A huntswoman has been filmed repeatedly striking anti-fox hunting protesters with a riding crop as members of her hunt say she may have been the victim of “extreme provocation”.

Video footage of the fracas, uploaded online by members of a Brighton-based “saboteurs” group, shows the rider screaming and lashing out at a masked man attempting to grab the reins of her horse.

The incident occurred on Saturday morning, during a hunt organised by the East Sussex & Romney Marsh Hunt Club (ESRMH).

During the four-minute video, published on Facebook yesterday, the blonde, middle-aged huntswoman can be heard screaming “get off my horse” as she strikes one protester multiple times.