An animal rights activist was left seriously injured after being “deliberately” mowed down by a horse during a hunt stampede.
Terrifying footage of the incident shows the moment the 92 stone horse smashed into activist Sam Morley, sending the 37-year-old crashing to the ground in agony.
Sam said he is lucky to be alive after the huntsman ploughed into him in Ash Magna, Shrops., leaving him hospitalised on Saturday afternoon.
The hunt saboteur had been monitoring the North Shropshire Hunt when he claims the group of around 15 to 20 riders "deliberately" rode towards him in a field.
Paramedics and police were called to the scene before the factory worker was transferred to hospital on a spinal board.
He has been left with concussion, a swollen temple as well as muscular trauma to his neck and upper back and has been unable to work since.
Sam, of Stoke-on-Trent, said: "We had been monitoring the to make sure they were not hunting foxes and I was on a public footpath through a field at the time.
"A group of around 15 to 20 horses galloped closely to us from behind at first, I guess in an attempt to intimidate us.
"If that wasn't enough, they then turned back around and started charging towards us.
"We are told to stay still in these circumstances as you can never second the guess the direction the horses will go and the onus is on the rider to avoid a collision.
"But this horse has crashed straight into me and I heard my bones crunch as it did so. I have no doubt it was deliberate and the footage speaks for itself.
"I lost consciousness twice for a few seconds. These are 600kg animals and it's like getting hit by a car.
"It wasn't a full gallop but it was going at a canter, I would say it must have been about 20mph.
“The impact just knocked the stuffing out of me completely,” he said.
"Paramedics were called and I was taken away on a spinal board as they were concerned about the damage to my neck.
"I had a CT scan which showed I had muscular trauma and I have been unable to go back to work since. I'm on anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers and bedbound.
"Police were shown the footage and I'd like to think there are grounds for ABH or GBH charges - he has clearly used his horse as a weapon.
"This isn't the first time this has happened either but it was the first time I've caught it on camera.
"It's pretty frightening when these horses bear down on you. They are bred for stamina and speed and they are huge animals."
Staffordshire Hunt Saboteurs released the dramatic footage on social media where it has been viewed almost 50,000 times in 24 hours.
The video shows how Sam takes the full impact of the horse while a colleague shouts out: "We've got a sab run over by a horse."
Sam can be heard saying: "I felt everything in my back and neck crunch. Where am I bleeding? It's all on camera."
A spokesperson for the group claimed the huntsman fled from the scene laughing while Sam was left stricken on the ground.
They added: "Thankfully the horses' hooves somehow missed the sab's body and his injuries are consistent with severe impact.
"The sab attempted to walk but fell to the ground repeatedly, at one point losing consciousness briefly.
"He was then able to walk for assistance and wait for an ambulance where he was told he was lucky to be alive.
"We believe much of the anger from the hunt yesterday came from sabs successfully moving hounds away from woodland where a fox had been sighted, which the huntsman was attempting to flush with hounds.
"Consistent pressure from local sabs and monitors has repeatedly kept the hunt from killing this season.
"Thank you to everyone who has wished our sab a speedy recovery.
"We hope he will be back in the field soon, and we will continue to work alongside the police in their investigation."
A spokesperson for the North Shropshire Hunt said: “The hunt is aware of an incident which occurred while the mounted followers were riding across private farmland on Saturday, 15th January.
"As can be seen in the heavily-edited footage, the rider involved was closely following behind two other horses and was unable to take evasive action to avoid the person who was unexpectedly in front of him when the two horses in front suddenly changed direction.
"The hunt follower was very shocked about what happened so reported the incident to hunt officials and they immediately returned to offer assistance to the injured party and also informed the police.
"The hunt wishes Mr Morley a speedy recovery and will, of course, assist the police with any further enquiries regarding this matter.”
A police spokesperson said: “We are aware of the video circulating on social media, and are carrying out investigations to understand if any offences occurred.”
