Dan Steers: Balancing Family & Horses

The Double Dan’s, Dan Steers and Dan James burst onto the eastern Australian scene in 2009, and the clearly talented and entertaining young men were an instant hit. Their larrikin personalities did not hide the fact that they were serious horsemen. Soon after, they headlined at the Kentucky WEG in the USA, and their audience broadened spectacularly. Not long after the WEG, Dan James moved to Kentucky to establish Double Dans Horsemanship in the US, and Dan Steers remained in Australia to run Double Dans Australia. As the world was at the time, there was plenty of flying back and forth to perform as the popular duo, whilst at home they would also do solo shows. Then along came COVID-19, and everything stopped. However, before COVID, Dan Steers, with his wife and fellow performer Pia, began reconsidering their work/life balance as, at that time, they also had two very young children.

“Having a family has given me a new perspective on life,” says Dan Steers. “Dan in the US has two children as well with his wife Elizabeth. Before we had children, we always thought we were busy, but with children to consider as well, we have been really busy. To be honest, I loved the break COVID provided. I was getting pretty overwhelmed with bookings up to twelve months in advance. Then everything just stopped. Then we just started training outside horses for longer, and we were at home with the kids all the time. Before that, I was away a lot, both entertaining and doing clinics. When we just had Zara, Pia would join me, but when Tom came along, it was too difficult with two babies. That was really tough. Now I am home nearly all the time and am away for short periods. I do all my teaching here at home, and the kids love it when I run clinics, as they terrorise everyone. COVID has taught me to be more selective. I prefer doing the entertainment with Dan and when Pia is involved as well.

“Dan and I are not entertaining physically together as much any more, which has as much to do with COVID as anything else. We were always flying backwards and forwards prior to that. But Dan will be back this year for Equitana and we will do the show together, the first time for the Double Dans since COVID. We will get together and do more because we have always wanted to maintain the Double Dan brand that we spent so much time building up.

“I don’t think the Double Dans could have continued without the support and understanding of Pia, and it is the same with Dan, as his wife Elizabeth is a horsey girl as well. Pia grew up on a Thoroughbred and Stock Horse Stud in WA, grew up in the saddle, and has ridden for longer than I have. She was a very successful competitor in the West and was the 2007 Champion WA ACA Rider of the Year, the same year she finished Veterinary Science at Murdoch University. Pia was a part of the Double Dans performance, including, but not limited to, doing a roman ride (one rider, standing on two horses). She took a back step when we had Zara and Thomas, but now they are a little older Pia has got back into riding and competing, which we love. Post COVID, we have restructured to have more horses in training, specifically for cowhorse events, and that has allowed Pia to get back out and start competing. A few people, especially on the East Coast, as we are both from the West, ask, did she ride before she met me? That can be a bit frustrating for her, as she is a strong, independent woman, and she was a strong part of the team in the early days. In May, on a borrowed horse, she came second in the Ladies at the Willinga Park Gold Buckle Campdraft. She has won a few things recently as well, and some people have wondered about her history.

“Without Pia, I don’t think we would have been able to achieve anything close to what we have achieved. Pia and I have been together since high school and we compete against one another as well. I think when we were younger, we were trying to prove something, but certainly now it is much more about being proud of each other’s achievements. When we moved to the east, Pia worked in a mixed veterinary practice in Newcastle and really supported Dan and I. Then she became more involved with the Double Dans and worked as a locum vet. We bought the farm at Tamworth, as it made sense as we were there so often, and now Pia does most of her work here at home because we do a lot of breeding and we always have a vet on hand. She is as busy as she can handle, but she will always help someone if she can.”

Is it genetically impossible for the kids not to be interested in horses? “Thomas, at seven, is probably not quite as keen as nine-year-old Zara, Pia and me. He still rides and, at this stage, hasn’t asked to do anything different. He will either get a bit older and love it or get a different interest. We have never worried about the kids being involved. They have had a good start with good horses and Zara particularly has started competing a fair bit and is riding the same competition horses as Pia and I. Tom is still in the Junior classes and is at that stage between riding a pony and riding horses. Zara has really developed. We have never pushed the kids but have always made riding available. But obviously, we love to do it as a family, and Zara has come a long way in the last six months. She easily rides four of my competition horses a day. She hasn’t had a lot of formal training, as we are still trying to keep it fun, but she watches and learns. Pia and I are both pretty competitive, so we are mindful not to put any pressure on the kids when they do compete; it is all about having fun. But Zara has had some success, even in the thirteen and under group, where she is competing against stronger and more experienced kids. Zara is a very good observer, particularly of her mother. It can be nerve-wracking, but we want to make sure they are safe, competitive and having fun.

“Going to the shows, we have an eight-horse truck that carries all their needs, and it pulls a family caravan. The kids love going to the shows, whether they ride or not. We do a variety of horse sports, so they get to see a lot of different kids. Now they know that wherever they go, there will be lots of kids to play with. It is a good way to bring up kids because it is a safe environment, as everyone is looking out for the kids. It is more like a village; everyone knows them, and they know everyone. Competing regularly with the same group of kids build strong friendships.

“They started at Kootingal Pony Club, but it was difficult to go and contribute one Sunday a month because of our other commitments, so it has fallen by the wayside a little bit. They did experience other disciplines, and I did do a bit of entertaining at the Christmas party, and would volunteer whenever I could to instruct the kids. The kids now, particularly Zara, are aware of what mum and dad do. And Tom, too. At Willinga Park last year, I did a show, and it was the first time Tom had seen it and enjoyed it. Everyone seemed pretty keen on us, and he had a bit of a laugh about that and was pretty proud. Zara’s schoolteacher is a bit of a fan and has come to do a couple of clinics, so she is doing pretty well at school. She is quite academic, too; she takes after her mother.

“I have always wanted to have a family, and Dan in the US has matched me in the US. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children, Isabella and Jessie (as in Jessie James), who are a year younger than Zara and Tom. Dan and I miss the fact that we don’t live closer together so the kids could grow up together. Dan is bringing his family out with him when he comes to do Equitana, and it is to be hoped we will all be able to have some time together after that.”

Article: Anna Sharpley.