Details
Baloubet du Rouet is one of the most famous show jumpers of all time. Baloubet is a classic French type, athletic, reactive, fast, respectful, powerful, flexible and impressively was still competing at the highest level at the age of 18. Born in 1989, Baloubet du Rouet was quite successful at a young age, when ridden by Nelson Pessoa on the French circuit, including winning the 7 year old stallion test at Fontainebleau. Baloubet du Rouet won many of the greatest international show jumping competitions. He is the only horse ever to win three World Cup finals in a row: Helsinki 1998, Gothenberg 1999 and Las Vegas 2000. In the World Cup final held at Gothenberg 2001, he was runner-up, having tied for first place after three days jumping with Tinka’s Boy, losing by just 4 faults in the jump off. No horse has achieved such a record in the World Cup series, 3 wins and two seconds in 5 consecutive years.
He won team bronze medal at the 2001 Sydney Olympics and many Grand Prix and Nations Cups. In 2003 Baloubet won Grand Prix at Balve and S-Hertogenbosh. He was also successful in 1.50m and 1.55m classes at Verona, Bremen and Calgary. In 2004 Baloubet had another extremely successful year, winning Grand Prix’s at Bordeaux, Geneva and Paris Bercy. He also had another 12 top 3 placings on the international circuit, won Individual Gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and in 2004 he was elected Best Horse in the World. His sire, Galoubet A, was also an impressive show jumper. Ridden by the French rider Gilles-Bertran de Ballanda, he won 19 International Grand Prix’s and was on the French Gold Medal winning team at the 1982 Show Jumping World Championships in Dublin, Ireland.
Baloubet du Rouet’s dam, Mesange du Rouet, won 8 of 13 competitions at age four, and 5 wins out of 12 at age five, before becoming a broodmare and producing 5 foals. Mesange du Rouet was also the dam of the impressive Unadore de Rouet (sired by J’T’Adore), who attained a jumping index of 171, and went on to compete under Jean-Marc Nicolas and Olivier Guillon. Her sire, Starter, is a noted sire of broodmares. Grand dam, Badine, also produced Globule, dam of Nemo de la Fosse and Urcos du Rouet.
Baloubet transmits to his offspring his balance, suppleness, jumping skills and speed. While competing he was able to efficiently use his powerful engine, big canter and strong hindquarters to compensate for a somewhat flatter back. His offspring are smarter than average and very respectful over the fences. They need to be challenged to stay interested in their work. He will suit mares built uphill with a compact to standard frame, a shorter back, longer neck and a sweet/kind temperament.
Baloubet had been raised on Normandy’s lush pastures, near Mont Saint Michel, on the St. Aubin de Terregatte farm of the celebrated breeder, Louis Fardin. When he was three years old, Baloubet was shown to the Portuguese couple, Nicole and Diego Coutinho Pereira, and it was they who sent him to their friend Nelson Pessoa.
Like his sire, Galoubet, Baloubet du Rouet was first-and-foremost a star in the competition ring. Nelson Pessoa carefully brought along Baloubet on the French stallion circuit for Young Horses, winning the 7 year old stallion test at Fontainebleau in 1997 before gently beginning international competition. When the horse was nine, Nelson decided to give the ride to his son Rodrigo.
Just one year later, Rodrigo and Baloubet won in Göteborg, Paris Bercy, Falsterbo and Donaueschingen, and a remarkable career was underway. Baloubet set a record that is unlikely to be bettered, winning three World Cup Finals in a row, 1998, 1999, 2000, and narrowly missed out of a fourth in 2001!
Although the horse may have had his disappointments, notably at the Sydney Games and Jerez WEG, two years later, they still had a more than respectable 2002 season, winning in Geneva, Calgary, Aachen, Hardenberg, Paris Bercy and Bordeaux.
In 2003 Baloubet won Grand Prix at Balve and s’ Hertogenbosh. He was also successful in 1.50 m and 1.55 m classes at Verona, Bremen and Calgary. In 2004 Baloubet had another extremely successful year, winning Grand Prix at Bordeaux, Geneva and Paris Bercy before going on to win the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games when Waterford Crystal, who was first awarded the medal, failed a drug test. He won the Las Vegas World Invitational Grand Prix in 2005 and the Budweiser Invitational in Florida in 2006. He retired from competition in February 2008.
Not surprisingly, Baloubet was sought after as a sire, and Baloubet has emerged as the number one sire of jumping horses on the WBFSH standings for 2012.
As a stallion, Baloubet’s influence extends right across Europe. He is licensed in studbooks of the Selle Français, Belgian Warmblood, Holsteiner and Hanoverian.
His top performers include: Chaman (KWPN) out of an I Love You mare. Ridden by Ludger Beerbaum, the stallion in 2013 alone, recorded wins at Donetsch, Aachen, Göteborg, Paris, Zurich and Basel.
VDL Bubalu (KWPN) out of a Nimmerdor mare. With Jurg Vrieling, Bubalu has competed at the Lexington WEG, the London Games and the European Championships in Herning, and is a key member of the Dutch team.
Southwind VDL (KWPN) out of an Ahorn mare, was a regular member of the Irish team with Cameron Hanley before the ride was taken by Tiffany Foster in 2011. At the World Cup Qualifier in Calgary 2013, the pair were 4th.
· The Belgian bred (in case you can’t tell from its impossible name) West Side van de Meerputhoeve (out of an Apollonius mare) has been a consistent performer for Switzerland’s Clarissa Crotta – their highlight in 2013 was a 2nd behind Corradina in the Grand Prix of Braunschweig.
· The chestnut stallion Babluche van het Gelutt Z out of an Aldato mare, has been another solid performer for Athina Onassis. The pair were 3rd in the King’s Cup in Madrid in 2013
· The French bred Murat De Reve out of an Arpege Pierreville mare, has been a moderate campaigner for the Spanish rider, Natalla Golding.
· Napoli du Ry (out of a Silvio mare) was ridden by Simon Delestre in the French team at the London Games.
· AD Rahmannshof’s Bogeno (Elanville) carried Alvaro de Miranda Neto to victory in the Valkenswaard and Wellington 2013 Grand Prix, and the pair finished in =12th on the final standings at the London Games.
· Palloubet d’Halong (Muguet du Manoir) carried rising Swiss star, Janika Sprunger to international fame with a 2nd in the Grand Prix of Aachen and a 7th at the European Championships at Herning before the gelding was sold reputedly for €16,000,000 for Edwina Alexander to ride – although before she had the chance to enjoy her new pony, it was sold yet again, this time to Qatari rider, Ali Yousef Al Rumaihi.
