(FORTUNE Magazine) – Software big shots tend to have a similar look and feel, to use Silicon Valley terminology. They often have plenty of brains, a Lexus or two, maybe a pocket protector if they're truly nerdulent, and a penchant for--hello?--show-jumping horses. "They may be brilliant with computers, but they don't understand horses at all. That's why they need me," says Graeme "Butch" Thomas, a horse trainer from New Zealand whose bluntness hasn't kept him from cornering the market on software execs with an equestrian bent. Thomas's clients approach show jumping with the same competitive zeal--if not the talent--that makes them software powers. "They can't just buy the very best horses, go to a show, and win," says the plainspoken Kiwi. "Riding skill counts too." Below is a roster of prominent nerds and their respective steeds.

--Ed Brown

MOCCASIN Scott Cook, Intuit

Too bad Moccasin doesn't run on Windows 95. "Scott isn't a very good rider yet," says Thomas, who clearly isn't angling for an Intuit board seat. "He just hangs on; that's all he does. He doesn't really know what he's doing. He looks a hell of a lot more at home on a bicycle."

YON (or is it GOTCHA?) Phil White, Informix

Phil says the above steed is Yon; his ex-wife, Sheryl, claims it's Gotcha. Either way, it's Sheryl who's the real rider. Thomas says she's as good as Scott Cook's wife, Signe. Analysts don't say the same about Informix vs. Intuit: It's Intuit by a mile.

CARLOS Kc Branscomb, a key player in the $3.5 billion IBM/Lotus merger.

Handsome fellow, to be sure, but can he program a computer? He's well on his way: Kc claims her Carlos already knows how to count and watch TV. Can his first software product be far behind?

PYEWACKET Bill Davidow, Mohr Davidow Ventures

"Pyewacket is a very brave horse. Fearless, really," says Thomas. Which, of course, is exactly what you want in a venture capitalist. Just think, when Carlos finishes his first program, Pyewacket could front him some cash...

LIEUTENANT LETAGE Larry Ellison, Oracle

Ellison is undaunted in his quest for database dominance. Horses, however, are another matter. "Larry Ellison wouldn't get on a horse in a hundred years. He would be scared to death," says Thomas, who trained Ellison's wife and kids.

REPORTER ASSOCIATES Lenore Schiff, Lixandra Urresta, Wilton Woods