Dr Deon van Tonder
BVetSc

Deon qualified at Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty, South Africa in 1986 then spent two years in the military as an equine veterinarian before returning to University of Pretoria to do a MBA. 

After completion of his MBA, he returned to a mixed private practice, focusing more on the equine work. In 1992 he moved to the Wellington Animal Hospital, in the winelands of South Africa near Cape Town, where he still is today. This is a 11 vet practice with 3 branches, focusing mainly on small animals and equine, but do all species, including game work. Deon does exclusively equine work of which the bulk is made up of reproduction and sport horses.

Deon joined Horsepower in 2016 as one of the in country organisers for the South Africa trip. Initially the plan was for him to organise the last stop in Stellenbosch, near Cape Town, and meet us there but he decided to ride to Pretoria (a mere 900 miles in two days) to join us at the start and then ride the whole trip with us (another 1800 miles). He has been bitten by the Horsepower bug and so has taken part in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 tours. He brings some much needed expertise in equine reproduction to the lecture schedule.

In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors, horse riding with his two daughters, hiking, scuba diving, and motorbiking the dirt roads of South Africa!

Deon rides a BMW 800GS. (on this trip!)