All Western in north London

How knife-throwing, whip-cracking and lassoing skills might come in handy in London is anyone's guess, but that doesn't stop me from galloping to Shoreditch to try them out. Given that I've always fancied myself a bit of a cowgirl (I've got the boots, the jeans and I think I sat on a horse once), I can't imagine a western skills class to be anything but 100-per-cent thigh-slappin' fun.

And, judging by the other participants' faces, neither can they. One man is so eager he's come with his own custom-made whip. We're all dying to unleash our inner wrangler, so we're slightly thrown when Simon, our teacher, asks us to put name tags on our chests. How un-cowboy is that? But the moment of uncool evaporates as soon as we're introduced to the gear we'll be using.

'This is a bullwhip,' says Simon, holding up an instrument that looks like a fat leather cobra. Hmmm, I'm thinking, I'm sure I saw one of these at Erotica the other week. 'And these here are the cattle ropes and knives we'll be using.' From that moment on, it's bye-bye London, hello Marlboro country, as we get down to cowboy business.

The lesson starts quite tamely, with a demonstration of how to use the lasso (below). An upside-down stool imitates the cow we're meant to catch. I miss every time. My cowgirl kudos takes another brief beating when I attempt to master the bullwhip. At first, rather than making the whip crack in the air, I make it crack on my skin. However, several leg lacerations later (didn't I say there was going to be some thigh-slappin' fun?), the blast emanating from my whip is loud enough to scare even the bravest of bulls, not to mention the others in the group.

Thankfully, I'm a talented knife-thrower, it emerges. Hurling sharp objects through the air is real hootin'-tootin' fun. It's all zing, clang, thwack and before you know it you feel like a bona-fide cowboy. So much so, you might be surprised there's no horse waiting for you outside.

Western Skills, The Circus Space, Coronet Street, N1. For details of the next class, call 020-7729 9522 or visit www.thecircusspace.co.uk. Half-day course £35