HOOF you herd about the horse that ran riot down a high street at the weekend?

Shocked residents in Lewes took a double take when they spotted the four-legged beast galloping down Brighton Road on Sunday morning.

The free-spirited creature really began to stirrup emotions when it brought traffic to a standstill.

A stunned cyclist who caught the event on camera uploaded a comical three-minute video of the horse’s capture on YouTube.

One commenter on the video sharing website said: “Disgrace. The cars should have beeped at it going the wrong way – and I bet it doesn’t even pay road tax.”

Another joked: “Irresponsible. No driver and definitely doing more than 20mph.”

Cyclist Ace Bieler said: “I did not expect to see it. I was just out cycling and it went past.

“The horse caused a bit of traffic chaos which unfortunately I did not capture on video. It was just after Lewes prison as you arrive to Lewes from Brighton.”

Thanks to help from motorists, who stopped in the road so they could flag the horse down, the animal was eventually reunited with its relieved rider. However the identity of the rider is still not clear – nor is the reason for the horse’s apparent escape.

The Argus asked top racehorse trainer Suzy Smith based in Lewes whether she knew anything about it.

The trainer laughed and said: “No it wasn’t one of mine. I hadn’t heard about it to be honest but there are a fair few stables around here so perhaps it just nipped off quickly.”

A spokesman from Sussex Police said: “At 9.55am on Sunday police received a report that there was a riderless horse in Lewes.

“However four minutes later it was reported that the rider had found the horse. There were no reports of injury or damage.”

If you were the rider of the horse or know who is, get in contact by emailing news@theargus.co.uk or call 01273 544 525.