“Maverick Sporthorses; where innovation meets performance.”
Maverick : noun as in a person who takes chances, departs from accepted course.
Our mission is to breed unique jumping horses with exceptional performance capabilities. Our horses are distinguished by the 'MSH' suffix and their southern cross “M” brand, which we are growing to become symbols synonymous with quality. We almost solely use imported frozen semen over performance-bred mares in-house and have some of the best conception rates in the country.
The Maverick story started in the competition arena, where Sophie produced and competed a team of horses up to Grand Prix level. As her research career progressed, she shifted from training and showing to concentrating exclusively on breeding, initially on her family farm and now with her partner, Mike. By incorporating Sophie’s expertise in molecular biology, we continue to infuse innovation into our program.
Initially located in stunning coastal Northland, we are now positioned in the lush green pastures of the Manawatu, near the Rangitikei River and Ruahine Ranges.
About Sophie
BSc Hons (Genetics), PhD can (Biochemistry), AFHEA, Cert Eq Nut, HRNZ AI Tech
Maverick Sporthorses marries Sophie’s passion for science with her innate love of horses. If you describe someone as a maverick, you mean that they are unconventional and independent and do not think or behave the same way as other people. Travelling the path less travelled has always been Sophie’s approach to life, and the name “Maverick” continues to be integral to how we run our farm.
Raised on the ocean and from a family of aviators, engineers and farmers, horses were never on the cards. However, Sophie caught the horse bug young and quickly progressed from pony club to Grand Prix with her first pony. She moved onto horses at age 13 and soon attained four silver ferns for representing New Zealand at Junior and Young Rider levels, including in Australia and at the World Children’s Jumping Championships in Colombia, where she won the style prize, finished 4th in the B final, and 8th in the A final, with an expensive rail and the fastest time.
Sophie has trained and produced several jumping horses through the levels to Grand Prix and historically broke in horses and pre-trained racehorses. She has spent considerable time offshore, including in Germany, where she was based at Stall Lüneburg in the heart of Schleswig-Holstein, and in the USA and Canada with fellow New Zealand rider Katie Laurie, where she prepared Kiwi Iron Mark and Frangipanne de Toxandria for the World Cup Finals in Las Vegas and the Spruce Meadows summer series.
Sophie is a trained scientist leading a project to develop a new cell model of motor neuron disease for drug discovery. She builds neurons and other cell types from stem cells reprogrammed from skin cells. She has a particular interest in stem cell technologies and cell differentiation, which has opened the door to working at some of the best institutes in the world, such as MIT, building mini-brains for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s research. Her science work pulled her away from riding, and these days, she is focused solely on her research and the breeding side of Maverick. Sophie also contracts with venture capital firms and is well-placed in the national science and technology innovation space. In her spare time, she loves to fly recreational planes, spend time on the ocean, or hike in the mountains.
“It all begins with an idea.”
Sophie started doing her own breeding work after one too many expensive, failed attempts elsewhere. She saw that she could offer her mares attention that others couldn’t at all hours of the day, and by applying her laboratory skills, she could achieve results above industry standards. Maverick Repro now delivers some of the top conception rates in the country using frozen semen over challenging and geriatric mares with known fertility issues. Many of Sophie’s broodmares have come to her because they could not produce foals.
Maverick is a family business, and Sophie has had immeasurable support from her parents, Jenny and Robert, and now runs the farm with her aircraft engineer and farmer partner Mike and their dog, Ted.
Our ethos
At Maverick Sporthorses, our ethos is simple: we believe in raising elite warmblood performance horses with a focus on health, happiness, and holistic care. From insemination to training, we personally manage every step to ensure the best outcomes for our horses. Prioritising optimal nutrition, we operate a high-fibre grass-based system supplemented with quality clover baleage and hard feed when needed, fostering a natural stress-free environment. Our young horses, including colts, are raised in groups with older mares or geldings and plenty of room to move accross open pastures, encouraging their physical development and well being. Being exposed to all manner of farm equipment and machinery, dogs, chickens, sheep, and cattle, Maverick youngsters are well socialised and well mannered. We give our horses the best start in life, setting them up for successful careers in their new homes.
