What are the differences? Why would you choose to bred to one and not the other? Opinions!?
I think it depends on your mare and what you’re trying to improve- I can tell you that I met Bon Balou at the 70DT and also got to watch Bliss- and I can see why they’re compared so much being 3/4 brothers. However I was so impressed with BBs attitude and his jumping took my breath away- it seemed effortless. He was the jumper champion of the test. I was looking to add to or keep my mares jump and add power to her hind end while keeping a great personality, all of which Bon Balou has… This year is BBs first year of NA foals where bliss has a few crops on the ground- and my former trainer has two, one of which sold almost immediately and one which was just born last week. I love Balou du Rouet so it’s exciting that between Bliss, BB, amazing and Banderas there are some options for what would suit your mare. I do have some opinions of course so feel free to PM me if you’d like- good luck!
I think all of the named stallions - Bon Balou, Bliss MF, Amazing, Banderas - all bring a lot of credibility to the table, bloodline and talent wise. The breeders that produced all of them used tried and true genetics to produce the very best those lines had to offer 
It now boils down to the mare, and the breeding goals of the Mare Owner. Hunter or jumper?
It would be one of those VERY interesting excercises to see the same mare get bred to all 4 stallions over her breeding career and then line all of the offspring up in a row and see how much they were the same / how they differed and then follow their careers in the show ring
Genetics being what they are, each foal should be markedly different
What I think WILL stay the same is that each foal should have the ability to excel in its discipline of choice
If the goal was to produce a hunter rather than a jumper, which of the Balou du Rouet stallion would you select, and why?
[QUOTE=TrueColours;6900182]
I think all of the named stallions - Bon Balou, Bliss MF, Amazing, Banderas - all bring a lot of credibility to the table, bloodline and talent wise. The breeders that produced all of them used tried and true genetics to produce the very best those lines had to offer
It now boils down to the mare, and the breeding goals of the Mare Owner. Hunter or jumper?
It would be one of those VERY interesting excercises to see the same mare get bred to all 4 stallions over her breeding career and then line all of the offspring up in a row and see how much they were the same / how they differed and then follow their careers in the show ring
Genetics being what they are, each foal should be markedly different
What I think WILL stay the same is that each foal should have the ability to excel in its discipline of choice :)[/QUOTE]
I agree 110%!
We couldn’t be happier with our 2012 colt by Amazing. He is a hunter through and through and his disposition is by far one of the best we have ever worked with. We bred mom back for a repeat performance hopefully this year, in filly form to retain for ourselves. Then mom will be bred back this year to Amazing for a third time for a custom in-utero.
We have chosen Bliss MF to bred to our mare Etch-A-Sketch (who is the daughter of the mare we have been breeding to Amazing) I am very excited to see the result and think he is a wonderful match for her. It will be neat to compare the offspring out of mom and daughter.
I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the Balou Boys, if they seem to be a good fit for your mare and your program.
If you like the sons… use the father 
[QUOTE=Ssporthorses;6900307]
If you like the sons… use the father ;)[/QUOTE]
I’ve heard this statement a number of times, but you cannot forget the important contribution of the mother’s lineage. I may prefer Bon Balou or Bliss to get a the influence of Argentinus. The combination of blood and the end product is what this breeder is attracted to, not necessarily the father.
[QUOTE=Ssporthorses;6900307]
If you like the sons… use the father ;)[/QUOTE]
It depends on the mare whether the sire is the better or not. Sometimes, the sire is not the best choice. It’s the same idea when you have a mare and, say, 1 of her daughters in your program. The daughter does not necessarily go the best with the same type of stallion as the mother does. So it is with a stallion and his sons. Each is an individual and needs to be looked at individually.
I agree. When the sons offer the addition of new genetics through the mareline, sometimes the son is better choice. Sometimes, the sire is too expensive. Sometimes the son is better (as in, an improvement and better in quality, type, etc) than his sire. Depends on the horse, depends on the situation.
I agree about 90% with the if you like the son, use the father. I’m a huge Balou du Rouet fan but my mare was a maiden, and frozen made me nervous. Plus at the RPSI inspection I asked about the different sons and Otto said that he really liked what he was seeing in Banderas and his foals, because Balou had been rumored to be a difficult ride, so I love the fact that Bon Balou has the jump but a puppy dog personality too- as I’d love to have an upper level prospect but I’d also like to be able to ride the baby too.
I agree Zoey - Both the Grannus in Banderas and the Argentinus in Bon Balou improve the rideability. Balou du Rouet has some real heart and competitive spirit in him, but remember also, these horses are extremely fit and are fed practically rocket fuel especially when gearing up for the big competition and it does impact their rideability. Balou du Rouet isn’t as hard to ride as Hickstead was (Hickstead always required some rather impressive hardware to keep his enthusiasm contained, but admittedly Eric Lamaze also has some fire so they suited each other), but frankly Baloubet du Rouet always gave the appearance that he was a little like riding a rocket sled on rails. Rodrigo Pessoa is a gutsy, gifted rider and he always made it look easy. So, while the fire is there, the big underlying factor with all of these horses is their heart. They have BIG heart and real competitive nature, and a real gift for jumping. This is what makes them winning horses! It’s hard to find big heart and huge competitive spirit without having to give off a bit of the rideability. I’ve watched Balou du Rouet compete in person and the few little times I’ve seen him, he’s never once been mean to his rider under saddle. But head him toward a jump and he’s all business.
love reading these comments as we anxiously await a Baloubet du Rouet foal from a Darco daughter…I’d love to see all the genetics compared at the same keuring/inspection site…now I’d pay good money to see that!
Mareslave, that should be a really impressive showjumping foal. What are your plans for the foal - do you have a rider in mind already? Or are you planning to jump the kiddo yourself?
[QUOTE=TrueColours;6900182]
I think all of the named stallions - Bon Balou, Bliss MF, Amazing, Banderas - all bring a lot of credibility to the table, bloodline and talent wise. The breeders that produced all of them used tried and true genetics to produce the very best those lines had to offer
It now boils down to the mare, and the breeding goals of the Mare Owner. Hunter or jumper?
It would be one of those VERY interesting excercises to see the same mare get bred to all 4 stallions over her breeding career and then line all of the offspring up in a row and see how much they were the same / how they differed and then follow their careers in the show ring
Genetics being what they are, each foal should be markedly different
What I think WILL stay the same is that each foal should have the ability to excel in its discipline of choice :)[/QUOTE]
You just gave me a great idea for my mare She had a foal by Amazing this year and is being bred to Bliss for a 2014 foal. The filly by Amazing is spectacular and a total power house. I have an 11 month old colt by Banderas as well who is being raised as a stallion prospect. Guess I just lined up my next couple years of breedings
Bon Balou and Bliss share the same sire and dam-sire, but it’s evident that the two stallions could not be more different in type. You really should look to their dams and their mother lines to guide your breeding decision. Personally, I think it would be fascinating to compare the dam’s of each of these stallions.
Bon Balou and Bliss share the same sire and dam-sire, but it’s evident that the two stallions could not be more different in type.
Exactly. Couldnt agree more.
For my Nightlight (TB) mare, Bliss was my choice for her. Amazing was a close 2nd. I really went back and forth between both stallions - mentally - a lot. Both suited her perfectly.
I am toying with breeding my Pearlescent (much larger framed TB) mare to an outside stallion at least once, and Bon Balou would win hands down for her
Banderas didnt figure in for either of them - not because I dont like him - I do, but I regard him as more of a pure jumper stallion and neither of these mares would be inclined to produce jumper foals.
[QUOTE=baywithchrome2;6901811]
Bon Balou and Bliss share the same sire and dam-sire, but it’s evident that the two stallions could not be more different in type. You really should look to their dams and their mother lines to guide your breeding decision. Personally, I think it would be fascinating to compare the dam’s of each of these stallions.[/QUOTE]
Could you elaborate on the difference in type that you see? Have you seen both stallions in person? They look very different to me in video, but unfortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to see either in person, and I find sometimes that’s when you really get an impression of the stallion. I am going to do some more research on the motherlines, good idea.
I have a 2011 Banderas colt who has a very unflappable, kind, easy going personality. He has a very refined, arabian like head and not a lot of bone, he won’t be a big horse. I hope the attitude he’s shown thus far carries over into his under saddle work, he is such a fabulous guy to work with. I see him being a jumper, he seems very powerful and elastic. Banderas does not really wow me in the movement department, but this colt is out of a very strong moving mare, so maybe he will be able to do both rings. I really wish he were a filly so he could replace his mother as a broodmare.
I am putting my petite Beach Boy mare to Bon Balou this year. She had a very nice filly by Apiro and it seems like the more substantial type is a nice compliment to her high percentage of blood. I chose Bon Balou because of the grannus influence for temperment and the Argentinus influence for substance that worked so well in my Apiro filly. The mare is a good jumper but lacks in substance and height, so Bon Balou brings those I hope as Apiro did to her first filly, while keeping the great jump.
I really agree with others that they are all different but very nice stallions, and looking at what would compliment your mare best is the right approach.
I can’t help with bloodlines, but just lurking because I have a Baloubet du Rouet daughter. She’s very rideable. I’m a novice ammy and she curbs the athleticism for me (most days). She has a massive hind end to her but is very modern - a very leggy 17.1.
Her breeding is Baloubet du Rouet-Continue-Sandro.
In terms of producing upper level jumpers, Bon Balou comes from a very good motherline and a very, very strong branch with an exceptional producing mother (1.60 horse and multiple approved sons), a successful grandmother (1.60m horse, approved son, multiple 1.40m horses), etc. The mothers in this family are excellent producers and highly increase the heritability through Bon Balou: http://www.horsetelex.com/horses/progeny/38134
I have had two Banderas foals, and I saw both Bliss and Bon Balou in person last year at the 70 day testing (all phases, too). They are all nice stallions, and I have chosen to breed a mare to Bon Balou for this year. I am looking to produce strictly jumpers, FWIW. It can be hard to tell from videos sometimes, but Bliss and Bon Balou are actually quite different when compared in person. As another poster mentioned Bon Balou’s damline is quite nice and played a big factor in my choice, as well as his superb jumping ability and easy temperament.
Edited to add that the mare who is booked to Bon Balou has also produced a Banderas foal, so hopefully things will work out and I can compare the two using the same mare.
[QUOTE=Hillside H Ranch;6902413]
I have had two Banderas foals, and I saw both Bliss and Bon Balou in person last year at the 70 day testing (all phases, too). They are all nice stallions, and I have chosen to breed a mare to Bon Balou for this year. I am looking to produce strictly jumpers, FWIW. It can be hard to tell from videos sometimes, but Bliss and Bon Balou are actually quite different when compared in person. As another poster mentioned Bon Balou’s damline is quite nice and played a big factor in my choice, as well as his superb jumping ability and easy temperament.
Edited to add that the mare who is booked to Bon Balou has also produced a Banderas foal, so hopefully things will work out and I can compare the two using the same mare.[/QUOTE]
I bred to Bon Balou this year - or WILL soon - for similar reasons HHR
