt that there has been a genetic breeding programme along the way to see horses that are bred specifically for their innate ability to want to herd cattle.

Campdrafting is a huge sport and at the inaugural draft at Juandah Plains, there were over 1,000 entries and then 1,500 individual runs. The property in Queensland’s Western Downs region was purchased by Terry and Ginette Snow in 2019, and in the last 18 months they’ve taken the cattle property from bare country to an amazing campdraft facility. The arena is set in the bottom of an amphitheatre type area and nestles into the undulating property with consummate ease. The facilities include stables, arena and warm up arenas, the judges’ tower, the cattle yards, the sloping grassed areas for spectators, the canteen and bar facilities, and amazing landscaping with a lagoon – complete with its own manmade beach and waterway that adds a dimension that is so comparative to the intriguingly harsh backdrop of the reality of the Queensland country.

The winners

The competition spanned four days and there were 2000 head of cattle between 9 months and 12 months old that were gathered from Terry’s surrounding nine properties for the draft. A feat in itself! The majority were Hereford cattle, with some Santa Gertrudes and Hereford x Angus. The cattle were all in absolute prime condition and beautifully prepared and handled for the draft.

The Sandon Glenoch Angus & Dulverton Angus Ladies Shootout, with a strong field of 63 competitors, saw Sarah Cookson take out the win on her parents’ homebred palomino, Paradise. One of the last to go in a very classy field, and didn’t Sarah make it look totally easy and effortless. Having campdrafted most of her life, she took on a role with Mt St John dressage horses in Great Britain where she worked for five and a half years with the breeding programmes there. On her return to Australia, she ended up at Willinga Park working with the huge breeding programme with the stockhorses for Terry and now also with the warmbloods.

Her win was a thriller and very popular indeed! Her palomino scored 90, and in second was Susan Danastas on Duck N Down with an 89 (the same scores as Sarah, but for one less mark for horse work). Also in equal second was Tyler Palmer and Bluetoonz, and Jackie Knudsen and Snip. As can be seen, the girls certainly were tightly packed and there was serious talent seen in this class.

Sarah Cookson, winner of the Ladies Draft with Paradise. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.

In the Colliers Agribusiness Maiden class, for horses that have not won an Open draft, it was the chestnut Wildcat for Willinga Park ridden by Troy Palmer who took the championship with 179.5 from a huge field of 345 combinations. Second saw three on 178 after the two rounds. Ben Tapp riding Supernova, Harvey Wakeford on Telen, and Mick Southern on Neirbo President. The depth of classy, well-bred and trained horses was very obvious to see, with many runs completed. With the increase in prizemoney, sponsorship and live streaming comes competitions looking for better quality horses, and just as warmbloods are specifically bred and developed for the rigours of dressage competition, so is the breeding for top campdrafting horses. With now another outstanding purpose-built campdraft facility for Willinga Pastoral Company at Jurandah Plains, again the bar is raised.

The Shepherd Electrical Maiden 4 Maiden, a class for horses and riders that have not won at a draft, saw a cracker of an event. The night before, there was a Calcutta where the 24 horses and riders were auctioned, with half the pool going to aid Light Flight, a helicopter medical retrieval similar to Care Flight but local to this region. An impressive $18,000 was the total pool and there was much cheering and excitement for all involved. It was Charles Tapp and horse Notorious, the last out, who took first place, with Will Chugg in second and Harry Scott, a manager of one of the farms, in third.

Charles Tapp and horse Notorious, winners of the Maiden 4 Maiden. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.

The McKechnie Earthmoving Open draft saw two days of runs, with 403 horses eventually whittled down to the final thirty, and there were some seriously talented horses presented here. A really enthusiastic and large crowd had settled in for the day on the grassy slopes, in the grandstand and under the covered area over the well-attended The Water Hole Bar. There was a fabulous VIP tent with the best view catering for many people. The food was amazing, as were the drinks from Veuve Clicquot champagne to lychee martinis and strawberry mojitos, wine, beer and all in between. It was pretty exceptional.

The Water Hole Bar. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.

The VIP. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.

The eventual winner, from one of the last to go, was Luke Bennett on the stallion Millungeras Moon Beam, with an aggregate score of 267 (including 22 for the cut-out, 64.5 for horsework and 4 for the course in the final round). Luke was full of praise for this stallion and also for the amazing opportunities he has had. Luke made the final run look effortless and smooth, and what a beautifully conditioned, presented and conformed stallion indeed. He was excited to think that there was such an amazing facility as Juandah Plains to now compete at: “Facilities as these raise the bar for the future of the sport and that is very exciting and progressive for all in the sport.”

The Final line up for the Open draft. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.

It is certainly a sport of skill, but there is also an element of luck. This was evident when this year’s Willinga Park Gold Buckle winners, Ervines Just Jim and Pete Comiskey, were cracked off and didn’t make it to the final.

The mare Hells A Comin was in equal second on 265.5 and was the highest aggregate cut-out combination. This mare was cutting trained in Tamworth before being purchased for the breeding and competition arena by Willinga Park. This mare has some wonderful progeny, and she is now ridden and competed by the Palmer family for Terry Snow and ridden in the Open by Troy Palmer. The mare is outstanding, and cat-like on her feet. She has a heart as big as a lion and an uncanny agility and ability to read every steer’s move. She knows and loves her work.

Troy Palmer and Wildcat, winners of the Maiden Draft. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.

Also in equal second alongside Troy and Hells A Comin were Stewart Wallace on Bustin Style and Json Comiskey riding Saintly, and awesome runs from them as well. There were 32 of 38 clean runs, so that shows the standard! It was a very classy Open final and the winner received a cheque for $50,000.

In the Restricted Open it was Jason Comiskey and Saintly who won with a 91. Second went to Peter Black and Child Play on 90, and then on 89.5 to be third was Tim Hollis and Woodridge Terry. This class saw 70 of 124 have full courses.

What a competition. What a venue. What a weekend.

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