Tracey is hopeful the dog and its owner can be tracked down soon.

Exmouth Journal: Milly riding Spring with Tracey in the foreground, just before the incident happened. Picture: Tracey Berryman.Milly riding Spring with Tracey in the foreground, just before the incident happened. Picture: Tracey Berryman. (Image: Archant)

The owner of a horse allegedly attacked by an ‘out of control’ dog has spoken out after the incident left her niece in need of medical attention.

Tracey Berryman, 47, was treating her 17-year-old niece, Milly, to a ride along Exmouth Beach on Monday, January 7, when a dog, believed to be a Hungarian vizsla, pursued the horse and its young rider along the beach for roughly 15 minutes.

During the incident the young woman was thrown from the saddle, falling five feet onto her side, and the dog continued to pursue the horse, a mare called Spring, until she waded into the surf.

Tracey talked the Journal through the incident, she said: “My niece turned 17 the previous day and has been riding Spring a little over a year and helping me out immensely so I wanted to reward her with a paddle. It was low tide so we walked all the way down the beach to Maer Rocks and around the corner where it was deserted. They had a few canters and a splash in the sea then we headed for home.

Exmouth Journal: Milly riding Spring moments before the incident took place. Picture: Tracey Berryman.Milly riding Spring moments before the incident took place. Picture: Tracey Berryman. (Image: Archant)

“As we walked back onto the main beach a tan dog flew after Spring, if I’d been closer I could’ve helped but my sister and I were walking behind. Spring tried to evade the dog by spinning to face it but it kept running behind her and lunging and snapping at her hind legs.”

It was at this point Tracey said she called out to the dog’s owner, asking him to call off his dog.

“By this time Milly had become unseated and Spring made her escape only to be chased right down the beach,” said Tracey.

Milly had to be taken to hospital and was left with ‘serious bruising’ and a suspected chipped hip bone.

Police would like to retrieve any footage of the incident and to identify and talk to a man in relation to the incident.

He was described as white, between 60 and 65 years old, wearing a green wax jacket, corduroy trousers and a checked flat cap.

Anyone with information is asked to email 101@dc.police.uk call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 quoting CR/2334/19.