Our Staff
Michael Lee Du Plessis (Mic) – Owner / Manager / Head Trainer
Originally from the South Coast of KwaZulu Natal, Mic first moved to the Drakensberg in 1996. His love-affair with the Berg and horses flourished while he worked as an Honorary Officer for the Natal Parks Board. He did many workshops with the Parks Board, including the Commonsense Approach to Breaking and Training Horses with the Australian horseman, John Pinnell. His innate patience enabled him to excel at horse-training and now has taught the rest of The Northern Horse crew the equine language. After working with the horses in the Parks Board and taking them to the extreme in the mountains he gained a very good understanding of just how capable horses are as nature’s 4x4s. His three month stint in the UK working for top eventer Cressy Clague Reading showed him a whole new world of horsing. His mixed experience of both the structured, human-focused environment of the eventing yard and the “wild” world of horsing in the Berg, gives him a greater appreciation for the entire spectrum of horse management.
Lindsay Du Plessis – Owner / Manager
Lindsay has ridden horses since before she can remember! They had simply always been there. As she matured the interest in horses grew and she became more involved in the running of the stables first at the Cavern and then at Montusi. She would lead guests on horse rides from when she was 12, but it was only after she had finished studying and traveling abroad that she returned to the Berg to take full responsibility for the horses. Together, she and Mic took over the horses at Montusi, calling the operation the Northern Horse. They took over at the beginning of November 2007 and have enjoyed a good start to their, in many ways, fledgling business.
Vusi Zondo – Head Groom
Vusi worked with our horses while still at school during holidays and weekends. He never got the chance to ride when a child and so had to learn the hard way, under the tutelage of his fellow grooms. There were no gentle lessons in posting and cantering, just a small horse with a western saddle and a whole lot of falling! This interesting teaching method paid off: in just a few months Vusi was keeping up with the best and shortly started training the babies. When he left school he joined us in a permanent capacity. A fearless rider, a responsible leader and excellent trainer, nothing is too much for Vusi.