Fourways resident Kate Launder has spent 20 years building courses for South Africa’s showjumping competitions. Born in Zimbabwe, Launder moved to Durban in 1983 and competed in KwaZulu-Natal for years. Her course design career began in 2006 after she was asked to build a course for an equitation show.

In 2008, Launder moved to Johannesburg and worked for the Gauteng Horse Society as dressage administrator.

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“Moving to the hub of showjumping gave me incredible opportunities to design courses and learn from not only riders and horses, but the best in the sport.” In 2010, course designer Bob Ellis invited her to assist at the Longines Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead in the United Kingdom.

“I worked alongside Bob and Kelvin Bywater, both of whom were involved in the 2012 London Olympics. Those opportunities were invaluable and helped me develop a deeper understanding of international-level course building.”

Launder said designing a course involves planning before competitors enter. “You have to consider the distances, the lines, the questions you want to ask, the arena, and how the course will ride for horses and riders.”

She said watching competition unfold is rewarding. “You want to challenge the riders, but you also want them to feel that the course is fair and that the result reflects their skill.”

Finding that balance is challenging. “A course must be demanding enough for a top-level competition without becoming unfair or unnecessarily difficult,” she said.

Launder has designed courses at shows in South Africa and internationally in Spain, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In 2017, she became an FEI Level 3 Course Designer, and in 2019 designed an FEI World Cup Qualifier. Since then, she has designed qualifiers in South Africa.

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Her experience as a rider remains valuable across the local sport. She competed in KwaZulu-Natal until 2007, when she focused on course designing. She also passed her Sanef instructors’ exam in 1994 and has been a national equitation judge since 2008.

Launder designed the South African Derby from 2013 to 2015. For the 2026 Toyota SA Derby taking place at Kyalami Equestrian Park, her goal is a course that is challenging, fair, and safe, while respecting the event’s character and history.

“From a spectator’s point of view, I want the Derby to be thrilling to watch. It is such a unique competition, and part of our responsibility is to preserve that excitement and tradition for the next generation.”

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