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 Cove cowboys take on stunt world 

Cove cowboys take on stunt world

03 Sep, 2009 10:09 AM
STANDING on four horses trotting side by side with no saddles, bridles or padding has such a degree of difficulty that no other stunt riders in Australia will even attempt it, but Dan James has mastered it.

One half of the Double Dan Horseman Show James, and training partner Dan Steers, are taking the Australian horse entertainment industry by the reins with their stunning Roman riding act.

In the making for two years the stunt must be seen to be believed, like most of the Dans’ show, where horses can be found lying on their backs, sitting on bean bags and the crowd favourite - a horse that rolls over and has it hoof sung into.

But as Dan Steers assures, getting horses to perform manoeuvres that don’t come naturally doesn’t happen overnight.

“We’ve worked very hard to get where we are now and we’re always trying to improve on the show,” he said.

“We actually sit back and laugh at ourselves for some of the shows we’ve done in the past where we thought the act was really good but watching us now we really see how far we have come.”

Originally from Western Australia, the pair moved to North Arm Cove six weeks ago to take advantage of regular shows on the east coast and cut down on demanding travel across country. After meeting at a camp draught in 2007 the friends began performing together and have since appeared at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Dan Steers said without their strong friendship the partnership wouldn’t work.

“Dan and I are extremely close friends which adds to the fun of travel…going to smaller shows that are a bit rough is easier as well because you’ve got one and other.”

In preparation for the Adelaide Royal Show next week, the Dans are mixing up the live act with new ideas, more horses and a bit of comedy.

“We’re constantly trying to improve, which means we can’t become complacent, there’s really only a handful of shows that we thought we’ve really done well.”

Dan confessed the internet has also had a hand in improving the show.

“We usually bounce ideas off one and other, but YouTube would have to be the best tool for finding out what other riders in the world are doing.”

Asked if they had any downtime away from the stables, stallions and stunts the reply was a resounding “not really”, but Dan hinted there might be a chance for a spot of paint balling in the future.

“We’d really like to try out go carts, and paint balling – we’d really like to have a turn at shooting each other. I mean we go out and have a meal sometimes but this is pretty much our life,” Steers said.

Country boys at heart Dan said their 100 acre property and cast of six horses and nine being broken in for re-education are enough to keep them tied over for a while.

“It’s great, we’ve been pretty busy but we’re easy to please if we’re close to the country, and there’s a fair bit of room to move out here.”

The Double Dan show will appear at he Adelaide and Melbourne Royal Show in coming months before Dan James travels to Texas to perform at the Forth Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.

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DOUBLE DANS: Dan Steers and Dan James recently packed up their two man horse show and moved to North Arm Cove where they break-in and train horses for show.
DOUBLE DANS: Dan Steers and Dan James recently packed up their two man horse show and moved to North Arm Cove where they break-in and train horses for show.

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