She may only be 24 years old, but Ashlee Bond has already had the kind of year most show jumpers dream about.

Bond piloted Cadett 7 to six clear rounds in Nations Cup competition in 2009, anchoring the U.S. team to wins at the Rome (Italy) and St. Gallen (Switzerland) CSIOs. She rounded out her European tour by finishing seventh in the $487,687 Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen (Germany)—the highest U.S. placing—and by winning the $84,640 WARSTEINER-Prize Grand Prix (Germany). Back in the States she topped four CSI-Ws and competed in her first Rolex FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final.

“When she goes into the ring, it doesn’t matter if it’s Europe or Calgary or California; she’s always a competitor,” said U.S. Chef d’Equipe George Morris. “She’s never intimidated by the course or the other competitors, and she always goes for broke.”

Growing up in a family as involved with horses as with Hollywood—father Steve acted on General Hospital in the 1980s and mother Cindy is the COO of a film production company—left Ashlee ready and waiting for the spotlight.

“When I compete at an international level I actually feel more at home, because I’ve wanted to be here so badly,” she said. “That first time I put on that red coat was such an honor. You really feel like you’re part of something bigger. I love having that extra pressure; I thrive on it.”

Much of that confidence came from her spectacular partnership with Cadett 7 (Cor De La Bryere—Ginella). Ashlee and Steve spotted him during a Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum clinic when he was partnered with a junior rider. They told the owner, Aurora Griffin, about their interest but didn’t hold their breath for a phone call.

“But fate was just like, ‘Here you go,’ ” said Ashlee. “The potential was always there for him, and it just took someone to really believe in him to get him where he is.

“The first couple of times [I won] I thought maybe it was a fluke, but now I know that I’m not just getting lucky,” she said. “I feel like I’ve proved that I belong here.”

To many, it seemed like Ashlee came out of nowhere in 2008 when she first impressed Morris so much during the Spruce Meadows Masters (Alta.) that he decided, then and there, to send her to Argentina to ride on the Buenos Aires Nations Cup team.

But the gutsy young rider turned heads long before she donned a red coat. Getting her start with Jenny and Kost Karazissis, she rode small pony Beaujolais to championships at three Indoor horse shows in 1996, as well as to the Chronicle’s Show Hunter Horse of the Year honors.

“When she was probably 7 years old I happened to be walking by the pony ring, and I stopped to watch her round,” recalled Richard Spooner, who’s trained Ashlee on and off since she was 14. “She turned the corner to a single oxer, and it was like watching Katie Monahan gallop across the ring. She had a perfect sense of distance, stride and pace. It was obvious then she had a special talent.”

Ashlee ignored the equitation route of her peers and tackled her first grand prix at 16, anchoring the Zone 10 Young Rider squad at the 2001 North American Young Riders Championships (Ill.).

“I’ve always been drawn to the jumpers,” she said. “I love that it’s just you and the horse, and there’s no one telling you that you’re not going to win because your position isn’t right or you’re not skinny enough. It’s just you and the jumps, and it’s all about just not knocking them down.”

Ashlee competed in the 2004 Olympic Games Selection Trials, tying for 25th. Then, just as her career seemed on the cusp of a major breakthrough, she hung up her helmet and walked away.

“My heart just wasn’t in it,” said Ashlee, who spent her time off dabbling in acting and singing. “It had become a chore. I spent the next 21⁄2 years struggling to find myself, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I never would have come back if I hadn’t taken a break.

“We forget about why we do this in the first place,” she said. “As professionals, this is our job and our livelihood, but it’s supposed to be fun. I take the sport seriously, especially if it’s a big class, but I always keep a good outlook.”

“She has tremendous perspective, which really makes a big difference at the international level,” echoed Spooner. “She’s always enjoyed a special talent, and she really cares about the horses. But she’s got a fantastic attitude; she wants to enjoy the sport. That’s made all the difference.”

PERSONAL PROFILE

Birthdate: April 15, 1985.

Home: Little Valley Farms, Hidden Hills, Calif.

Top Horses: Cadett 7, 13-year-old Holsteiner owned by Little Valley Farms; Chivas Z, 11-year-old Holsteiner owned by Little Valley Farms; GVS Cassira Z, 13-year-old Zangersheide owned by Little Valley Farms.

Team: Barn staff Reuben Rivera and Anna Corona.

Hollywood Credits: During her brief foray into film, Bond landed a role in Extreme Days, and her mother recruited her to do voice work in the animated film The Ten Commandments. “I like to do funny cartoon voices anyway, so it was an awful lot of fun. I’m also a voice in a new movie that’s coming out about the [biblical] flood,” she said.

Business venture: Bondies, a line of equestrian-oriented lingerie.

2009 COMPETITIVE HIGHLIGHTS

Co-winner of the Maxine Beard Show Jumping Developing Rider Award

• 1st team—Cadett 7 (0-0), Nations Cup, Rome CSIO***** (Italy)
• 1st team—Cadett 7 (0-0), Nations Cup, St. Gallen CSIO***** (Switzerland)
• 7th team—Cadett 7 (0-0), Nations Cup, La Baule CSIO***** (France)
• 1st—Cadett 7, $84,640 WARSTEINER-Prize Grand Prix of Europe (Germany)
• 2nd—Cadett 7, $56,421 STAWAG-Prize Grand Prix (Germany)
• 6th—Cadett 7, $281,507 Longines Grand Prix of Rotterdam (the Netherlands)
• 7th—Cadett 7, $487,687 Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen (Germany)
• 26th—Cadett 7, Rolex FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final (Nev.)
• 1st—Cadett 7, $25,000 HITS Grand Prix, HITS Desert Circuit III (Calif.)
• 1st—Cadett 7, $25,000 HITS Grand Prix, HITS Desert Circuit IV (Calif.)
• 1st—Cadett 7, $50,000 HITS Grand Prix CSI-W, HITS Desert Circuit IV (Calif.)
• 1st—Cadett 7, $50,000 HITS Grand Prix CSI-W, HITS Desert Circuit, VI (Calif.)
• 1st—Cadett 7, $50,000 L.A. International Grand Prix CSI-W (Calif.)
• 1st—Cadett 7, $40,000 Summer Grand Prix, Showpark Summer Classic (Calif.)
• 1st—Cadett 7, $50,000 Grand Prix of Showpark CSI-W, Showpark All Seasons Summer Tournament (Calif.)

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