A HUNTSMAN repeatedly used his horse to push a hunt monitor into a ditch as she tried to film the hounds, a court has heard.

Exeter magistrates heard Artist Helen Weeks, aged 61, of West Coker, said she felt like a trapped animal as she was knocked down three times by the large white horse called Whisper.

She said when she next went out filming, she returned to find the body of a dead fox on the roof of her car.

Christopher Marles, aged 47, of Farringdon, near Exeter, admits common assault but is the subject of a hearing to decide whether his actions were deliberate or reckless.

He was with the hunt in a lane at Whimple, near Exeter, last March when he confronted Mrs Weeks and fellow hunt monitor Graham Forsyth.

The bench was shown videos taken by both monitors, in which the horse's head can be seen getting closer before there is a scream from Mrs Weeks each time she plunges into the ditch.

Arthritis sufferer Mrs Weeks claimed he repeatedly drove his horse towards her as she stood in a narrow gap between two cars. It's head hit her three times, knocking her into a muddy ditch on each occasion.

She said: "I felt vulnerable and he kept going backwards and forwards, trying to get the horse to push me again. I was telling him to get away from me.

"He was saying 'Whisper is a lovely horse, he loves you' and with that he pulled on the reins and the horse's head knocked me sideways.

"He seemed to be enjoying himself but it was very frightening. The rider laughed. I felt like a trapped animal.

"I had to go the minor injuries unit for a pain in my back and I could not sleep because I kept playing it over and over in my mind. It had a big emotional effect on me. I felt unimportant because everyone else rode past and nobody cared about what he had done."

Mr Forsyth said he fell backwards into the same ditch after Marles rode his horse at him.

He said: "The horse went at Helen like a missile. It went straight at her. It was used as a weapon to attack us and intimidate us. I could see he was smiling.

"I was shocked and flabbergasted and thought it was dreadful. Helen was shocked and stunned and crying. I think she felt violated.

"It was a sustained attack over two minutes. He moved his horse backwards and forwards about nine times. When he moved the horse towards me it came so close I could almost French kiss it. He said it was a lovely horse but it didn't make us less frightened."

Marles said he did not intend to force Mrs Weeks into the ditch and all three falls were accidental.

He accepts he was reckless in having his horse so close to them and said Whisper is a boisterous horse and he was having difficulty controlling its head when it hit Mrs Weeks.

THE case was adjourned on Tuesday for legal reasons. It is expected to resume on Wednesday.