Dream Rig - Team Burton’s Luxury European Truck

This article is from the November 2019 Horse Deals magazine.

After proving himself as a world-class competitor on Australia soil, UK based Australian event rider, Chris Burton, made the international move in 2011. The cross country speed-king has represented Australia at three World Equestrian Games, two Olympics and is the current Event Rider Masters Champion. Such accomplishments cannot happen without travel to countless events, with Chris, wife Bek, son Harry and their newest family member, baby Jack, commonly spending two to three weeks away at a time. The Burtons travel in a classy custom-built truck, with the metallic orange exterior inspired by the sponsorship of Schockemöhle. The truck was custom built by English luxury horsebox manufacturers, Equicruiser on a Scania chassis, weighing in at 26 tonne.

In the design of the truck, the idea was for the living to feel like home. “We opted for real timber for the walls and cabinets to give it a really top end look and Corian for the work surfaces,” explains Bek. “There is plenty of storage in the living. The large draws in the kitchen allow for plenty of food and cooking items to be stored. There are two big drawers under the sofa and the lids come off the footstools which creates lots of room for storing all Chris’s competition clothes and wet weather gear, a must in the UK!”

With a big team of horses heading to each event, underfloor lockers provide the team with all the space needed for all saddles, bridles, saddle pads, rugs, feed and bedding. “These days the storage also allows for big boxes of toys and a double pushchair to attend events too!” Bek jokes. The roof racks on top provide additional space for hay and bags of shavings.

The other luxuries are maybe less obvious to the eye; “Things like the lights and the fridge automatically swapping between mains and the batteries are great. We never have the problem of accidentally flattening the batteries. The auto-start generator also draws diesel directly from the fuel tank as well, which is one less thing to forget to fill up.”

You’re probably wondering where the grooms have to sleep. Discreetly hidden as what looks like storage, at the head of the horse section, is another double bed which is located above the bathroom. A skylight above keeps this second bed from feeling too claustrophobic. At events, the horse area is cleaned out and a carpet laid down, which enables the grooms to have their own space to change and unwind.

What more could they want in a rig? Well with a growing family, plenty of world-class horses, and grooms in tow, the Burtons are planning a truck upgrade and we can’t wait to see how they upgrade from this stunning orange beauty. This truck is eligible for import to Australia so will be available to the Australian market.

Sign up to our newsletter