Watch vicious horse attacking alligator at national park in Florida

Dramatic footage of a horse attacking an alligator in Florida has surfaced online. The alligator appears to be minding its own business when one of a string of nearby wild horses speeds towards it.

The alligator twists and tries to take a bite of the horse but he is not quite quick enough. The horse then stamps on him with a deafening crunch.

Visitors to Paynes Prairie, near Gainsville, were audibly stunned by the incident. One person can be heard to say, "just leave him alone" while another asks, "do you think he's OK?"

The 30-second clip was captured by Krystal Berry, hoping to see wild horses on Wednesday 12 April, while visiting the state park

Speaking to IBTimes US, she said: "I thought, 'This is intense. I never saw anything like this before."

She said that she was "still shaking" in the aftermath of the episode, said: "I didn't see any signs of distress for 'gator or the horse, but I did contact the reserve. They sent someone out, but I didn't hear back."

The video was viewed 200,000 times on Facebook and 14,000 times on YouTube within 14 hours of being uploaded.

The Paynes Prarie website boasts of "more than 20 distinct biological communities provide a rich array of habitats for wildlife and livestock, including alligators, bison, horses and more than 270 species of birds".

"We love that trail and we wanted to see some horses, and we did," said Berry.