At the end of April, Darragh Kenny announced the retirement of the 15-year-old mare Babalou 41 (Balou du Rouet x Silvio I). The Irish rider took over the reins on Jack Snyder's chestnut mare from Todd Minikus. Together, Kenny and Babalou won the CSI3* Grand Prix in Kentucky in 2018 and in 2019. The pair's biggest achievements include finishing fourth in the CSIO5* Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen in 2018, and fifth in 2019. Babalou also had lots of success with Minikus in the saddle. The pair won the CSI3* Longines FEI World Cup Qualifier at Live Oak International in 2017, the CSI4* Grand Prix in Wellington in 2017 and the CSIO4* Grand Prix in Wellington in 2015 – to mention some.
With this dive into our photo archives from Aachen – in 2018 and 2019 – where the mare recorded some of her biggest career achievements in the Rolex Grand Prix, we wish Babalou a happy retirement!
Photos © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping.