Johnny Rogers

Description

My Life and Times: An Autobiography

A good stockman is born, not made. This is a subject often debated by farming people. The greatest example I have seen in favour of this claim is the writer of this book, my friend, Johnny Rogers. From his boyhood, selecting his father’s show pigs to farming on his own account but more particularly his wonderful feats on horseback and training his trick ponies, Johnny Rogers must rate as one of New Zealand’s top stockmen.

His feats with the famous pony Tony, and later with Echo, are legend, but perhaps even more amazing is the way he trained scores of children and young people to ride and care for their horses, as well as acting out all sorts of plays and precision movements on horseback.

Many schools throughout New Zealand were visited by the perfomers and much money was raised during World War Il for patriotic funds.

Johnny Rogers is also a superb showman, as thousands of show patrons in many areas will know, and one of the highlights of his career was his term as President of the Waikato A. & P. Association. Though, his greatest attributes have been his amazing Animal lovers will thrill to the modestly-told stories of his performing animals. Can animals think, understand what we are saying, of even talk? After reading Johnny Rogers’ book and knowing the man over the past twenty years. I am certain that they can.

– Peter Bourke

Published in 1984.