May 21, 2016 
Last month, a video of a young girl galloping around a 1.35m Grand Prix CSI 1* on what appears to be a dinosaur was making the rounds on Facebook. She finished seventh in the class. But her deep heel, correct leg and willing partner of a horse put them into first on social media.
Who is that tiny rider? Her name is Anastasia Bondareva and she’s 12.
You look so petite on that big horse! How tall are you?
Well, I am actually really small for my age, I am about 145cm. That horse—Tigrano—is massive. I am not sure in hands but he is up to 178cm.
I had a pony two years ago, he was a fab jumper but really naughty!
Tigrano looks very responsive to your aids. Tell us about him.
Tigrano is nine years old. I haven’t been riding him all that long, I started riding him in December. He is great to ride, really easy going. I think he loves to jump!
I also ride three other horses. One mare that I jump high courses on and two others, also mares, I’ve been jumping in 120 to 125cm courses.
The video you posted has been shared over 500 times on Facebook. How do you feel about that?
I was really surprised, I wasn’t expecting anything like this at all. In a way, it’s weird to think how many people have seen me jump. All shares were writing really encouraging messages, so it really boosted my self-esteem.
You’ve been riding for four years, now. Who has been your most influential trainer so far?
I’ve had three great coaches. They have all taught me so much. One of them is Ukrainian, he is still with me more like a mentor, though. I also trained with a German rider, Andreas Brenner. I did my first 120cm with him. Now I am really lucky to train with Pascal Levy. He is a fabulous rider and an amazing coach. I have learned so much from him already. One of the main things he told me, “If you don’t risk, you’ll never win!”
There are a lot of top female riders in show jumping. Is there one you look up to in particular?
I really look up to Penelope Leprevost. I think she is such a good rider. I would love to jump like her!
What are your ambitions for your riding career?
I would really love to do the European Championship in the category of Children this year, and it would be great if I carried on doing it every year. But globally, my main aim is to ride in the Olympics one day.
Is there anything else you’d like the world to know about Anastasia?
I’m very grateful that my parents have given me such an opportunity, and that my team has supported me throughout the whole time, and, of course, my sister, who has always been supporting me no matter what. I hope to achieve more in my horse riding career!
