Taming horses and running a successful carriage business are all in a 13-hour day of work for ex-doorman Nick Cook, says RAY BRADLEY

It was the magic day that most women dream about -- the wedding day.

Then came the dramatic phone call from the distraught bride: "Please cancel the wedding; the groom has pulled out."

There was a long pause and then the bride added tearfully: "But keep the date open, there could be a late substitution."

Jo Anne Cook was totally blitzed by the bizarre call, but on the defined date the radiant bride turned up with her new man and the nuptials went ahead as planned. Which just goes to prove what the old Sinatra song says: "Love and marriage . . . go together like a horse and carriage."

"It blew our mind when we got the phone call," said Jo Anne, "but we have learned to live with sudden changes".

It was just another strange happening in the hectic life of Nick and Jo Anne Cook, who run the horse and carriage firm Cook Carriages in Hullbridge, catering for weddings, funerals and special functions.

The couple take their work very seriously. Nick, a former Basildon night club bouncer, ran his own security firm in the town before deciding to switch jobs.

"I used to supply doormen for all the pubs and clubs in the area, but it was a dangerous business to be in," he confessed.

"It was a thankless job, full of problems. You couldn't win because it is an absolute aggro industry. I decided to get out before I got my head kicked in -- and there were plenty who would try that on a Saturday night."

Nick, a feisty 40-year-old with a fighter's muscular build and a nice line in humour, decided to revert to a more sane existence.

He comes from a farming background and has a winning way with animals -- especially horses.

"I have been working them, driving them and breaking them in ever since I was a kid," he said. "I am the original Horse Whisperer and, let me tell you, there are a lot of cowboys around.

"Some people are making a fortune out of pretending they know all about taming and healing horses."

Nick first got into the horse-and-carriage harness at the request of a friend who ran a riding school and needed someone to drive a carriage to a wedding.

"It turned out a bit of a disaster," he admitted, "because the carriage was worn out and ready for the knacker's yard.

"It was a horrendous experience and I thought 'never again' but later I had second thoughts. I bought a carriage and decided to give it a whirl. That was 12 years ago and I've been in the business ever since.

"It's not easy, believe me. There is a massive amount of work involved. Organising all the staff and transport, getting the horses and bridles ready, checking the route, arranging for parking.

"And when the event is all over you have to come back to the yard, dismantle, clean and polish everything besides making sure that the horses are fed and watered.

"You finish up with a 13-hour day, but it's still better than swapping blows with some nutter on a Saturday night in Basildon."

Just over a year ago Nick was saddled with his biggest job -- taking 150 people from Trafalgar Square to Simpsons in the Strand at 11 pm at night.

It was for a special Christmas function and in his own words: "Needed a bit of organising. We used three horse-drawn double decker buses, ten shire horses and three transporters and lorries.

"We had to park in Lambeth Fire Station and there was quite a lot of hassle involved, but it's all part of the business.

"You only get one crack at a job like that. If you blow it, you lose the deal. This is now a very competitive business and you accept the responsibilities.

"When we worked on The Wedding, a TV programme we did for Chris Evans's company, we filmed continuously for three days but were on screen for less than three minutes.

"It was a lot of sweat for little reward, but it's all part of the business."

Nick now tends to concentrate on the funeral side of the business and says: "We work all over the country. Weddings are seasonal but the funeral side is growing fast.

"We have invested a lot of money. We have four black Friesian horses which are very popular and have ideal temperaments. We've named them Ronnie, Reggie, Frankie and Frazer -- all famous East End characters.

"We also have three Victorian hearses with etched glass windows trimmed in gold leaf and ornated edging. They look the biz but are very expensive to maintain.

"Hearses cost around £20,000 each and a wedding landau around £10,000.

"It's a big investment but you can't stand still if you want to progress. You have to keep ahead of your rivals."

Nick grimaced and Jo Anne smiled sweetly before adding: "We simply dread wedding cancellations. But, who knows, they too might find a late-substitution.

"That's what makes the business so interesting."

In harness - Nick left behind the dangerous world of keeping door to embrace his love of working with horses by setting up his own carriage firm for traditional funerals, weddings and special events

Picture:STEVE O'CONNELL

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.