Hunt for owners of horse left bleeding in the road after head-on collision with a car

Hit and run carriage riders who left a horse for dead are being hunted by the RSPCA.

The animal welfare charity is now appealing for the public's help in tracing those believed to be the animal's owners, after they left the injured horse at the scene.

The charity has issued photographs of two men it wants to speak to about the incident which happened in Great Bridge Road, Bilston, West Midlands, on Sunday afternoon.

The horse had been pulling a trap and was part of a procession of other carriages, when the incident happened.

Members of the public were left to help the animal, which was "bleeding profusely" from wounds to her front and legs, animal welfare officers said.

Meanwhile, a family travelling in the car escaped unscathed despite the seven-year-old mare shattering the windscreen and severely denting the Volkswagen Golf's front-end.

RSPCA inspector Vicki Taylor, who was on the scene alongside police, said: "The horse was lying in the road and bleeding where the smashed windscreen had cut into her front and legs.

"This was a shocking sight and she was clearly suffering."

She added: "When I arrived, the men with the horse had already left, dragging the trap away with them.

"Witnesses provided photos of the suspected owners taking off the trap and leaving the horse in the road."

The inspector added that although the incident must have been "a shock", she claimed the men had "abandoned" the horse to its fate by leaving the scene.

The horse, which escaped without broken bones, is now at boarding stables and should make a full recovery, according to vets.

Anyone who recognises the horse, or the men in the pictures are being urged to contact the RSPCA by calling 0300 123 8018.

The incident came as the charity said the number of horses rescued had reached a four-year high, with 1,000 rescued in 2017 and 928 still under its care.