Text © World of Showjumping

Harry Charles has taken over the reins on Ann Thompson’s 17-year-old stallion Balou du Reventon (Cornet Obolensky x Continue). The British rider made his international competition debut with the stallion today, at the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour in Oliva Nova, Spain. 

Charles – currently ranked 14th on the Longines Ranking – already has the ride on other horses owned by Thompson, such as Romeo 88 (Contact van de Heffinck x Orlando), Aralyn Blue (Chacco-Blue x Ludwig AS) and I’m Special V (I’m Special de Muze x Indoctro).

Balou du Reventon has been hugely successful in the top sport with both Ireland’s Darragh Kenny and USA’s Brian Moggre. In 2019, Balou du Reventon was Kenny’s partner at the Longines FEI European Championships in Rotterdam. That same year, the two were also a part of Ireland’s winning squad at the CSIO5* Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final in Barcelona, won the CSI5* Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Chantilly, the Rolex Grand Prix of Knokke and placed second in the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix in Prague.

At the end of 2020, USA’s Brian Moggre got the ride on the stallion, and the two went on to win the CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix of Sopot in 2021. That same year, they were also part of the winning US team in the Mercedes Benz Nations Cup at CHIO Aachen, placed second in the Rolex Grand Prix at the same venue and were named the reserve pair for the US team for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Moggre and Balou du Reventon did their last international appearance together at the Agria FEI Jumping World Championship 2022 in Herning, Denmark.