A heroic stable hand saved a scared pony from a busy road by chasing and wrestling it to the ground after a crash with a car which then failed to stop.

Charles Burnside, 25, was taking Ragnar the young pony out for his first ever ride in a trap (a two-wheel carriage) when he says a car smashed into the back of them at the junction of Worldsend Lane and Church Road, Chelsfield.

The impact caused the carriage to fly over the head of the pony. The trap was still attached to the animal but upside-down and in front of it.

Mr Burnside was still attached to the trap.

The frightened animal sped off down Church Road, dragging Mr Burnside along and trampling him as it ran.

Luckily, Mr Burnside was able to free himself. Instead of seeking medical treatment the brave stable hand chased after the pony.

Mr Burnside said: “Everything goes so quick. The only thing in my mind was to stop him. I had put so much time and effort in to that horse. It was brilliant to be with out him on the road. So, when it happened all I thought was ‘I have to stop this horse.’”

The pony rushed down the hill and onto the busy A21. Then it then ran over a roundabout.

Mr Burnside caught up with the pony, charged at it and knocked it down onto a grass verge. Then he pinned down the animal to make sure it did not run back into the road.

He detached the trap from the pony. Before long Mr Burnside had the pony on its feet and was walking it up the hill to safety.

Chelsfield Equestrian Centre owner Jan Blumire, 69, of Church Road, is Mr Burnside’s employer.

She said: “That boy saved the pony and the drivers on the road from harm. I don’t think anybody else would be able to do what he did that day.

“His main concern was the pony but also that it didn’t cause any damage to the public.”

Mr Burnside has bad grazes and bruises but did not break anything. The pony has a lame back leg but looks as if it should recover. Both the pony and Mr Burnside are very shaken up.

Mr Burnside said: “I’m in a lot of pain. Everywhere from head to toe I feel like I have been run over by a bus.

“But I don’t care about myself. I’m upset that the horse is injured. I’m more bothered about the horse getting back into the carriage.

“When you have worked with a horse for a couple of months and when the horse starts to trust you, you have a bond with it.

“If it runs into the road and nearly gets run over you are going to be upset.”

Ms Blumire heard about the runaway pony and found Mr Burnsfield walking up the hill. She tried to take the pony so that Mr Burnsfield could receive treatment for his injuries but he would not leave the animal's side.

Ms Blumire said: “He absolutely loves those horses. When he came back with the pony he said: 'I need to deal with him.' He insisted on dealing with the pony first before he was checked out.

“He is a hero. Everybody who comes in here says the same thing. I don’t know how he did it, nobody does.

“That was above and beyond the call of duty. I wouldn’t have expected him to put himself in danger but that is what he did.

“We couldn’t believe what he was telling us when he came back. It is just amazing. We are all speechless.”

The incident was reported to the police.

He said: “I could have easily been dead and so could have the horse.”

A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police confirmed that at 10.30am on Sunday, August 20, they were called to reports of a collision with a car and a horse.

The car did not stop at the scene.

They said there were no injuries and that the incident was being investigated.