Joe Tizzard: 'There was no escape from it, you're constantly being reminded'

Joe Tizzard points the nose of the 4x4 towards the lower reaches of the woodchip and hurtles across the field, horn honking, with a gaggle of oblivious cows in his sights. Normally cows aren't seen as a bad thing at Spurles Farm, but when they meander into the path of a dozen eager racehorses, they become a matter of urgency.

One final impatient honk and the offending creatures, led by a particularly bold and stupid one, duck back under the so-called 'electric' fence and back into their field, leaving the morning's work to continue untroubled. Sadly, one lot later and they're back, with a familiar face leading the way.

"It's that same f****r again," growls the trainer's son, deciding that honking is no match for a recalcitrant bovine and heading across the turf, arms flapping, abuse flying, while bad cow weighs up his options. The visual effect is somewhere between weathered stockman and agitated stork, but it seems to have the desired effect on bad cow, who decides that, although he outweighs the onrushing human by about half a ton, perhaps now would be a good time to make his excuses and leave.