Shocking footage shows the moment a horse rider appears to strike their whip at a cyclist during a hunt meet.

Witnesses say the incident on Saturday afternoon occurred as The Kent Hounds hunting group rode along the B2067 Knoll Hill in Aldington, near Ashford.

In the footage, seven horses and riders can be seen on the road before one appears to strike their whip at the woman’s bike as they pass her.

It is understood the cyclist had previously engaged in a discussion with the rider on the road.

A spokesperson for The Kent Hounds says they are not aware of any allegations but the matter “will be looked into further”.

They added that if there is “proved to be any substance to these allegations, we apologise for any distress that may have been caused”.

The Kent Hounds had been out for its opening meet of the season, with it being reported as many as 30 riders were in the area at the time.

The cyclist was not involved with the East Kent Sabs, a group of hunt saboteurs who followed Kent Hounds members throughout the day and filmed the altercation.

Carly Ahlen, founder of Gabo Wildlife and a hunt saboteur, described the behaviour of the horse rider as “entitled” and “what we have become used to over the years”.

She said: “Hunt havoc is the result of being allowed to ride roughshod over the countryside due to loopholes and exemptions in the law. We need to do more to close the loopholes – and consign hunting to the history books.”

The presence of hunting groups in Kent has long caused anger among animal lovers, with it often being alleged laws on hunting animals were being broken.

Video footage of a pack of hounds, belonging to a different group, appearing to kill a fox was highlighted by hunt saboteurs as an example of such behaviour earlier this year.

Hunting of foxes with hounds was made illegal by legislation introduced in 2004.

However, drag or trail hunting – where a scent is laid and hounds and horses follow the trail – is still permitted.

The Kent Hounds posted on social media later on Saturday saying: “A massive thank you to all our landowners and farmers for your continued support despite the wet ground conditions. A super day had by all.”

According to the group’s Instagram page, it is a “welcoming pack in Kent incorporating The East Kent, Ashford Valley, West Street & Tickham hunts”.

A spokesperson for The Kent Hounds told KentOnline last night: “The Kent Hounds is a trail hunting organisation which conducts lawful trail hunting activities.

“The hunt officials are not aware of any incident taking place nor of any allegations that have been made against one of our supporters, but this matter will be looked into further.

“You'll appreciate that spurious allegations are regularly made to the media about hunts and their supporters to discredit hunting despite an alarming lack of evidence to justify such claims.

“It's impossible to identify the hunt, the location, the date, the context or any specific individuals in the video footage that has been provided. But of course, if there is proved to be any substance to these allegations, we apologise for any distress that may have been caused to those involved.”

KentOnline has been able to establish from the video’s metadata that it was filmed at 12.12pm on Saturday.

Police say they have received no report of the incident.