 Dutton was born in Nyngan and was educated at Newington College (1976–1979).He pursued his passion for riding in Australia until 1991 when he moved to the United States to train in a more internationally competitive environment.In the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games he was a member of Australia's Gold Medal Three-day Eventing Team and he has now represented Australia in three Olympics and four World Equestrian Games.