This is the shocking moment a grumpy horse refused to pose for a photograph and took a snap at a tourist instead.

Lau Catalan was posing next to the brown equine at Alexa Edith Lower Farm in Bohol, the Philippines, when the animal suddenly attacked her.

Footage shows Lau standing in front of the grazing creature with one hand on its back on December 20.

Feeling the woman's touch, the horse unexpectedly clamps its teeth onto the elbow of the startled diner, prompting her to leap away in surprise.

Lau and her boyfriend can be heard giggling in shock as she immediately checks her arm for injuries.

Despite the fright, she did not sustain any serious wounds.

Lau said: 'We had just finished work and stopped at this restaurant for some breakfast. I'm an animal lover, so I approached their horse.

'I made sure to ask the owner for permission first, and he said it was fine as long as I stayed away from the legs, so I didn't get kicked. I was just stroking its head when, out of nowhere, it bit my arm.'

Experts said that horses have an incredible bite force capable of clamping and crushing. Even if the skin remains intact, the sheer pressure can result in severe deep-tissue bruising, crushed muscle fibres, or even bone fractures.