BURTON Christopher
Sport	Dressage, Eventing, Jumping
NOC	Australia
Gender	Male
Born	22 Nov 1981 in Toowoomba, AUS
Height	1.80 m

Image subject to copyright.
Not for reproduction.

Human Interest

Further Personal Information
Residence	England
General Interest
Hobbies	Skiing, water skiing, golf, playing the guitar. (badminton-horse.co.uk, 14 Apr 2019)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?	His mother enjoyed riding, and Burton was always dragging things around the paddock to make jumps as a child. "My brother was off herding the cattle and I was looking for logs to jump. I think watching Australia win team gold at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games was when I knew I wanted to ride."
General Interest
Awards and honours	He was named New South Wales Eventing Rider of the Year on four occasions between 2005 and 2010. He also won the 2005 Australian Eventer Rider of the Year award. (chrisburtoneventing.com, 18 Sep 2017) He won the 2008 Anna Savage Medal, which is presented to Australia's best and fairest event rider [co-recipient with Megan Jones]. (equestrian.org.au, 02 Nov 2011)
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?	He began riding at age three on his parents' farm in Dalby, QLD, Australia.
Further Personal Information
Occupation	Athlete, Coach, Horse Trainer
Languages	English
General Interest
Nicknames	Chris, Burto (Facebook page, 10 Dec 2020; Athlete, 04 Jul 2012)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Never give up on your dreams and never forget to pack clean underwear." (Athlete, 04 Jul 2012)
Other information	SWITCHING DISCIPLINES In early 2022 he announced that he would be switching to compete in equestrian jumping with a view to representing Australia in the sport at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. "I have always loved showjumping and it has always been a passion of mine. Having a team of jumping horses and a team of eventing horses like I had is tough. I was finding I was enjoying the jumping more than the eventing. Temporarily stepping back from eventing has been a really tough decision, especially when you think that eventing has been at the core of my life since I was a boy. When we spoke to our owners, and family and sponsors, we were overwhelmed by the strength of support that we were shown. I have had a fantastic career so far and a plethora of happy memories. I have no doubt one day that I will come back to eventing as it is a big part of who I am. But for now, I am excited to sink my teeth into this next chapter." (eqlifemag.com.au, 01 Jul 2022; Insights Magazine, 01 Feb 2022) FROM AUSTRALIA TO ENGLAND He relocated from Australia to England in early 2011 to improve his chances of selection for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He is based at Chedington Equestrian near Beaminster in Dorset, England, and runs the Chris Burton Academy. "I moved to England in 2011 with six really nice horses. All my owners in Australia supported my move here and helped me to get set up here. People forget that Australia really dominated the sport of eventing in the 1990s and into 2000 and it hasn't really gone anywhere. But it is fair to say, if you ask me, England is the best place to be based as an event rider and is the hub of eventing. For me, being based here, I can compete more horses and get to more major competitions. There is no doubt in my mind that one day we will move home to Australia. I'm not sure when that will be, but it's the greatest country on earth and we miss it very much. I'm really lucky. Bec, my wife, is Australian and she, like me, would be happy to move back to Australia one day – but in the meantime, we've got bigger fish to fry. We're well set up in the UK, so we'll keep going." (eqlifemag.com.au, 01 Jul 2022; chedington.co.uk, 18 Jun 2021; horsemagazine.com, 12 Jun 2021; eqlifemag.com.au, 01 Oct 2020; broadwindsor.org, 21 Jun 2020; burtonequestrian.com, 31 Dec 2019; equestrian.org.au, 02 Nov 2011) OTHER ACTIVITIES He has been a mentor for Equestrian Australia's High Performance Eventing Generation NEXT Squad riders. (equestrian.org.au, 07 Jan 2021; eqlifemag.com.au, 01 Oct 2020)
Hero / Idol	Swiss tennis player Roger Federer. (Athlete, 04 Jul 2012)
Last Update
	29 Jun 2022
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team	Chedington Equestrian: Beaminster, ENG
General Interest
Famous relatives	His wife Rebekah Thompson has competed in eventing at an elite level. (chrisburtoneventing.com, 18 Sep 2017; horsetalk.co.nz, 06 Sep 2016)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning the team competition at the 2016 Nations Cup event in Aachen, Germany. (Insights Magazine, 01 Feb 2022)
Other sports	He competed in equestrian jumping at the 2008 World Cup event in Sale, VIC, Australia. (SportsDeskOnline, 21 Jul 2020)
Most influential person in career	His mother, and coach Nelson Pessoa. (racingqueensland.com.au, 19 May 2022; Insights Magazine, 01 Feb 2022)

Major Results

Olympic Games
Year	Venue	Horse	Ind. Rank	Team Rank
2012	OG-C London (GBR)	HOLSTEIN PARK LEILANI	16	6
World Equestrian Games
Year	Venue	Horse	Ind. Rank	Team Rank
2010	6th WEG-C Lexington KY (USA)	HOLSTEIN PARK LEILANI	48
Other Events
Year	Venue	Horse	Ind. Rank	Team Rank
2013	CCI4*-HSBC Adelaide SA (AUS)	TS JAMAIMO	1
2013	CCI4*-HSBC Badminton (GBR)	HOLSTEIN PARK LEILANI	10
2013	CCI4*-HSBC Pau (FRA)	TEMPRANILLO	22
2012	CCI4*-HSBC Pau (FRA)	UNDERDISCUSSION	RET
2011	CCI4*-HSBC Pau (FRA)	HOLSTEIN PARK LEILANI	8
2011	CCI4*-HSBC Pau (FRA)	NEWSPRINT	WD
2011	CCI4*-HSBC Burghley (GBR)	HOLSTEIN PARK LEILANI	EL
2010	CCI4* Adelaide SA (AUS)	NEWSPRINT	2
2009	CCI4* Adelaide SA (AUS)	HOLSTEIN PARK LEILANI	EL
2008	CCI4* Adelaide SA (AUS)	NEWSPRINT	1
2006	CCI4* Adelaide SA (AUS)	BALMORAL KS ROSCOE	4
2005	CCI4* Adelaide SA (AUS)	LEEDO	14
2005	CCI4* Adelaide SA (AUS)	DEO JUVANTE	18
2003	CCI4* Adelaide SA (AUS)	DEO JUVANTE	17

Abbreviation	Meaning
DNF	Did Not Finish
DNS	Did Not Start
DNQ	Did Not Qualify
DSQ	Disqualified
FNR	Finished No Rank
RET	Retired
WDW	Withdrawal