A former brake man for the Bristish bob-sleigh team, he studied farming in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand before returning to farm black-faced sheep on the Lammermuirs in Berwickshire. A lifetime devotee of the countryside and its sports, Johnny is an excellent horseman, a keen shot and passionate supporter of country issues.

He is currently:
Joint Master of The North Pennine Hunt
Founder Member of The Cholmondeley Coursing Club
President of The Union of Country Sports Workers
President of The Gamekeepers Welfare Trust
President of The Tay Valley Wildfowlers Association
Vice President of The Heather Trust
Patron of The Sporting Lucas Terrier Association
Patron of the Wildlife Ark Trust
Centenary Patron of the British Association of Shooting and Conservation
Patron of The National Association of Beaters and Pickers Up
Board member of The European Squirrel Federation 

Johnny wrote and co-presented the BBC2 series "Clarissa and the Countryman" and currently writes for a variety of magazines and periodicals on field sports, food, farming, travel, history and the countryside.