Each year, members of the American Equestrian Federation select the best riders of the year in the United States. This year, the choice fell on Laura Kraut.
Laura Kraut has had a great 2021 season, which she owes above all to one horse: the now twelve-year-old Hanoverian Baloutinue. Balou du Rouet-Landor S, bred by Heinrich Mayer in Germany. Kraut had a testicular operation from Adam Prudent in April. Just a few days later they won their first Grand Prix in Wellington. The style was continued – the seventh at CSI5 * Grand Prix in Grimaud, the second in Rome, the eighth in Windsor.
There was no detour to an Olympic nomination, and the couple also presented here: a silver medal with the team. This makes 56-year-old Laura Kraut the oldest US Olympic medalist since 1904.
But the season is not over yet. At Aachen, the two vaulted with their fellow contenders to win the Nations Cup, a first for the United States in 15 years. Then they finished fifth in the Grand Prix. They started the 2022 season with sixth place at the Rolex Grand Prix in Geneva.
Lucky deal with Baloutinue
Baloutinue was born in 2010 in Heinrich Meyer in Langwedel. His mother Utica v. Landor S-Figaro went very successfully from A to M in the Leipzig vault with Ann-Kathrin Meyer.
Baloutinue himself belongs to the Baum family in Germany. Under the leadership of Franziska Baum-Gundlach he made his first steps in the sport and collected several streaks in jumping competitions. In 2018, Palotino then moved to the USA, where he was first introduced to the international sport by Adam Prudent, who passed the reins on Laura Kraut last year.
What is particularly striking about Palotino’s lineage is the line behind it, the line of the Oldenburg Dam in Uthuba. The former International Grand Prix of the Uta Graef Dandelion is a relative of Baloutinue. De Niro’s dandelion is descended from Unica, who was also Palotino’s grandmother.
In a generation earlier, another 1.60-width jump horse with an international reputation saw the light of day: Figaro’s Boy v. Figaro. By the way, it was supposed to be a tamed horse. In any case, it was offered as such at the Oldenburg auction. But the Figaro Boy wanted it differently.
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