Spotlight on our Stars

We enjoy shining the light on our very important and highly skilled Te Akau team members - meet Enzo Di Leoni, our Equine Manager, based at Te Akau Stud ...

Enzo Di Leoni - Equine Manager Te Akau Stud

I am from Uruguay, South America, and came to New Zealand when I was 22 and now I'm 34.

My parents were doctors. My dad was a surgeon and my mother was an anaesthetist. Both my brother and sister have pursued careers in the medical field. My brother is a world renowned heart surgeon and lives in Brazil, and my sister is a chemist in Uruguay. My mother had me later in life and unfortunately both my parents have passed away.

When I was five my parents divorced and with my mother being very career orientated, a full on professional, I then went to live with my relatives at the family farm, so that's how I ended up in horses and my (older) brother and sister ended up in medicine.

So, I landed on a big sheep and beef farm, with a big rodeo family back in Uruguay - generations deep. I was riding to school when I was six and have been involved with horses for as long as I can remember.

I went to a farming high school and gained a bachelor degree in farming, and then from university I have a farm management degree.

I started at the rodeo when I was 16: became Uruguay bareback champion when I was 19 and rode professionally until I was 22. Then a sabbatical and took off to New Zealand, and never left.

When I first came to New Zealand I was breaking in polo horses, but then started breaking in thoroughbreds and never looked back.

At Te Akau Stud, I manage a small team of great people and we take care of the horses. I do a fair amount of breaking in and all the handling of the young horses that are born at the farm. My favourite thing is educating young horses and I also enjoy the breeding and feeding and taking care of horses that require recuperation from injury or illness.

I landed the managing role because of over 20 years of horse experience and I'm really happy that David and Karyn have seen the potential in me. They have given me a new family and home. I'm very happy here and forever indebted and grateful to them. There has been a lot of trust and I really appreciate it.

The team was pretty good when I arrived here, anyway, but I have a particular style of management. There is no arguing. We all try to have a good time, but at the same time we are all extremely competent, focussed on our work, and want to get the job done to the highest standard. It's good to have happy people around because they tend to work harder.

David is amazing to work for. It's a paradise here. If you do what I do, it doesn't get any better. I have worked with horses all over the world; been in Europe, South America, and I've never seen a farm like this one. The horses get to be horses and it's just like horse heaven.

It can be a bit risky mentioning a favourite horse and I have a policy of trying not to get too attached but when Daniel (Miller) was here helping me break in he liked one and I liked one. I think it was Diamond Dream, the Fastnet Rock - Cierzo filly, that Daniel liked, and I quite liked the Zoustar filly that David bought at the Sydney sales and she is now called Zoulicious.

We only spend about six weeks breaking in each horse and then they are gone for education at the stables in Matamata, but we did some really nice colts and especially liked the Epaulette - Bella Demure and Laureate, the Snitzel - Floria, and Equinox, the Exceed and Excel - Our Ella Belle.  The Savabeel - Katie Lee (Lethal) is also a beautifully natured horse.

But, we've broken in some really lovely horses. Another that comes to mind is the Sacred Falls filly out of Vickezzchardonnay and she has been named Aromatic. The Filly Syndicate this year too with Melody Belle's half-sister included (Exaltation) is all quality. Overall they are all very good to break in and very hard to tell apart. The quality of horses is mind-blowing and the future is exciting.

I love the lifestyle of being out here at Te Akau Stud and like being able to help with everything. My roles are one-hundred percent with the horses for a greater part of the year, but if things get a little quieter we can help with the stock and getting to do that takes me back and that is pretty cool. I'm not great with the sheep and beef, but certainly like lending a hand where I can.

I have two beautiful children. My six-year-old girl lives in Matamata, and a four-year-old boy that lives in Pukekohe. I see them both as often as I can, and my daughter, being a bit older, comes and stays with me here on the farm where I live.