A Stellar Stable: Harry Charles’ String of Horses

Harry Charles has been an integral part of the British Jumping Team for the past couple of years. Still eligible for the U25 competitions, the young British star more than holds his own among the world’s greatest riders. Today, no other rider has more depth in their string of horses than the young Brit. With 6 horses rated over 697 on Elo and some younger horses coming up through the ranks as well, Harry Charles is the best-equipped rider in the world today from an equine point of view.

Two of the highest-rated horses in Harry’s string rank among the current Top 20 highest-rated horses in the world. Romeo 88 (758) was Harry’s partner contesting his first ever Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 and a year later at the Jumping World Championships in Herning. They were an essential part of the British Team that won Team Bronze in Denmark. The 14-year-old gelding hadn’t competed internationally since the World Cup in London ExCel late last year but has recently appeared back on the scene at CSI2* Chepstow to prepare for the upcoming season.

It is however the newest addition to Harry Charles’ string that he has expressed the most excitement about. Late last year, Balou du Reventon (754) left the stables of Brian Moggre and joined forces with the young Brit. Although the duo haven’t been paired up for very long, they have already achieved some impressive performances. They only competed in their first international competition in January 2023 and by February had already finished fourth in the World Cup competition of Bordeaux. This achievement made them eligible to contest FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha with a Top 10 finish as a result. With this summer’s European Championships in mind, one could state Harry is giving Balou du Reventon a similar preparation as he did Romeo 88 for last year’s World Championships. Just like Balou du Reventon has this year, Romeo 88 started 2022 off at the Tours in Spain before jetting off to compete at the World Cup Finals in Leipzig. He then didn’t make another appearance internationally until late May when he competed in Hamburg, followed by Sankt Gallen and Aachen in June, to peak at the World Championships in Herning in August. Is Harry planning a similar preparation for 17-year-old Balou du Reventon ahead of the European Championships in Milano in September?

Not to be outdone by his stable mates, Casquo Blue stands his ground among Harry’s two top steeds. Currently on an Elo of 732, which puts him just inside the Top 60 overall, Casquo Blue does not only maintain the highest clear rate at 150 and above in 4* and 5* competitions over the past 12 months, he also outperforms all of Harry’s horses on the EquiRatings CAS metric. Casquo Blue jumped 21 150 classes and over at 4* level and above and managed to stay clear in 14 of them coming to a clear rate of 66.7%. Because the average clear rounds of those 21 courses is just 7.8, Casquo Blue sports a CAS rate of 6.2 as he has stayed clear in over 6 more classes than what is considered average.

At 17 years of age, Borsato still sports an Elo of 709. Although we haven’t yet seen Borsato in international competitions so far this year, we didn’t see them until later in the season last year as well when he jumped a couple of smaller classes in Saint Tropez to prepare for the bigger shows ahead like Windsor, Aachen and London. Superb management from Harry Charles’ part as the pair finished second in the Grand Prix on home soil in Windsor that year. 

Another great partner for Harry Charles is Billabong du Roumois. The 12-year-old gelding is just a smidge away from passing the 700 mark on Elo, currently coming in at 699. Another relatively new partnership as they only got paired up a little over a year ago. Despite that, Billabong du Roumois has been a competitive ally for Harry, mostly in the 150-155 classes.

The next horse on Harry’s list may no longer actually belong to Harry’s string. Stardust (697) helped Harry take the win in the World Cup on home soil in London in 2021 and recorded three wins at 5* level in 2022. Since the latter part of 2022 however, Stardust seems to have joined Harry’s sister, Sienna Charles’ string of horses. Yet, he won’t find himself short of horses anytime soon with others like Aralyn Blue and Sherlock in the wings to keep him in business.

At the young age of 23, Harry Charles has managed to accumulate an exceptional roster of horses, unparalleled by any other rider today. With six horses rated over 697 on Elo, Charles has proved himself as a force to be reckoned with in the jumping world. His partnership with top-rated horses like Romeo 88 and Balou du Reventon has produced remarkable results, and his careful management of each equine athlete highlights his dedication and skill. As he continues to develop his partnerships with these incredible horses, Charles is well-positioned to dominate the international show jumping scene for years to come.