Desert Flight - Short Documentary - USA

An inside look at the only Olympic sport to involve male, female and animal participants. The sport of show jumping relies on the unique relationship between horse and rider. In Desert Flight we see why people dedicate so much to the equestrian life.

Director Samia Staehle

Samia Staehle was born in the US but raised in Algeria, Switzerland and India where she fell in love with ponies and horses at a young age.

As a teenager, Samia’s father retired from his career as a diplomat and with her family’s return to the U.S. focus on college replaced horse riding. Upon graduating she followed another overseas path, this time as a TV news producer with Associated Press Television in Washington D.C., London and Paris.

​A return to school to study law was followed by a return to riding as a “nice little hobby” when Samia re-discovered her passion for horses. She then saw an opportunity to share the stories of the dynamic people that surround them. Samia and her husband Daryl, also a former news producer, partnered with Tell Studios of Detroit to produce Desert Flight.

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