"ONE day I was bringing in the cows to milk and the next day I shot them all dead. It was terrible. I never want to go through that again."

These are the words of Philip Smith-Maxwell, of Phepson Manor Farm, Himbleton, as he recalled the foot-and-mouth nightmare that brought such heartbreak to Herefordshire and Worcestershire in 2001.

Foot-and-mouth was a particularly desperate time for Philip because he was the only farmer in the country to shoot his own cattle.

"I wouldn't let anyone else do it. I have a slaughterman's licence and in one day I shot all 486 animals. You have to use a high power rifle and the sheer effort shattered me. "I was mentally and physically a wreck for days. I never want to go through that again," remembered Philip.

The painful memories will probably never fade for Philip and his family, but they are made of stern stuff and he has now sunk all of energies into his new business providing horse ambulances to events across the country.

Philip and his dedicated team travel across the country to attend county shows, point-to-points, horse trials, horse racing and polo matches.

This year, Philip and his ambulance team have been a welcome site at several local point-to-points such as The Croome and West Warwickshire, which is held at Upton-upon-Severn.

Besides attending actual events, Philip is always willing to attend the scene of a road accident where a horse is left dead or injured, or to horses that have potentially fatal conditions such as colic. He is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Philip is always on the lookout for new recruits - but they have to match up to a tough criteria.

"First of all they have to be able to handle people and horses. They have to take charge of a situation and not panic. It can be an extremely emotional time for all concerned," said Philip.

As luck would have it, Philip had already decided to branch out into his new business just months before foot and mouth struck.

As far as farming was concerned, Philip says he 'saw the writing on the wall' and realised that he has to diversify.

Philip also uses the ambulances to transport horses to and from equine clinics and specialist centres.

"My vehicles are specifically designed to handle injured horses and to make their journey as comfortable as possible," he said.