'The stud has changed hands and is open for business' - meet the friendly but ambitious team behind Norman Court

More often than not, obtaining quotes for a feature like this involves two, maximum three, people: the journalist, the subject and sometimes the subject’s business partner.

But as I enter the boardroom at Norman Court Stud to find out about a new dawn for the operation, I’m greeted by what seems like a sea of faces seated around the table.

There’s Peter and Simon Taplin, father and son cattle farmers who own the stud, Sue Bunney, a fellow farmer and family friend who breeds and co-owns horses with them, Simon Trotter, a farming pal of Simon’s, and last but not least Keith and Janet Evans, the husband and wife team that manages the stud on a daily basis.