Sickening video shows South Durham Huntsman hitting horse with riding whip

"I have seen many things from the hunt but this incident left me distressed and appalled."

Less than two weeks into the so-called ‘hunting season’, yet more disturbing footage has emerged, this time showing shocking violence toward a horse. Filmed over the weekend (8 November) by North East Hunt Monitors, the video captures South Durham huntsman Richard Smith striking a horse across the head with a riding whip. Moments earlier, the same horse is seen being hit with a stick, a clear escalation of aggression as Smith repeatedly fails to control the animal.

The full video is available below.

Speaking to Protect the Wild, a witness from North East Hunt Monitors said:

“As a monitor I have seen many things from the hunt but this incident left me distressed and appalled.

We had been watching them in the woods prior to the incident and the horse had refused to jump a beck so he moved further along and it did eventually jump. I then began to film as I had a feeling he may do something, he forced his horse into some very low shrubbery and trees and the horse was clearly uncomfortable, as he came out of the trees he hit the horse with a tree branch then proceeded to strike the horse on it’s head with venom, using the handle of his hunting whip this time. The horse then reeled back in pain.

All I could do was keep filming and I felt helpless at that time, to see such abuse of a frightened animal was horrific and has not left me, I do hope this footage shows the public that even hunt horses do not escape being subject to cruelty by hunts and their staff.”

South Durham Hunt are on the brink

For years, North East Hunt Monitors (NEHM) have been on the frontline exposing the South Durham Hunt and other packs across the region. They are a small, highly committed team who have built a reputation for producing some of the most impactful evidence of illegal hunting and animal abuse anywhere in the country. Their work is relentless, often dangerous, and absolutely essential.

Founded in 2016 by former sabs, NEHM quickly became a thorn in the side of the South Durham Hunt. After two female monitors were held captive on a private farm for over ten hours by hunt supporters, the group vowed to put all their focus into shutting the hunt down for good. And over the next eight years, they did exactly that: hitting the hunt up to three times a week, gathering evidence, exposing kills, using drones to document law-breaking, working with Durham Police, and draining away the hunt’s land, its support, and its finances.

Their footage has led to police investigations, court summonses, mainstream media exposure, and a rapid decline in the South Durham Hunt’s ability to operate. They have pushed the hunt to the brink, so much so that the once prestigious South Durham has been forced into a desperate merger with the Braes of Derwent. It is a collapse entirely driven by NEHM’s persistence, courage, and evidence.

Support NE Hunt Monitors today

This latest video of a huntsman striking a horse is yet more proof of why NEHM’s work matters. It is only because of them that the South Durham Hunt continues to be exposed, pressured, and held to account.

But NEHM is a small grassroots group. They rely entirely on public donations to keep their vehicles running, keep drones in the air, fuel up for long days in the field, and stay out monitoring the very hunt they have spent years dismantling.

If you are reading this, we urge you to support them. A donation, no matter the size, helps keep North East Hunt Monitors in the field, gathering evidence, protecting wildlife, and putting pressure on this hunt until it finally collapses for good.

Their work is saving wild mammals. Their work is exposing cruelty. Their work is making a difference.

Please donate if you can.