A HORSE and its rider were injured after a dog "attacked" them during a canter in Radcliffe.

The 42-year-old woman was riding along the Outwood Trail at the rear of Asda when a dog — understood to be a Staffie — began jumping up and bit Bono, the 17-hands-high horse.

The 10-year-old horse was left with a dog bite on his left flank and is currently on medication to prevent infection.

His rider, who did not want to be named, sustained minor injuries including cuts and bruises after falling onto thorns.

Friend Chelsea Doyle, aged 26 who witnessed the incident, said: "The dog came chasing straight at us.

"I saw it come from underneath the horse. It was jumping up.

"My friend tried to whip the dog with her crop. It went underneath the horse. Bono bolted and my friend fell into the bushes and thorns.

"The dog jumped onto her back but then ran after the horse.

"The man walking the dog was trying to chase it but had no control over it.

"My friend had minor cuts, grazes and bruises and came away very sore. Her horse is very tall and it was a long way to fall. Thankfully she was not more seriously injured.

"But it could have been a child — that is the scariest part.

"When I finally found Bono, he was struggling to walk."

After checking that her friend was okay, Ms Doyle chased after Bono and eventually found him at Ringley Meadows in Stoneclough, where two men had caught him.

Around 20 residents on the estate were offering to help and asking what had happened following the incident at around 6pm on Friday, April 13.

Emily Myatt from Simon Constable's Equine Vets, which is situated off Ringley Road West, had spotted Bono and come to the rescue.

Ms Doyle said: "Emily went above and beyond on the night. She had grabbed a lead and some treats and followed the horse along the road. She helped take my mind off everything."

Equine vet Simon Constable said: "Emily is a real horse lover and owner and truly dedicated to their welfare.

"Working as she does in the equine veterinary industry she is only too aware of how dangerous a situation this was and it comes as no surprise that she stepped in to help both horse and owner. "

Ms Doyle said: "Bono was struggling to walk. His left side was punctured. He was really sweated up and panicking.

"I was shaking like a leaf and so thankful that I had found my friend's horse and that no one else had been hurt.

"I do not want anyone else to experience what we have been through. It was horrendous. Anything could have happened."

Ms Doyle hopes to raise awareness among horse owners. She also called for dog owners to keep their dogs on a lead.