One of the course designers shares his philosophies behind this event and the series.

What was your vision for the Wellington Hunter Derby’s handy course?

The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association High Performance Hunter Committee developed the USHJA International Hunter Derby to bring the art and tradition of horsemanship back to the show ring.

French grand prix show jumper, Kevin Staut, holds the No. 1 spot on the Fédération Equestre Internationale Rolex Rankings and has been the owner of that position since July 2010.

The 30-year-old rode for his country at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games aboard Silvana, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Corland—Donate, Widor), and helped bring home team silver.

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum is back in the tack and winning after giving birth to a daughter in 2010. She’s agreed to periodic interviews about her life during the Rolex World Cup season. Read her thoughts about her homecoming this winter and the upcoming Rolex FEI World Cup Final.

Q. Tell us about your time in California this winter.

Laurie Volk hasn’t ended up quite where she expected in life, but fortunately, she’s right where she wants to be.
Volk, 54, has been a lifelong rider and a lawyer by profession, but it’s just in the last 12 years that she’s combined the two into her work as an immigration lawyer.

“It’s so funny. In the beginning, I didn’t even think of trying to combine my pastime in horses with my profession. It didn’t occur to me until much later, until I saw a need for a horse-savvy immigration lawyer,” Volk said.

As I cross the Kopet Dagh range that separates Iran from Turkmenistan, my spirits begin to lighten. Behind me in Iran lies the land of the chador, while ahead promises the land of the horse.

As I enter Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan, I am dazzled by the unequivocal and spectacular display of its equestrian culture, in which other local traditions of carpet and jewelry-making, poetry and music find their themes and raison d’etre.