We're in the TTEAM training hall at Tilley Farm, trying to decide where to photograph Sarah Fisher and Anthony Head. How about a nice shot with a horse between them?

"Horses have come between us for 20 years," mutters Tony, but we aren't taken in for a moment, and nor are we meant to be. Tilley Farm may have started life as Sarah's project, but he's become increasingly involved, and spends much of his spare time helping local animal charities.

Spare time seems to be one of the few things this successful couple don't have, and we're delighted to have pinned them down for an interview. We're so delighted that we've turned up early. The friendly staff bring us tea, in mugs with I'M IN TTOUCH WITH MY DOG written in on the side.

Eyeing us balefully from over the fence, a German Shepherd looks as if he's contemplating the kind of ttouch that involves tteeth; we click our tongues hopefully, conveying that we don't plan to rob the place or run off with the guinea pig, but he doesn't really settle down until Sarah strolls into view.

Making animals feel relaxed is a big part of Sarah's work. As it turns out, she's pretty good at making people feel at ease too - extrovert, forthright and down-to-earth, you sense that while she'd go out of her way to help any owner or animal, she doesn't suffer fools gladly - especially those who adopt a blinkered approach to dealing with 'problem' animals.

Next to the ebullient Sarah, Buffy star Tony Head is a relatively quiet presence. While she regales us with anecdotes from her work with animals - some sad, others hilarious, all of them thought-provoking - he listens carefully, occasionally interjecting with observations and stories of his own. They're both excellent raconteurs, and the conversation veers entertainingly from deluded pet owners to vampires and back again.

Dream TTeam: Finnegan the lurcher, with friend
© Bath Life

While Sarah admits to being horse-mad from the age of four, Tony admits that the lifestyle came as a complete revelation: "all that mucking out and pottering about, in an atmosphere of quiet munching serenity - it was the most peaceful thing I had ever done."

As they chat about their different careers, it emerges how strongly they've supported and influenced each other. Following the success of that coffee commercial, it was Sarah who encouraged Tony to try his luck in the States - even if it meant that she was left to bring up their two young daughters on her own for months at a time.

The gamble paid off, with Tony landing the career-changing role of Giles in Buffy which made him one of the most familiar TV faces on both sides of the pond. Fans of the series will be thrilled to know that a two-hour spin-off movie centred on the character is under discussion with the show's creator, Joss Whedon, ("a genius").

It was while in LA that Tony first encountered TTEAM (Tellington Touch Equine Awareness Method). "I was watching an "infomercial" he says, wryly acknowledging the Americanism,"and up popped a woman called Linda Tellington Jones, explaining how she'd evolved a way of working with animals by doing very simple touches. I called Sarah, and said "here's something that might interest you."

Through training with Linda, Sarah has become the UK's leading TTEAM practitioner, using touch, ground and riding techniques to solve behavioural problems and ease horses' discomfort - something that generally causes the 'bad' behaviour in the first place.

Unlike conventional methods, TTEAM  throws the idea f repetitive training out of the window ("boring, for both animal and owner") in favour of a compassionate, sensory-related approach. As she regales us with almost miraculous success stories, Sarah assures us that even an unskilled novice can achieve amazing results. "And it doesn't just work with horses - TTEAM works on dogs, rabbits, tortoises..."

But how do you spot a traumatised tortoise? "It doesn't come out of its shell," she replies with disarming simplicity.

She makes it all sound excellent sense - and very simple. "It is simple," insists Sarah. "And the results can be instant."

© Sarah Fisher

Despite a demanding workload, the fundraising that Tony and Sarah feel so passionately about has never been marginalised. Recently they've been selling signed rosettes to raise money for the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust, part of the charity 'Make Poverty History'.

Working in one of the poorest areas of Africa, the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust tries to ensure that the horses and donkeys on which the farmers depend for a livelihood can perform to the best of their ability.

A recent 5-part documentary series for Discovery Channel plunged him back into unhallowed ground, investigating supernatural phenomena such as werewolves, warlocks, demons and vampires.

He makes a likeable and entertaining presenter, though the image of Giles is difficult to banish - even if he does finally get to be the one wearing the cool black leather coat.

"You can't hang around the occult without getting a little curious," he murmurs at the beginning of one episode, shortly before grilling the Honory President of the International Association of Exorcists on his past experiences.

Chillingly, the Vatican's top hit man is in no doubt that the Devil exists, and that he's a formidable foe: "Demons are more intelligent than us," he announces, "they are pure spirits." The same programme describes a six-step plan for driving out Satan; ideal for those planning an exorcism in the comfort of their own home.

Demons, vampires, working with David Walliams: no wonder then that Tilley Farm is such a haven.

"We're very fortunate to have all this," Tony acknowledges, stroking the muzzle of Otto, a gentle brown and white horse. "But you have to take the challenges life throws out and ride with them."

© October Films Ltd.

For more information on the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust visit their website.

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