THE attraction of galloping across fields, flying over hedgerows, straining every muscle to hold onto and manoeuvre a supremely athletic animal is easy to understand.

It's not surprising this passion should be one that grips people from every walk of life - doctors, dentists, nurses, accountants, lawyers, butchers, teachers and vets, to name but a few, are among the members of Ledbury Hunt.

But their pastime may soon be outlawed by a hunting ban.

Although the aim of such a ban is said to be the protection of foxes, one of its effects would be to deny riders the unfettered access to the countryside which hunting offers.

Thirty-four-year-old Ledbury huntsman John Holliday is involved in the day to day organisation and preparation for one local hunt and he says that if the issue were simply the protection of foxes, a protected species order would serve.

"We are a large minority. The problem is the only press stories you ever get were about Lord so and so which enforces the idea that it is only those sort of people who hunt. We don't have any lords with us. We have a huge cross section of society: dentists, doctors, butchers, teachers, nurses, vets. They are from the caring professions. They are not going to participate in something that they know is cruel or barbaric," he says.

"Why it's been so successful for so long is that class doesn't really matter. If you go out to the Duke of Beaufort's hunt you get everybody. When you are on a horse going across country, it's a great level-ler," he added.

At the Ledbury Hunt's Eggs Tump-based kennels, one of a handful of hunt kennels in the Malvern area, four people are employed full-time to care for about 80 foxhounds and eight horses, maintain hunt properties and liaise with 100 or so hunt members.

John, who originally hails from Cumbria, became involved in hunting after he joined one with the Pony Club aged 13.

"I like my job. Hunting means everything to me because it's my hobby as well as my career. You don't do it for the money," he says.

As well as John, the Ledbury Hunt employs and houses an assistant (whipperin) and two grooms.

If hunting were banned they say they and thousands like them all over the country would not only lose their livelihoods but also their homes and an enormous number of dogs would have to be put down. Thousands more people, such as farriers, feed merchants, vets and riding outfitters would be indirectly affected from the loss of business.

But what about the foxes?

For centuries, smallholders, farmers and shepherds have employed varying methods to control foxes.

Over the last 300 years the dogs used in hunts have fulfilled that role on their behalf - with the Ledbury Hunt catching an average of 60 to 70 foxes as part of 120 to 150 hunts a year.

Mr Holliday said: "Because we cover a large area, we get a proper realisation of the amount of foxes in the whole area. A gamekeeper only knows his patch, which is going to be relatively small. We probably cover up to 100 miles a day quite easily.

"If there is a ban, the major problem I suspect will be that other people, the farmers and gamekeepers, will have to take over our role and catch foxes with their own methods - with poison, snares and shooting with rifles and shotguns.

"If nothing was done nature would take over and you would get a huge increase in the fox population.

"I feel very strongly that this is not a bill about animal welfare. If it was they would make foxes a protected species and that would be that. The amount we catch is a fair balance and in the Government's own Burns Inquiry they came out strongly in favour of maintaining hunting as part of the community".