Sport horses in the spotlight: Baloutinue

Baloutinue’s Early Years

When Baloutinue (Balou du Rouet x Landor S) was born on April 5, 2010, no one could have known that this horse would one day go on to win team silver with Laura Kraut at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and achieve further successes in show jumping. Baloutinue, whom his breeder Heinrich Meyer († 2019) affectionately called “Balou” — a nod to the bear from The Jungle Book — spent his early years out in the fields at Meyer’s Stubbenhof and was backed as a four-year-old.

Holger Baum, who had already purchased many horses from Meyer, then bought him, and the four-year-old Baloutinue moved to the renowned Foal Farm of the Baum family in the Taunus region, where he was presented in his first young horse show jumping classes by Holger Baum’s daughter, Franziska Baum-Gundlach. It was with these first competitions that the name “Baloutinue,” the Balou du Rouet offspring, came about. As the five-year-old was said to be a bit special but showed great potential, he went into the hands of Daniel Etter in Switzerland. The Hanoverian was later sold to the United States and made his debut there in 2018 with Adam Prudent. Over the next three years, the pair celebrated many successes together — for example, three consecutive FEI wins in 2020 in Tryon, or his series in Wellington in 2021.

Baloutinue’s Journey with Laura Kraut Begins

When St. Bride’s Farm in Virginia purchased the then eleven-year-old Baloutinue  in 2021, it was clear that Laura Kraut and Baloutinue were destined for great things. Kraut began her journey with him shortly after Baloutinue’s successful run with Adam Prudent in Wellington, Florida.

It didn’t take long for the dynamic duo to step onto the big stage. Less than a week after the start of their partnership, they claimed their first victory in a CSI3* Grand Prix on home soil in the United States — against a field packed with exceptional athletes.

A month later, they finished second in the Grand Prix of Rome CSIO5*, marking the start of an outstanding season. Shortly afterwards, Kraut and Baloutinue were selected for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where they helped the U.S. team claim silver on one of the biggest stages in the world. As the first combination to go in the jump-off, it was up to Kraut and Baloutinue to put pressure on the Swedish team. With a phenomenal clear round, they completed their performance and, after an extremely tight contest between the United States and Sweden, left the arena as Olympic silver medallists. This was a milestone not only for Baloutinue and Kraut, but for the sport as a whole.

At the moment she won team silver, Laura Kraut became the oldest U.S. athlete to win an Olympic medal since 1904. She was also named International Equestrian of the Year 2021 at the USEF Pegasus Awards.

“It’s a dream come true", Kraut said .

Laura Kraut and Baloutinue’s run of success was only just beginning. Their next stop was CHIO Aachen in Germany in 2021, where the duo helped their team win the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup CSIO5* after delivering a faultless round in the second leg. As the last pair to go, the fate of the U.S. team rested on their shoulders—and they delivered. With every competition, the synergy between the two grew stronger.

In February 2023, another major milestone awaited Laura Kraut on home ground in Wellington, Florida. Together with Baloutinue, she won the $425,000 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix CSI5*, where the world’s elite riders came together. In a seven-horse jump-off, the pair posted the fastest time—one that no other rider could beat. It was Laura Kraut and Baloutinue’s first shared victory in a five-star Grand Prix, making it a memorable achievement.

Their most recent triumph came at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Mexico, where Laura Kraut and the 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding battled with the U.S. team in an exciting jump-off against Mexico for the win. As the only pair to remain fault-free over two rounds, they advanced to the jump-off. Clear once again, Laura Kraut and Baloutinue secured a sensational international victory for Team USA.

“I don’t think there’s anything Balou can’t do,” Kraut said.

Laura Kraut also calls the 13-year-old gelding by his nickname, Balou—the name his breeder gave him years ago. All around the world, Baloutinue and Kraut have celebrated major successes in a short period of time. What’s next for these exceptional Olympic partners?

Discover “The Story of Baloutinue” and his partnership with Laura Kraut on ClipMyHorse.TV