Christopher Burton

Chris Burton grew up on a grain farm near Toowoomba in Queensland. On his third birthday he got his first pony, Clancy, and with him he began his riding.

At six his eventing future kicked off with a new pony called Spice, using bricks and broomsticks, he’d build jumps for the pair to practice over.

Chris did his first EFA event in 1994 on Just Joshin. Shortly after Chris started riding Deo Juvante and soon enough the two rose through to 5****. 2008 saw Burton win 5* in Adelaide on Newsprint.

In 2010, Chris made his international debut for Australia at the Equestrian Games in Kentucky, finishing midfield in the event on his horse, Holstein Park Leilani. Chris soon became recognised as an established elite rider, and went on to compete on the Australian, British and European Eventing and Showjumping circuits.

Chris’s Olympic debut followed in 2012 at the London Games, where he finished 16th in the individual and sixth in the team event.

In 2015, Chris placed fourth at Luhmuhlen with Graf Liberty. He also went on to place third and fourth at Burghley on TS Jamaimo and Haruzac. 2015 also saw Chris take out the world record for the lowest ever finishing score at a three-day event aboard Santano in the CCI*** in Camphire. The duo finished with a dressage score of 24.5.

At the Rio 2016 Olympics Chris rode alongside Sam Griffiths, Stuart Tinney and Shane Rose, the team finishing third behind France and Germany in gold and silver respectively. During the Games, Shane was eliminated in the cross-country phase, so the three remaining Aussie riders had to be in top form as they entered the final day of show jumping in gold medal position. 

Riding Santano II, Chris clipped two fences, including the second last, but he did well to avoid a disaster at the final hurdle where a mistake would have handed the bronze to New Zealand.

Chris also narrowly missed out on medals in the Rio individual eventing competition, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

At Kentucky 2018 he placed ninth on Nobilis 18. In 2019, Chris claimed third and fourth at Badminton with Cooley Lands and Graf Liberty and second at Pau with Quality Purdey. Chris finished the 2019 season as world no.3.

Chris was set to compete in his third Olympic Games in Tokyo, with his horse Quality Purdey, but had to withdraw two weeks out from the Games.

Following pre-Olympic veterinary inspections it was determined that Quality Purdey had sustained a minor injury and the decision was made that her welfare should not be compromised.

In 2021, Chris, who is based in Dorset in the UK, made a successful career shift from eventing to showjumping. However, early in 2024, he made a last-minute decision to return to his roots with the aim of qualifying for the Paris Olympics in eventing.

Chris took on the ride on Shadow Man, an exciting 14-year-old gelding produced to five-star level by British rider Ben Hobday, and quickly showed he had lost none of his artistry.
“I haven’t lost it,” Chris said. “On January 14 I asked my wife how she felt about my going eventing again — she said ‘Oh no’ — but by the end of next day we owned a percentage of Shadow Man.”

A series of strong performances by Chris and Shadow Man, including at Ireland’s Millstreet International Horse Trials – an Olympic selection trial – won them a place on the Australian team for Paris.