A BABY had a lucky escape after a spooked police horse crushed the pushchair she was in.

The seven-month-old youngster had been with her mother on High Ousegate in York when the mounted police horse reacted to something and trampled her buggy, trapping the baby inside.

Miraculously, the infant, Eden Stockton-Wilde, emerged without a scratch on her but mother Kirsty Wilde, from Stockton, Teesside, thought she had been killed.

The 38-year-old said: "The horse impacted the pram and it completely folded in on itself.

"I could not see Eden at all as she was stuck underneath. At first she did not make a noise, I really thought she must be dead.

"If you'd have seen how damaged the pram was, you could see how unbelievable that she has come away from this without a scratch or a bruise."

Kirsty was visiting York with her mum, Sue Wilde, 65, and elder daughter, Amelia, 17, on Tuesday.

Her daughter is a singer so the family went to York to see if she could do some busking.

Nail technician Kirsty said they had been watching a street performer when they saw two police officers on horses and approached them to see if Amelia could busk.

They had just finished speaking when the horse was spooked, hitting the pram. Kirsty said her mother was pushed by the horse and it also stepped back onto Amelia.

She said: "The police officer was shouting: 'Stand back, stand back', and we were all screaming.

"It was absolutely horrendous. Totally, totally awful. It has shaken us to the core. I am still upset and shaking now.

"I still can't stop crying and didn't sleep at all last night, thinking what could have happened."

Two other people, a 60-year-old woman and an 11-year-old girl in a wheelchair, were also injured.

The horse was attending the launch of Project Servator - a police scheme to deter, detect and disrupt criminal activity in crowded places.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: "An incident took place in the centre of York on Tuesday at approximately 1pm which involved a police horse and three members of the public.

"The horse, which was from a neighbouring police force, was in York for the launch of Project Servator.

"A young child was taken to hospital as a precaution and has since been released. An 11-year-old girl and a woman in her 60s also suffered minor injuries but did not require hospital treatment."

Assistant Chief Constable Amanda Oliver said: "We apologise to those affected by the incident in York on Tuesday afternoon.

"Thankfully there were no serious injuries and North Yorkshire Police immediately replaced the damaged pushchair.

"Police horses are a welcome sight for our communities. They are highly trained to operate in public places for deployments. Incidents such as this are extremely rare.

"I understand that this was a shock for those concerned and I am sorry this has happened.

"Our officers are supporting the people involved while we carry out a review of the incident to establish the full circumstances."