A horse has died after breaking a leg during a New Forest horse event.

Police have confirmed they took control of a horse on Saturday afternoon after it suffered a broken leg during Tracy Coopers New Forest Drive in Ashurst.

Sadly, the horse was put down by a vet.

The force has said they are aware of the incident and have engaged with the organiser surrounding any safety issues of the animals involved in the event.

A police spokesperson said: "We understand community concern around animal welfare issues and encourage anyone with information about criminality, whether related to animal welfare or any other criminal activity perpetrated by anyone, to report this to police in the first instance.

"Officers will gather evidence of any serious criminal offences reported to police and will take robust action.

"We ask people not to speculate on social media and to instead provide any supporting evidence to the police to assist with our investigation processes by calling 101 or using the report tool at www.hampshire.police.uk

"Dial 999 if a crime is in progress or it is an emergency."