Words by Suzy Jarratt
Blame it on the black cats of Badgertown. It was as if they were on a mission to upset the young eventer from New Zealand.
‘Let’s keep crossing his path and see if we can shatter his hopes and dreams’.
They did a good job.
In mid-2012 Clarke Johnstone began working out of Mark Todd’s yard – a 130 acre property in Badgertown near Swindon in Wiltshire. He had been doing well, his hopes were high and he had three good horses – Orient Express, KS Secrets and Incognito. One by one they succumbed to various injuries and the final straw was the death of Incognito, his four star NZ thoroughbred by Sporting Show out of Flow Gate. He was initially bought to train and sell on but Clarke then decided to keep him and take him through the grades because of his exceptionally careful and scopey jump and trainable brain. Then tragedy struck as Clarke explained on his Facebook:
October 27 ’13: Unfortunately I have some bad news. Last week Incognito had to be put down after fracturing his leg in an accident in the field. Devastating news for me and all of the people associated with Ollie – and there are many. He was a super little horse and gave me the most amazing ride around Burghley for my first time which I will always remember. It has come at the end of a year with plenty of disappointments – I have decided to move back to New Zealand now and am really looking forward to that. I can’t wait to get stuck into things at home again and try to show that it is possible to make the Olympic team from NZ. I will be based in the Waikato again and will be available for lessons as well as schooling and competing horses from January so get in touch!
Several years ago life could not have been better for this 26-year-old. Highlights included three times winning the New Zealand Advanced Eventing Championships, being the youngest ever winner of an Eventing World Cup Qualifier at 19 and being part of the NZ team which won bronze in Kentucky at WEG 2010. The other three members were Andrew Nicholson, Caroline Powell and Mark Todd.
Clarke and Orient Express in Kentucky…
“It was a real honour and it felt amazing to be on that team. I didn’t get the performance I wanted personally but it was great to be there and a hugely beneficial learning experience. Unfortunately Orient Express was tired and we had a stop during the cross country. We did the best we could but sometimes these things are out of your hands.
“It was certainly not a complete disaster as we both learned so much,” recalled this self-effacing young man.
He also won the 2011 FEI World Cup Eventing Series with wins in the NZ and Australian rounds and a sixth place at the French event.
In mid-2011 he went to the U.K. to focus on preparing for the London Olympics. He was to have been named in the five-strong Kiwi team but it was not to be. Orient Express (NZ thoroughbred by Blues Traveller) sustained a leg injury and was ruled out after the final vet check.
Quite simply, Clarke was ‘absolutely gutted’.
At that time he still had Incognito, who was coming good after being out for a year, and they began competing again. He could have been a contender – until that accident.
So now it is time for Clarke to move forward. Teach, ride in his home country and in Australia, and work on some young ones.
His relationship with horses began when he was growing up on his parents’ sheep and cattle property. His older sister suggested he ride with her down by the river and he has been riding ever since. He was 12, not much older than some of the pupils at his two-day clinic held in mid-December at Wallaby Hill.
It was organised by Bella Mowbray, THM’s December 2013 Equimec Rider of the Month who won the CCI*** at the Baxter Boots Lynton Horse Trials in October. She had worked for a year with Clarke just after leaving school.
“I met him at the Melbourne Three-Day event and asked if he wanted a working pupil. He said he had someone coming from America but if I really wanted to come to New Zealand then he’d tell the other girl not to.
“I took my horse (Star Vision) over there and it gave me a good sense of how a yard should be run. It also gave me a good work ethic and made be appreciate that hard work pays off. Clarke is both a good worker and a good teacher.”
During her time over there she placed sixth at Puhinui CCI **.
Bella was a more experienced jockey than many at the Johnstone clinic who, with a few exceptions, tended to fall into the newcomer, introductory or preliminary categories.
But all were treated with the same degree of respect and consideration. There was no shouting, sarcasm or grandstanding.
“I don’t like being taught like that and I see no need to do so when I’m giving lessons.” He frankly admits that he regards teaching as a commercial exercise, although he enjoys doing it.
“Being in England is very expensive and now I’m back based in New Zealand I need to make more money. I didn’t teach much when I was in the UK, and you need to be seen out at the big shows to get any rides. All my horses were out and I had nothing to compete on.”
Since his return he has had a few catch rides and done well. In early December he was third in the two star at Puhinui International three-day event riding Sam Taylor’s Leo Degas.
“I made a few mistakes in the dressage but I was very pleased with him,” said Clarke.
And prior to Wallaby Hill he was invited to compete at Eventing in the Park. Held in Perth on the banks of the Swan it featured showjumpng and cross country, offered $85,000 in prize money and attracted 2,500 people.
“It was an invitational event in McCallum Park and it was great,” he said. “The venue was excellent, hospitality marquees everywhere and fashions in the field. The course was brilliant. It was the idea of someone called Peter, I don’t know his other name.”
It was Peter Hickson’s concept, who has eventing daughters. The owner of Spices Catering, he got together with his old friend Peter Greene, of Solid Gold Diamonds – the stylish program was put together in just eight weeks.
Fifty riders were approached to compete in both the Diamond and Grand Prix classes – entry fees were $250 and $500 respectively.
The winner of the first event won a $10,000 diamond bracelet (Clark came 18th on Tom Tom) and in the GP Tegan Cook riding Better on Sunday won a Shacks Holden Trax with a score of 164.25; Stuart Tinney was a bee’s knee behind on Max Almighty with 164.27 and Clarke riding Crime Time came third 168.05.
Undoubtedly the competition was a success although some of the public was a little put out. Many who went through the general admission gates complained that they were cut off from much of the action as everything was geared for the marquee area. They couldn’t see the big screen and were cheesed off that the announcers never gave the penalties or times at the end of each round. Their general consensus was that it was a great initiative but they would have liked more for their $50.
At Wallaby Hill the students certainly got their money’s worth. Sixteen-year-old Emma Crestani from Ingleside learnt a lot.
“Clarke’s such a soft, gentle teacher but he got results. He was quick to understand me and Ootsi.”
She has had her 14.1hh Arabian/Quarterhorse for two years and it was quite apparent that this little 12-year-old had a strong will. Clarke taught Emma exercises she had never heard about before.
“We did a range of new jumping techniques in the indoor which helped with position, especially working through the grids.
“The cross country was challenging but rewarding. It was a range of exercises concentrating on tempo, control and striding as well as technique. I jumped bigger out there than I’d ever done before and I got a better understanding of my horse’s potential which was fantastic.
“Clarke asked us to shorten and lengthen the strides between two jumps and this helped me a lot in gaining control and balance which is vital if you want a smooth round.”
Her 16-year-old friend, Lauren Beddy from Warriewood, was equally as happy with her lessons.
“Clarke was chilled and calm. I have a 10-year-old thoroughbred mare and another exercise he taught was how to jump on an angle. Throughout the two days he kept impressing upon us the importance of care and preparation. I’ll be going up a level shortly and later, when I leave school, I’d like to go to TAFE and become a vet nurse.”
Emma is aiming for a job in the horse industry – she has the contacts. He sister, Amanda, is marred to David Shoobridge of Revelwood Stud in Somersby.
“Who knows what will happen. In the meantime I just want to go to more clinics like Clarke’s.”
And hopefully Clarke will go where there are no black cats.
