Police have launched an investigation after footage emerged showing a saboteur being flattened when she was trampled by a horse during a hunt.
The female activist narrowly avoided serious injury after she was struck by the steed as a huntsman jumped over a metal fence in a farmer’s field on Saturday 11 February.
The woman had been monitoring the Cottesmore Hunt in Whissendine, in Rutland, when the incident happened at around 1.45pm.
The huntsman can be seen approaching the padlocked gate on horseback and asking the hunt saboteur to move out of the way.
He tells her: “Please come out of the way so we can jump it. I am going to jump it. You’ll have to come out the way.”
But when the hunt saboteur doesn’t move, the horse proceeds to jump the fence and collides heavily with the woman causing her to fall to the ground.
She narrowly avoids taking the full weight of the horse and escaped with just “bruising and some aches and paints”.
The saboteurs can be heard shouting after the horseman as he rides away: “I was walking away, you stupid a******e. F***ing hell.”
Hertfordshire Hunt Saboteurs has since passed the footage to police, who have confirmed an investigation has been launched.
The group claims the rider deliberately “ploughed” into the woman but the hunt says she put herself into the path of harm’s way by refusing to move.
The hunt sabs posted: “Sam Jones huntsman with the Cottesmore Hunt ... ploughs into one of our sabs while jumping on horseback over a padlocked metal gate.
“Statements have been submitted to Leicestershire Police.”
The Cottesmore Hunt said in a statement: “An experienced horseman, on a very capable horse, Sam assessed the situation, verbally warned of his intentions to jump the gate and requested they keep clear, he viewed his line over the gate and jumped.
“As his horse took off, it is clear to see that the previously stationary person moved, deliberately putting themselves in the path of the jumping horse, potentially causing injury to themselves, the horse and Sam.
“A horse will not intentionally tread on another being, and Sam’s horse, an experienced and very clever animal did his best to avoid the person that had put themselves in his path as he took off for the fence, however, a moving object is hard to avoid and unfortunately his feet made contact.”
They also claimed that, in calling an ambulance, the saboteurs burdened an “overstretched ambulance service” and “wasted the time of an overstretched service to create a social media-worthy story”.
A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said: “Officers are investigating an incident in which a horse ride collided with a woman.
“The incident happened in a field in Station Road, Whissendine, shortly after 1:45pm on Saturday 11 February.
“The woman did not suffer any serious injuries.
“Enquiries into the incident are ongoing.”
