AN INJURED police horse which was nearly put down has made a 'remarkable' recovery and is back on duty.

Thorpe Salvin's hind leg was badly cut when a driver tried to barge him out of the way with his car.

His rider, Jane Murray, had stopped the vehicle as part of a routine check in Sheffield when the driver refused to stop.

The horse's bone was visible and the ten inch gash required several stitches. Mounted bobby Paul Brown said the injury was so serious the force considered destroying the 11-year-old grey. He said his recovery has been remarkable and 'you wouldn't know' he had been injured.

Paul, based at the mounted section at Ring Farm, Cudworth, said: "He has come good, I have taken him now as my regular mount. You can put him in any given situation and he is 100 per cent. And even now he has no fear of traffic.

"His career was in the balance, we did not expect him to make a recovery into full operation. We certainly did not expect him to react to traffic in the way he did before.

"He was lame for several weeks but because he had to have stable rest his muscles weren't toned so we have brought him back into work slowly.

"Having him destroyed was considered because of the injury."

The horse was treated by vet Phil Dixon whose practice is based at Hoylandswaine.