Reddick, Fla.—Nov. 16

Kristen Bond stepped away from the advanced level six years ago. But earlier this year, she jumped back in, and now it’s almost as if she’d never left.

Bond, who had two children during her time away from the top of the sport, is leading the inaugural CCI*** at the Ocala Jockey Club International after dressage on Enough Already, a horse she has brought along from the beginning.

Scoring a 27.8, Bond has a narrow lead over second-placed Katherine Coleman and Monte Classico (29.7). Only 11 pairs started the event after favorites Tamra Smith and Mai Baum withdrew late yesterday due to the gelding having some soreness from a hot nail.

“It’s a long road to get back for sure, and you sort of do it one step at a time,” she said. “I think it’s really hard to be patient because you want to get back right away, but if you’re patient, it’s a bit more positive, step by step. If you go too fast then it’s a bit daunting.”

Kristen Bond and Enough Already. Lindsay Berreth Photo

Enough Already, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Winningmood van de Arenberg—Zandora, Landor S) owned by Liz Bond, is new to the level. He completed his first CCI*** this year at Rebecca Farm (Montana) where he finished fifth.

“He’s getting stronger and stronger,” said Kristen. “Today the warm-up felt the same as the test. He felt like he was able to carry it through. He’s really fun to ride on the flat. He’s super awesome, very consistent, and he tries really, really hard.”

Kristen was the only rider to wear a top hat in the CCI***.

“That was a gift from Buck [Davidson]. It was from his grandmother’s attic, and I’ve had it since 2006 or so,” she said. “It’s really old; the inside’s totally taped together. I think it’s a privilege to be able to wear that. It’s like a nod to the old days. I absolutely respect the helmet rules and the safety of that for sure, but there’s something really special about being able to put it on and go do an FEI-level test.”

Katherine Coleman and Monte Classico slotted into second. Lindsay Berreth Photo

Kristen’s goal is to go a bit faster than she did at Rebecca Farm on cross-country tomorrow over Clayton Fredericks’ course.

“He’s fitter than he’s ever been, and the course looks really good,” she said. “It’s a really good course for him in particular, so there’s no reason not to go out and attack it. I like that the first part is really galloping and sort of gets you in a rhythm. He uses the terrain really well. There’s a lot to do at the end of the course, which will be interesting. I think the last water is massive, but everyone says it rides really well. I wouldn’t want to be on anyone else. He’s a great jumper.”

To prepare for Ocala, Kristen competed her first grand prix in Tampa, Florida, last weekend, finishing with one rail down.

Watch Bond’s test via EQTV Network.

“It was crazy,” she said. “It wasn’t massive; it was 1.40-meters. But it was pretty massive to me! It was the first time I’ve ever done it, and it was the coolest thing I’ve done in a long time. I would absolutely recommend it because it makes everything seem so much more doable. But I’ll be honest, when I walked the course I was hoping some of them had brush on them to make it a little more doable! They’re just so imposing.”

Kristen, 38, Shamong, New Jersey, got “Drake” when he was 4 from Matt Flynn.

“He has been a really special horse to me because he can do all three phases, but he’s a really sweet guy,” she said. “He’s like a pet in the barn. He’s really good with my kids. My husband [Andrew] is here this weekend, and he was giving him treats. He would be really difficult to replace.”

Kristen is the mother to Beckham, 4, and Berkeley, 18 months, and she admitted it’s hard to be away from her family, but she’s determined to do her best this weekend.

“I know that I have to make this count for them because it’s been hard to not have mom around. But that’s a good pressure to have,” she said. “I think I’ve been lucky that I’ve got great horses, and I’ve got an unbelievable support team at home with my husband and his family and my family. In a different situation it wouldn’t have been possible, but they’ve made it easy to be able to come down and compete and not bring my kids.”

Lauren Kieffer and Paramount Importance are third. Lindsay Berreth Photo

Leslie Law and Voltaire de Tre are in fourth. Lindsay Berreth Photo

Jacob Fletcher and Atlantic Domino are in fifth place. Lindsay Berreth Photo

Erin Sylvester and Paddy The Caddy are in a tie for sixth. Lindsay Berreth Photo

Cross-country starts tomorrow at 12:55 for the CCI*** and will be live streamed.

Full Results/COTH Coverage/Live Stream/Start Times

We’re on site at the Ocala Jockey Club all weekend to bring you news, photos and results from the final FEI event of the year in the U.S. Check back all weekend for more, and if you know of a good story, email lberreth@coth.com!

Check out the Dec. 10 print edition of The Chronicle for much more.