Sophia Thornton
Zeus
About Zeus:
Zeus roamed wild in the Home Valley of the Kaimanawa Ranges and was previously known as ‘Vavra’ in the KHH database. For many years he was a loyal satellite stallion to Slawik’s band, before winning his own mares earlier this year, so the poor boy never got to sire any of his own foals.
Zeus is a handsome red bay with four white socks and we were so happy to see him come off the truck in good condition. I named him after the sky, thunder and lightning God in ancient Greek religion. He hasn’t been officially measured yet but is approximately 14.2hh and he is 9 years old (which is known as he was photographed as a foal).
Zeus is very confident and aware of all his surroundings and is also curious and inquisitive. He is adjusting to domestic life well and loves his big 16.1hh friend Raz. Zeus’s introduction to domestic life has gone smoothly so far. He is adjusting to people, dogs, vehicles and the busy life around Wake Field Equestrian. He can however be overly confident, and when he feels threatened he likes to be dominant, but we are hopeful this will also mean he will be brave once under saddle.
About Sophia:
My name is Sophia and I’m competing in the Stallion Challenges as a mentored student, alongside my trainer Hayley-Grace Davis at Wake Field Equestrian. I am fortunate enough to be homeschooled so that I can work with horses full time. Zeus is the second wild Kaimanawa I’ve worked with, with Hayley-Grace’s help, but he is my first wild stallion. I enjoy working with the stallions at Wake Field, so am really excited to have this opportunity to train my own and be part of the Stallion Challenge. I help train and break in the horses at Wake Field with my mentor’s assistance and am also a riding instructor.
I love show jumping and flat work, with my goal to eventually event and be a qualified ESNZ instructor. I feel very privileged that I can work with horses full-time as this is a dream come true. I am excited to see how my progress with Zeus will go over the next few months as I feel we already have a connection.
I am quite a shy person, especially when it comes to talking to groups of people (I connect with animals far better) and my mentor has really helped me with this. I know this will be an excellent learning experience and I am looking forward to the journey ahead!