Behind every successful equestrian competition is a carefully designed course, and for the upcoming Toyota SA Derby, that responsibility rests with experienced course-designing career professional Kate Launder.

Born in Zimbabwe and raised professionally in South Africa’s equestrian circles, Launder began her course-designing career in 2006 after being asked to build a course for an equitation show.

She moved to Johannesburg in 2008, where she worked as the Gauteng Horse Society’s dressage administrator for six years. The move placed her closer to the country’s showjumping hub, creating opportunities to develop her skills and learn from leading riders, horses and course designers.

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One of the defining moments in her career came in 2010, when internationally recognised British course designer Bob Ellis invited her to assist at the prestigious Longines Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead in the United Kingdom. Working alongside Ellis and Kelvin Bywater, both involved in the 2012 London Olympics, gave Launder valuable insight into international-level course design.

For Launder, course building requires more than simply placing obstacles in an arena. “You have to consider the distances, the lines, the questions you want to ask, the arena itself, and how the course will ride for different horses and riders,” she explained. She said one of the greatest challenges was creating a course that tested competitors without becoming unfair or unnecessarily difficult.

Her experience as a former rider has also influenced her approach. Launder competed in KwaZulu-Natal for many years before focusing on course design. She passed her South African Equestrian Federation instructors’ exam in 1994 and has been a national equitation judge since 2008.

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“I know what it feels like to walk into an arena and see a course for the first time,” she said, adding that her riding experience helped her understand the questions facing both horse and rider.

Launder previously designed the South African Derby course from 2013 to 2015. Her first year produced three clear rounds and an exciting jump-off, while 2014 had two clear rounds and 2015 one. Nicole Horwood won two of those three editions riding Capital Don Cumarco.

She became an FEI level 3 course designer in 2017 and designed her first FEI World Cup qualifier in 2019. Her international experience includes work in Spain, Zimbabwe, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As she prepares for the 2026 Toyota SA Derby, Launder aims to deliver a course that is challenging, fair and safe, while preserving the event’s character and history, which dates back to 1965. “My main goal is to present a derby course that is challenging, fair, and safe, allowing the best horse and rider combinations to show what they can do,” she said.

South Africa’s much-loved equestrian show returns from October 1 to 4 at Kyalami Equestrian Park, bringing four days of world-class competition and entertainment to the equestrian community.

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