Oct. 13, 2026
Micha Knol has been appoiinted as director of Zen Elite Equestrian Operations at Wellington, Florida.
Micha moved to the USA from the Netherlands in 2015 and has been successful in finding horses for American riders, including Son of a Lady, Indian Rock and Fleau de Baian for Christian Simonson and Heartbeat W.P. for Kasey Perry-Glass.
He began his equestrian career as a junior show jumper before transitioning to dressage, where he trained and competed horses through Grand Prix. He also was a senior manager at ABN AMRO Bank in Holland before cofounding MRK Dressage to source and sell dressage horses. Most recently, he was sales manager at Helgstrand Dressage USA based in Wellington.
As director of Zen Equestrian Operations, the 51-year-old Micha will oversee the daily operations of the newly developed Wellington facility and stallion breeding program as well as working with riders Christian Simonson and Adrienne Lyle, the first and second ranked American riders, respectively, on the world standings.
“I’m excited to take on this new role at Zen Elite Equestrian.,” he said of the entity founded by Heidi Humphries. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to combine my business experience with my lifelong passion for horses and dressage. I’m very grateful to Heidi Humphries for her trust and confidence in me. We have an incredible group of horses, riders, and staff, and I’m really looking forward to working together and being part of Zen Elite’s exciting future,” said Knol.
“Micha has been a wonderful supporter and teammate to all of us at Zen, and this progression into the Director of Equestrian Operations role feels like a natural transition,” said Heidi. “I’m grateful for everything he brings to Zen Elite, and I’m excited for what we’ll continue to build together!”
Correction: Micha Knol is 51, not 41 as reported
