A woman kicked by a horse in the birdcage at Tauranga Racecourse on Friday is in a stable condition in Tauranga Hospital.

The incident happened when the jockeys were mounting for race six out of eight for the races afternoon programme.

Kendyll Lee was leading her horse, Classic Touch, when the horse in front of her kicked out, striking her in the chest.

She suffered internal injuries including a cracked rib.

Racing was delayed as while ambulance officers attended to her, and another ambulance had to be called to the racecourse to transfer her to hospital.

Kendyll is not expected to leave hospital until later this week and she is expected to make a full recovery.

A spokesperson for the Tauranga Racing Club, Andrew Love, says whilst incidents like this are uncommon, it shows that when dealing with animals there is always some unpredictability in their behaviour.

'No one likes to see someone injured in this way and we all wish her a speedy recovery.

'The Tauranga Racing Punters Club also donated $480 to help with her recovery as she is expected to be off work for 2 – 3 months.”