Footage shows the moment a protester was held back after waving a placard in front of horses during a Boxing Day parade.

Members of The Kent Hounds trail hunting group went out in Elham, between Folkestone and Canterbury, when there were clashes with activists.

A video captured from the day shows a woman walking into the path of oncoming riders waving a placard and shouting “animal abuser”, before being pulled back by members of the public and police.

It happened during the parade through the village before the trail hunt had started, with a mix of supporters and protesters lining the streets.

While members of East Kent Saboteurs, a group that aims to disrupt hunts, were in attendance, a spokesperson says the individual involved was not part of their group.

They added: “Nobody knows who that was, but as it was a public demonstration in a public place, we cannot be held responsible for the behaviour of any members of the public who attended on the day, be they hunt supporters or otherwise.

“But with tensions running high, we would want everyone to be safe, so would not condone any behaviour that could lead to any danger to humans or animals.”

While fox hunting is banned under the Hunting Act 2004, trail hunting is legal and is carried out using an artificial scent which a pack of hounds chase.

Dominic Coutts from The Kent Hounds, who was riding the Chesnut horse in the video, said while the horses were spooked, the animals handled the disruption calmly.

The 45-year-old explained: “A couple of the protesters managed to break ranks and one managed to lunge into the road in front of the horses.

“She was waving the placard in the horses faces and actually hit a couple of the horses with the intention to scare them while shouting ‘animal abusers’ to the riders which is ironic.

“A couple of members of the public and police quickly pulled her in and thankfully the horses reacted quite calmly.

“One thing the video doesn’t show is that someone else threw crutches in front of a horse and tried to throw herself in front of the horse but was stopped too.

“It’s not that surprising for us because protesters tend to try and do something every year but it was quickly dealt with.”

Mr Coutts says incidents like this happen because of a stigma surrounding the sport.

He added: “We were trail hunting which mimics traditional hunting in that people don’t know where the trails are.

“It makes the hounds work much harder and the riders get the benefit of a nice day out in the countryside.

“It’s a shame we have to use police resources for what should be a peaceful celebration but we are grateful they were there.”