Galloping towards you on his steed in his riding attire and leather riding boots, Mark Bennett is not your typical emergency first aider. But after a tumble from your horse or a fall from your bike, the sight of Mark on his Irish sports horse, Chase, is likely to be very welcome.

Based in Cannock Chase, a 3,000 acre country park just north of Wolverhampton, the equine and human duo is the country's first horse-powered ambulance service.

Cheaper to run than a helicopter and capable of more rugged terrain than a car, Chase the horse is able to reach areas of the park that are inaccessible for vehicles and difficult for paramedics to reach.

Thanks to his trusty steed, rider Mark is able to provide emergency first-aid in the first vital minutes, before paramedics are able to take over.

Mr Bennett first came up with the idea after helping with a couple of incidents in the park. He is a trauma instructor for West Midlands Fire Service and a volunteer community first responder for the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS).

Mr Bennett has kitted Chase out with a defibrillator and responder bag, in case of emergency.

The WMAS community response manager for south Staffordshire said, "With many illnesses or injuries the first few minutes are critical. Mark could potentially advise ambulance crews - who will often have to go on foot - on the quickest routes to take to reach incidents."

If for some reason Chase is unavailable, Mr Bennett discards his leather riding boots for his leather jacket to jump on his all-terrain motorbike that he can rely upon instead.
[Image ©Trojan631 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence]