In what's being described as a horrific attack, a horse has been mauled by a dog at Tuapiro Beach in Katikati.

In a Facebook post, the owner of the horse says she was out for a ride on the beach yesterday evening, when the dog, 'totally out of control and in full attack mode persistently attacked her horse for about 10 minutes”.

She says a lot of people saw the attack and were horrified.

'The owner of the dog was present yelling the dog's name that sounded like Tivo/Devo or Tebo,” she says.

'This coward bundled his dog into his car and sped off. The vet has spent an hour or more stitching my horses face back together.

'If this had been a child on a small pony, they would have had no chance.”

Western Bay of Plenty District Council says they are actively seeking the dog owner but there is very little they have to go on.

'We are running a search of all names the dog owner was heard yelling that might indicate that dog is currently registered with Western Bay Council,” says a council spokesperson.

'Today we are trying to get in contact with people we know that have witnessed the attack.

'There might be some campers in the area, we will go and talk to locals to see if they know anything about the dog owner or anybody that may have seen the registration number of the vehicle.

'This is a very serious attack, it was prolonged and the horse needed intensive vet care.

'We are keen to find out who the dog belongs to and taking legal action against him.”

'We are actively trying to identify the owner of the dog to ensure there is no further incident and ensure the public is protected.”

The Council is keen to hear from anyone who may have information. Phone: 24/7: 07 571 8008 / 0800 926 732