Locals lighting it up

Matt Burns and 'The Enforcer' make one hell of a formidable team. Picture: SUPPLIED

By Russell Bennett

Ballistic action, heart-stopping excitement, and incredible skill – Sporting Horse Australia has it all in spades.

The sport, which includes disciplines such as flag and barrel racing, is captivating crowds right across the country, and two local riders – and their incredible horses – are leading the way.

Gembrook’s Matt Burns is also the current president of Sporting Horse Australia and he, alongside his Australian Stock Horse ‘The Enforcer’ (otherwise known as Rip), have won the Sporting Horse Australia Horse of the Year title three times. The two-time Australian champions are also three-time Australian champions in the flag and barrel race, two-time champions in the stake race, and also champions in the bending race.

They know what it takes to not only compete when the pressure is at its highest, but to also come out on top.

They’ve been the number one seed at the Royal Melbourne Show for three years running, and also finished in the top 20 in Barrel Racing Horse for the ABHA (Australian Barrel Horse Association) Australian Open event at the Equitana.

Right there along with them at the top of their game is another brilliant local pairing – that of Cardinia’s Teyah Murray and her horse ‘Devil in Disguise’, otherwise known as Pip. Yes, even their horses have almost identical names.

Murray and Devil in Disguise are two-time winners of the Sporting Horse Australia Horse of the Year in the under-18 category, under-18 champions at this year’s Royal Melbourne Show, two-time national champions in the under-18 flag and barrel race, and the Australian champions in the stake race. They’ve also been the under-18 seed for two years running at the Royal Melbourne Show.

Speaking to the Gazette at the spectacular purpose-built, under cover arena on Burns’ ‘Grandview Park’ property on the weekend, he and Murray explained the magic of their sport.

“My daughter got involved in the sport originally, and I watched it, really enjoyed it, and started to get involved, myself,” Burns said of his roughly decade-long involvement so far.

“It takes a bit of time to get on top of things, and even getting a horse up to speed can take a year or two.”

Burns has competed on a few different horses along the way, but The Enforcer is special.

“He’s just got a massive heart,” he said.

“Every time he goes out to compete, he really does give 100 per cent.

“I’ve had horses in the past that have been good, but only when they felt like it. Some days it felt like you just wouldn’t get 100 per cent.”

Burns said The Enforcer had a real racer’s instinct.

“He’s able to concentrate fully from the start of the race to the end, which is huge because at that speed it’s very easy to make mistakes,” he said.

“It’s such a high intensity sport, so the horses have to be very skilful and agile to bend their way through the poles. Over a traveling distance of just 50 metres they have to turn at high speeds.

“Just imagine sitting in a car trying to do that – it’d be just about impossible – so sitting on a horse doing it is a huge thrill.”

Clearly, this isn’t a sport for the faint-hearted.

“You’ve got to get to the point where you’re at one with your horse,” Burns explained.

“There’s got to be complete trust – especially at those speeds.

“But the horses really enjoy the sport. There has been some still taking part at 20-years-of-age. We all love our horses and really look after them incredibly well.”

Burns and The Enforcer rose to the top of the sport particularly quickly – with their achievements together coming in the past few years.

And Murray’s rise with Devil in Disguise has been just as phenomenal.

“We’ve been involved for about five years now,” she said.

“She was taking part with her previous owner and she went up for sale, and I’ve been racing with her for three years now.”

Murray said she and Devil in Disguise have been taking part in other events outside of the sport as well, helping to make the duo a more rounded team.

“Things like trail riding, going to the beach, and a lot of work outside of the sport,” she said.

“We do a lot to change things up.”

The contrast of Pip’s name to her racing name perfectly sums up her competitive streak.

Burns spoke about the consistency Murray and Devil in Disguise had found together – putting that down to the tireless work the young rider has been putting in.

“Teyah has turned her into an amazing horse – every turn she makes is bang-on, she just rarely does anything wrong. She was fast, but now she’s just so consistent too.”

Murray said another of her horse’s standout traits is her seemingly never-ending stamina.

“She’s got a huge heart – she’ll keep going until I have to tell her to stop,” she said.

It’s only fitting that Pip and Rip’s biggest defining traits are so similar. When they’re together, they’re practically inseparable – like two peas in a pod.

Despite being from different generations, Burns and Murray also have a clear bond over their shared love of competition, and it’s one that’s set to spur them on to even greater heights for years to come.