A truck driver has walked away uninjured after hitting a horse on a Hawke's Bay state highway just after midnight on Thursday.
A police spokeswoman said they were called to the crash on State Highway 2, near its intersection with Douglas Rd, Waipukurau, about 12.06am.
The truck and trailer unit had crashed and come to a stop in a ditch but the truck driver uninjured, the spokeswoman said.
The horse had died.
Police remained at the scene early on Thursday morning.