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Derek humbly declares they "live a blessed life." Apartheid To The American Invitational The Petersens' involvement in the horses began a world away from Florida's pristine showgrounds on the rugged plains of South Africa. Derek's mother grew up there, and although Derek was born in Arizona, they went to visit family in Africa when he was young "and ended up staying 14 years," he says. He spent his formative years in a tiny village called Hilton near the city of Pietermaritzburg, the provincial capital. There was a major racetrack nearby, so Thoroughbreds were in plentiful supply, but Derek had to learn the ropes on a decidedly less flashy mount. When they first arrived in Africa and were looking for a place to stay, a friend volunteered an apartment on a 5-acre ranch where there was an ancient stallion. "He was probably 25 years old, and my brother and I would ride him every day, taking turns," Derek recalls. "Then about a year later, when we finally got a place, and my dad went in the woods and cleared out about an acre of land and put a fence around it, he found a newspaper ad for a horse with a saddle and a bridle for $100. "It was that same horse!" he continues, convulsing in laughter. "It was a different owner who had him by that time, but the same old horse." With no trailer, Derek and his brother would ride Misty (the stallion had come with the name Whiskey, but their conservative parents thought that name warranted a change), as well as the off-the-track horses who came after him, everywhere— to school, horse shows more than a day's C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M W INTER 2013 41

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