A WOMAN was hospitalised after two 'out of control' dogs chased her horse last week.

Hayley Williams, 29, suffered a broken collar bone and bruising when she was thrown off her spooked horse as it bolted downhill.

She has undergone surgery and has been told it could take up to a year to fully recover from her injuries.

Mrs Williams, from Muscliffe, and her mother Katrina West, who was riding with her daughter at the time, are now calling on dog owners to control their pets around horses.

The incident happened at Sopley Common, a nature reserve near Christchurch.

Mrs West said they had just reached the brow of a hill when they became aware of a man calling after his two Bernese mountain dogs.

"What started out as a lovely hack together on our beautiful well-behaved horses turned into an emergency situation when we were chased by these dogs," Mrs West, who is in her 60s, said.

"We were at the top of a hill and could hear dogs barking at the bottom. As we went down the other side we could hear this guy calling after them.

"Hayley turned to me and said she thought the dogs were going to chase us and they did just that.

"Our two horses carried off down the hill and her horse stumbled and she went flying over his head very fast."

Mrs West said she finally managed to stop her bolting horse around half a mile away.

"The dog owner took Hayley to hospital, for which I am grateful for, but that is the least he could do," she said.

"He never left his details.

"He told Hayley that he had managed to get hold of the dogs during the walk but they bolted again.

"He was very apologetic, but he had control of these large dogs which should have been on a lead.

"My daughter has been told it will take her a year to fully recover. It is very upsetting and it is all due to somebody's negligence.

"Dog owners need to be aware that these things can easily happen and they need to have control of their dogs when they see horse riders."