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The gorgeous grey gelding Calder is more than just a pretty face, as he has been part of securing the Ukranian team at the top of European showjumping.
Calder is a 14-year-old Holsteiner Warmblood after Casall and Coriano. With his 169 centimeters, he has previously competed at a five-star level with the Swiss Olympic rider Romain Duguet and his French partner Maelle Martin. Calder is now in the trusted hands of Anastasia Bondarieva from Ukraine and continues showing his worth. Performing reliably throughout the year Anastasia and Calder as part of team Ukraine won the Longines EEF Nations Cup of Athens in early June. The team then came second in Austria Ebreichsdorf in early July at the Longines EEF Series 2023 Semi-Final. At the finals in September in Warsaw they secured third place and created history as this is the first time ever Ukraine as a team was able to achieve such great results.
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Calder also helped Anastasia perform her first ever four-star Grand Prix and placed nothing less than fourth in Prague at the CSIO4* Designated Olympic Qualifier end of July. The team did not qualify for the Olympics, but individual spots are still up for grabs, and it all depends on the ratings by the end of the year.
Besides they gentle giant’s willingness to perform, his personality wins hearts wherever he goes. Scratches being his favourite, the charming gelding quickly gets anyone who walks by to fall in love. Anastasia says that the bond she has with him makes this partnership extraordinary and she feels like they can get through anything together. “Calder is a truly special animal. To me he resonates to more of a dog, he truly understands me, he shows emotions vividly.” Anastasia Bondarieva.
Anastasia Bondarieva is just 20 years old and studies at law school. Though it sounds ordinary, nothing about the last few years has been ordinary. Besides performing extremely well as an athlete and within her team, she has also experienced fear and heartbreak. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 it brought up feelings in the Ukrainian showjumping team that affected their mental state. Anastasia explains:
“It has been over a year now and although it’s so exhausting, we’ve learned how to keep going. But I think people will never understand how draining, exhausting and truly heartbreaking it was at the time, and still is. Many people lost homes and loved ones within our team.”
Despite the circumstances, the team continues to perform extremely well. And for Anastasia having a partner like Calder is surely something that can help bring up your mood on bad days.
“It’s been such a short partnership, but we’ve already been able to accomplish great things together. I do believe that this is just the beginning, I have something special with him and I hope to continue our good form. He’s kind and considerate, we call him ‘Gentle Giant’ and I think that describes him very well. His kind nature and extreme horsepower combined into one, makes him a brilliant partner for the sport.”
We are excited to see where this beautiful combination will go, as they are progressing quickly and are racking up results at major events. We are sure we will experience much more from these two stars in the future of international showjumping.
