Oliver Twist Home Team

Emma Oliver Managing Director
Emma Oliver initiated her wish to create a top polo resource in the
UK a little over 6 years ago. Having successfully built up and sold
a large commercial service industry company, she felt the time
was right to indulge her passion for polo horses. She built Oliver
Twist Polo on the principle of adopting a two-pronged approach to
the modern game. Firstly, it is important for her and her team to
take the time to select fit, suitable and well trained ponies from all
around the world before importing them for eventual sale. The
second dynamic which Emma wished to bring to the game of polo
was a modern business and marketing sensitive approach. On both
accounts Emma and her team have been highly successful, having
sold a considerable number of ponies to all levels of the polo world,
including both the domestic and international high goal scene. Having
undertaken a number of high-profile consultancy projects, Emma’s
flair for marketing and business, coupled with her knowledge of polo,
have helped ensure successful results.

Simon Oliver Finance Director
After a very successful and decorated career as an officer in the
army, Simon Oliver now holds a senior position with a large
multi-national company in the London. He is currently the
Financial Director of Oliver Twist Polo. Simon is a self-confessed
member of the "I hate polo club", but suffers us all very gracefully
and always without complaint - not! Simon is in his own right an
accomplished horseman and is a Joint MFH and Saturday field master
for the well-known Vale of the White (VWH) Hunt.

Felicity Webb & Jimmy Jones

Felic and Jimmy are very welcome members of our team. Felic has spent
a life time working with horses and animals having been a vet nurse
then a hunting and eventing groom. Felic has a wonderful natural instinct
with all the ponies in her charge, even the most excited horses become
calm and happy in her never ending devotion and care.

Jimmy, Felics partner is a mad keen racing jockey, hunting and team chasing
chap and with a never ending sense of fun, humor and some of us
would even venture to say madness, his love for all horses great and small
is wonderful to watch and as our mares are getting fitter and fitter with
galloping season not far around the corner Jimmy is highly excited at
the thought of living out his dreams of riding our top class TB mares on
the Lambourne gallops!

Jenny Carter

One freezing cold Saturday in January when I was tearing around
trying to get hunters out for Simon, dealing with somewhat excited
polo mares a tiny little blond bomb shell arrived on my yard and said
she wanted a job - she had ridden all her life, she hated working in
an office and wanted to work outside with horses - she never stopped
bugging me until I gave her a job - and it has to be said that day she
walked into the yard proved to be one of the luckist in my life. Jen
is a ray of sunshine, she is a wonderful rider, she has no fear, she has
a natural affinity with every horse and can spot potential issues or
suspect problems with the horses from 100 yards out - with Felic, Jen
and Jimmy we have the "A" team, even on the longest days the yard
is full of laughter, banter and love for horses and by heavens this is
reflected in every horse we have, they are settled, happy, content
fit and each horse knows that they are an individual and not a number
which is our philosophy at Oliver Twist.

Carol “Mom”
Carol, known to one and all as “mom” , is an essential part of the Oliver
Twist home team. Carol perhaps has the hardest task of all – she has
to keep the human crew fed, watered, looked after and happy. When
not in the kitchen she can be found on the tractor levelling the arenas,
possibly on the mower, under a lorry fixing it, holding on to a horse -
just doing everything and being everywhere. With her endless store of
silly jokes and an in exhaustible supply of good humour, for us humans
she helps make it all worth while!

Our Riders
Our specialist riders, who have in the past assisted us in preparing our
horses, range from top-flight dressage riders to world-renowned high
goal polo horsemen such as Eddie Kennedy, Glen Gilmore, Simon Keyte,
Luke Tomlinson, Mark Tomlinson, Ed Hitchman, Malocom Borwick,
Roddy Williams and Austin Clark. Without their wonderful horsemanship
and true understanding of the game and all that it entails for the horse,
our horses would not have been able to achieve the results they have.

Our Team of Experts
As an organisation we work very closely with specialists in their chosen
fields. They all form an essential part of our team and cover areas such
as feed and nutrition, aqua therapy, osteopathy, massage, remedial
shoeing and last - but by no means least - is Tom our very
long-suffering and top-class vet. Without all these highly-qualified
and experienced individuals our horses would certainly not be as
healthy, happy and level as they are now.

Our Facilities
The training facilities we have here at Talland House are first class, with
international size indoor and outdoor riding arenas which are fully floodlit;
walkers; stick and ball field; and our new one-and-three-quarter furlong
exercise track. Bad weather conditions or hard ground - nothing stops us!

The Family Members - Wallice and Grommet
Wallice and Grommet are our two senior family members. Grommet is
Assistant Head Lad and likes to keep a close eye on the running and
operation of the yard. He is personally responsible for every polo ball
(or, should one say, lack of polo balls) on the farm. Wallice on the other
hand is only interested in the finer things in life such as her sofa, going
shopping and lazing in the sun!

Slap and Tickle
Slap and Tickle are our two junior members of the family. Slap is in
charge of licking everyone half to death, whereas Tickle likes to join
Wallice in the more leisurely pursuit of life!