Melbourne carriage driver filmed kicking horse in the head

A carriage driver in Melbourne has been blasted online after being filmed kicking a horse in the head after it fell over on the road.

Confronting footage captured a Melbourne carriage driver appearing to kick a horse in the head after it slipped over on the road and struggled to get up.

The carriage hire service operates around the CBD and boasts “top quality professional service” and says the horses are treated with the “utmost care and respect”.

However, the temper of one of the drivers flared recently when one of the horses, Tuesday, fell over in the middle of the road and couldn’t get back up.

A video obtained by 7 News shows the carriage driver yelling obscenities at the horse as he tries to get it to stand back up.

“Get up. F***ing lazy b**ch,” he can be heard saying, as people gather around the horse.

“Get up”

The driver became frustrated when the horse could not get back up. Picture: 7 News/Channel 7

Witnesses gathered in an attempt to help. Picture: 7 News/Channel 7

He then appears to kick the horse in the head.

“Please stop kicking her. Please,” one woman says to the driver.

He then turns on her, telling her to move out of the way.

“Love, I know what I’m doing. Get out of the way,” he says.

Krista Knight, a veterinary nurse who witnessed the incident, told 7 News that she and other bystanders tried to explain to the man that Tuesday could not get up because she was still attached to the carriage.

She said the way he handed the situation only made things more difficult.

“It is completely unnecessary and all it did was make the situation worse,” Ms Knight said.

However, the driver’s employer Dean Crichton defended his actions and assured the media outlet the horses were well cared for.

“It was out of character but it was a very stressful situation,” he said.

One bystander pleaded with the driver to not kick the animal. Picture: 7 News/Channel 7

The man’s employer defended his actions. Picture: 7 News/Channel 7

“I don’t condone his language but at times like that help is better than negative comments.

“We do our best. The horses are very well looked after.”

The horse eventually managed to get back on her feet and it is understood she wasn’t left with any lasting injuries.

Tuesday was reportedly back to work on Sunday.

The carriage service’s Facebook page has received a number of negative reviews since the footage emerged.

“After seeing one of workers treat the horse named Tuesday after she fell was appalling, yet you support the worker for his treatment of the horse, kicking the horse and not caring that the horse couldn’t get up until it was detached from the carriage,” one person wrote.

“You as the company owner, you should of sacked this worker, where is your duty of care for the horse.”

Another added, “If you’d like to see a side of animal cruelty and horses being abused and kicked in the head, then this business is for you.”