Claudia Johnstone and Grasshopper. Image: Purple Fairy Imagery
Barastoc Junior Squad: Meet Claudia Johnstone
In August 2016, Barastoc launched the Barastoc Junior Squad program to riding enthusiasts aged 13 – 18 who are passionate about riding.
The Barastoc Junior Squad aims to teach, inspire and guide young equine enthusiasts. The squad program assists young riders in gaining the experience needed to support a commercial sponsorship in adulthood, if it is desired or needed, as well as provide a solid understanding of feeding their horses. Each year Barastoc welcomes 20-30 new young riders to be part of the team.
Here, we catch up with Queensland cutting competitor Claudia Johnstone…
“My name is Claudia Johnstone and I am a cutting horse rider proudly sponsored by Barastoc Horse. Being a part of the Barastoc Junior Squad is an amazing opportunity to meet new friends in different disciplines and to learn from amazing people in the equine industry through monthly room chats.
“I am proud to wear the Barastoc logo on my shirt as the team is very supportive and encourages me to ride to the best of my ability and achieve my goals. Barastoc puts in a lot of effort to sponsor us and provide opportunities such as this one.
“I have mostly enjoyed meeting new people, learning about my horses’ diets, creating social media content and the room chats. Through Barastoc’s diet analysis, I have been advised the ideal feed for my horses. Our competition horses, mares, foals and breakers all love Barastoc feed and I definitely recommend it!
“My two cutting show horses are Foolaris and Koonamara Dual Lena (Grasshopper), both sired by EBs Phalaris. I love them because they are cowy and athletic and when I ride them, I can tell they love to cut cows. You can tell that they are trying, and they love to perform as much as I do. They also have fun personalities and I have learnt a lot about cattle, riding and showing from them both.
“My goals for this year are to show at the NCHA Futurity in the youth classes, and show consistently this season competing for Central Queensland Area Champion for the second year in a row. I would also like to learn more about training young horses and the training required to get a performance horse to compete at a high level.
“There are many riders and trainers that I look up to, including Adan Banuelos and Paul Hansma, two of the best American cutting trainers. They are committed and consistent with their riding and training and the know what it takes to win. They also display good sportsmanship at the cutting shows and help other competitors. I also look up to my coach, Matt Moffat, and Regan Lyons. Matt is a really hard worker and a talented rider, and he always helps me with my horses and riding. He helped me achieve my goals with Yulgibar Likes To Roc of competing in a Snafffle Bit Futurity and presenting and selling him at the Nutrien Classic sale.
“Regan is also a great trainer and I appreciate that he is in my corner at every show, helping my horses and I compete to the best of our ability.
“My biggest equine inspiration is definitely my Dad. My family is my biggest supporter and Dad introduced me to horses, riding and cutting and takes me to my shows, lessons and clinics. I would not be riding at the level I am today without him.
“My best advice to other competitors or anyone who enjoys riding is to be passionate, committed and to have confidence in yourself and your horse. I would also recommend talking to people such as judges or trainers to learn as much as you can to build on your results.”
You can find out more about the Barastoc Junior Squad here.
This article was written in conjunction with Barastoc Horse.
