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Oliver in a Twist over new filmA new version of Charles Dickens’ classic story of Oliver Twist adapted by Roman Polanski has just been released into our cinemas, but another Oliver Twist remains oblivious that his namesake is about to become talked about again!Oliver Twist is a young orphan boy who gets involved with a gang of pickpockets in nineteenth century London. Oliver Twist the pony has an equally sorry tale of not quite fitting in and finding himself ‘orphaned’ – though he is quite happy to ‘pick a pocket or two’ if there’s a tasty mint or carrot concealed within! Oliver Twist the pony lives at the Sanctuary's Caldecott Visitor Centre near Great Yarmouth and was rescued from a Nottingham horse sale by a Redwings supporter in 1997. She named him after the scruffy orphan as he has a twisted face, which means that he can not wear a bridle and be ridden, so was sent to the horse sale with very little hope of ever finding a loving home. Oliver Twist was rather thin at the time but now he’s a very fit, healthy and handsome young man.
Oliver Twist, like the Dickens character, is rather small at just 11hh and is fourteen years old. A pretty dapple grey, he is a firm favourite at the Sanctuary despite his twisted face. “At Redwings,” explains acting chief executive Lynn Cutress, “no equine is judged by their looks and some of our ponies would be described as ‘distinctive’ if they were human! Oliver Twist is as endearing and sweet as his namesake and also had a happy ending. He has special dental care to make sure his teeth don’t cause him any problems, and his twisted face causes him no pain at all.” Oliver Twist may be visited FREE at our Caldecott Visitor Centre until October 30 (Sun-Weds until Oct 23rd, then seven days a week 23rd-30th October), and can be adopted on our adoption scheme. For more information on how to visit us, telephone our visitor helpline on 0870 040 0033 or go to the 'Visit Us' section of this site.
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