Christopher Burton’s Silver Triumph

As the epicentre of equestrian sports in Australia, the Hawkesbury boasts many remarkable riders, but Christopher Burton’s performance at the Paris Olympics might have just earned him the title of the greatest.

When the world watched Christopher Burton complete a flawless cross-country round on the second day of eventing at the Paris Olympics, it became evident that it would take an extraordinary effort to surpass him. And it did. Sitting in bronze position heading into the final test, the show jumping, Burton faced a formidable opponent: Germany’s Michael Jung, a man who has won three individual gold medals in eventing and now a fourth. Burton needed to jump double clear and hope for Jung to have two rails down. In the end, Jung only took one rail and claimed the gold. Burton secured the silver.

AUS-Christopher Burton rides Shadow Man during the Individual Medal Ceremony for the Equestrian Eventing. Paris 2024 Olympic Games | Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. Monday 29 July. Copyright Photo: Libby Law Photography

Team mate Shane Rose knew Burton was a serious chance of a medal. “It’s always great to be on a team with Chris, he is the ultimate competitor. We knew going into the Paris Olympics he was a real individual medal chance and he delivered,” Rose told the HP.

It was a spectacular result, especially considering it had been 24 years since Australia last took individual gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Even more extraordinary was that Burton was shortlisted not just for the eventing team in Paris but also the show jumping team – a feat never accomplished before at one Olympics. The only other rider to have competed in two disciplines at the Olympics is equestrian legend, Vicky Roycroft.

Known as the fastest cross-country rider in the world, a perfectionist in dressage, and a highly skilled showjumper, Burton was always favoured. However, his recent shift towards showjumping and away from eventing may have overshadowed just how exceptional he truly is.

“Burto,” as he is affectionately known, was born in Queensland on a grain and cattle farm at Brymaroo. He rode from a young age but did not win his first competition until he was 16 years old, relatively late for those who prefer to spot talent and winners at a much younger age. In an interview with Equestrian LIfe Magazine, Burton fondly recalled one of his first ponies “Spice.”

“I remember we were so little we couldn’t saddle her up and if we fell off, we would keep hold of the reins and try to find some food to get her to lower her head so we could climb onto her neck and hold onto her ears, and she would lift her head up and we would scramble on and ride home.”

With riding now a career, Burton moved to New South Wales to further his eventing, spending ten of his formative years in the heartland of horse sports – the Hawkesbury. While pursuing his eventing career, he rode track work for Philippe and Tara Vigouroux from Vigouroux Racing Stables at Clarendon to pay the bills. There were ups and downs, but it was perhaps the downs that crystallised his internal grit and gave him the confidence in his natural talent to tough it out for years in the most competitive eventing platform in the world. In 2011, he moved to the United Kingdom to compete against the world’s best on the toughest courses.

Burton was selected for the 2012 team for the London Olympics and came home with a team bronze at the Rio Olympics, shared with Shane Rose, Stuart Tinney, and Sam Griffiths. Individually, he came fifth, but this was perhaps overlooked by the team result and the public following a hilarious post-event media interview given by the team. Although selected for Tokyo, his horse Quality Purdey was ruled out due to injury before stepping on the plane to Japan. In 2024 Burton was selected on the eventing team for Paris, even though he had turned his focus to show jumping and had only been campaigning his horse Shadow Man for six months before the games. 

Copyright Photo: Libby Law Photography

Burton had his eye on Shadow Man for years. “I honestly think he’s the best horse in the world. He’s the most beautiful animal, very easy to get to know,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. 

Burton had tried to buy him years ago without success, but luck and circumstance allowed Burton to lease the 14-year-old gelding for six months to aim for the Olympics.

The rest is they now say is history and “Burto” has etched himself into the annals of Australia’s sporting history. What next? Burton and his family after years abroad will 

head back to Australia permanently, having purchased a property in Goulburn where he hopes to focus on teaching and showjumping.

But for any equestrian watching Burton’s dressage test, cross-country phase, or show jumping performance during the Paris Olympics, it was evident that Shadow Man was spectacular, almost as spectacular as the Australian boy from the bush who become one of the best riders in the world.