The incident occurred in Birkhill, on the outskirts of Dundee, just before 1pm yesterday.

Mrs Somers was walking alongside her daughter and her daughter’s friend as the two teenagers rode along Dronley Road.

A dog startled one of the horses, which panicked and kicked Mrs Somers. Neither of the two teenagers was injured.

Emergency services found Mrs Somers had suffered head injuries.

She was taken by ambulance to Ninewells Hospital but her condition deteriorated rapidly and she died shortly after.

Mrs Somers, who lived on Constitution Street, spent her career caring for sick and injured animals and worked as a vet at the PDSA in Hawkhill.

Her husband, Craig, and daughter were being comforted by relatives.

Mr Somers said, “We’ve got so much to do and so many things on our minds, I would ask we be left to our own privacy at the moment.”

Mrs Somers’ colleagues at the PDSA were too upset to talk.

There are no suspicious circumstances, but Tayside Police has submitted a report to the Procurator Fiscal, as is the case in sudden deaths.