A WOMAN injured by a horse at Rivington’s Boxing Day hunt was left “shocked and bruised” by the incident.

The woman, believed to be aged 64, was airlifted to hospital after one of the horses involved in the hunt knocked her over and stood on her head.

The incident happened just moments before the annual Holcombe Hunt, one of the oldest hunts in the country, was due to start at about midday. The woman was one of hundreds of people who had gathered to watch the start of the hunt, in a field near to Rivington Barn.

She was treated at the scene by paramedics before an air ambulance arrived to airlift her to hospital.

The hunt went ahead as usual, but the annual parade around the field, which traditionally takes place before the hunt, was cancelled to clear the area for the helicopter.

The woman, who had a head injury, was kept under observation in hospital for two days.

Kath Smith, secretary of the Holcombe Hunt, said she had been in contact with the victim who she said was shocked and bruised.

“It was a very unfortunate incident and has never happened before — it was totally isolated,” she said.