An anti-hunting saboteur confronted a horse and rider during a Boxing Day parade, causing the 'startled' animal to take off in front of children.
Cameras were rolling as a protester jumped himself into the road as the Kent Hounds paraded down the high street in Elham, Kent, yesterday morning.
Video shows the activist, waving and waving a sign, approaching the hunt while shouting “animal abusers.” Then she stuck the horses with her sign.
Witnesses also claim that another protester, whose disturbance was not caught on camera, threw a set of crutches at the following horses as they paraded down the road.
She then allegedly tried to throw herself onto the road but was stopped when Kent Police intervened. MailOnline has approached the force for comment.
An anti-hunting saboteur confronted a horse and rider during a Boxing Day parade in Elham, Kent, causing the 'startled' animal to mount in front of children
The activist, waving and waving a sign, approached the hunt while shouting “animal abusers.” Then she stuck the horses with her sign
Hundreds of supporters lined the streets yesterday morning as the Kent Hounds held their first Boxing Day hunt and around 65 horses paraded through Elham Square.
Dominic Coutts, 45, from Canterbury, whose horse was among those frightened during the parade, has criticized the protesters for their actions.
Although the square was 'full of people', Mr Coutts said it had been a 'calm, quiet and very pleasant atmosphere' before the saboteur tried to scare the horses.
“There were a lot of kids there,” he said. 'We had a very nice day. It only lasted a few hours, we were jumping and galloping and doing exercises.”
But he says the otherwise “beautiful day” for both attendees and participants was “tarnished” by the “few others who try to force their beliefs on others.”
“They shouted 'animal abusers' at us, which is ironic because they were deliberately trying to scare horses,” he shouted, adding that it “doesn't help their cause much.”
Mr Coutts said the Pack and police had expected anti-hunting protesters to come to the parade because it was a higher profile event.
'On Boxing Day [the sab groups] tend to recruit more people that you would never see all year round,” he said. 'They tend to be more militant, violent and noisy.
“Yesterday there weren't that many antis, but the protesters usually come to bigger events like this.”
Mr Coutts applauded police for their 'great' response to the disturbance and shared that, to his knowledge, no horses or riders were injured during the incident.
He added that his horse, which is “young” and only five years old, “reacted better than I thought” after being shocked.
The pack has been parading through Elham on Boxing Day for around 200 years, but this year was the inaugural parade for the Kent Hounds – a newly formed pack covering the hunts in East Kent, Ashford Valley, West Street and Tickham.
Hundreds of supporters lined the streets yesterday morning as the Kent Hounds held their first Boxing Day hunt and around 65 horses paraded through Elham Square. A horse and rider are seen during the parade when chaos broke out
Although the square was 'full of people', Mr Coutts said it had been a 'calm, quiet and very pleasant atmosphere' before the saboteur tried to scare the horses. The protester is pictured brandishing the sign she later used to hit the horses
Witnesses also claim that another protester, whose disturbance was not caught on camera, threw a set of crutches at the following horses as they paraded down the road. She then allegedly tried to throw herself onto the road but was stopped when Kent Police intervened
Polly Portwin, director of Hunting for the Countryside Alliance, yesterday called the protesters' actions 'incredibly dangerous and reckless'.
'This meeting in Kent was one of hundreds that took place on Boxing Day. The woman in question put herself, the horses, the riders and the public – which included many children and elderly people – at risk,” Ms Portwin told MailOnline.
“This incredibly dangerous and reckless behavior represents the threat that hunting saboteurs and their twisted minions pose to the public. Although saboteurs are few in number, they often try to cause trouble at these beloved community events, which can be terrifying for the many children who often attend.”
She has called on police across the country to “urgently tackle saboteurs” and “protect law-abiding supporters of hunting from their violent behavior.”
It is unclear whether the protesters involved in yesterday's disruption have been arrested or will face legal consequences.