Bonneau was born in
Vendée, France in 1959. He first learned to ride at age 12, and in 1984 he followed his older brothers Jean-Pierre and André into a professional equestrian career.
Equestrian Bonneau represented France at international competitions, including at World Championships and European Championships. He won the bronze medal at the 1995
European Show Jumping Championships in
St. Gallen together with
Hervé Godignon,
Roger-Yves Bost and
Alexandra Ledermann. He was head coach of the French national team from 2000 to 2006. During his period the team won the gold medal at the 2002 World Championships and the silver medal at the 2003 European Championships. After that he became coach of the Brazilian national jumping team, winning the silver medal at the
2011 Pan American Games. During the
2016 Summer Olympics he was the private coach of French riders
Kevin Staut and
Philippe Rozier, who would go on to win the gold medal. In 2021 he became the technical advisor for the Young Riders Academy and he served four years on the
FEI Jumping Committee. He retired in 2023. Bonneau was a father and a grandfather. He died in March 2024, at the age of 64. ==References==