Natalie Portman narrowly escaped serious injury after she was thrown from the back of a horse during a vacation in Africa.

The actress was convinced she had become an equestrial expert after spending hours riding well-trained animals on the set of new movie The Other Boleyn Girl- but was given a short sharp shock when she tried to mount a horse in Kenya.

She says, "I sort of realised that the horses were really well trained because I was really galloping and got really good. Then we finished the movie and I went on vacation to Kenya with my family and we got on horses and they asked me, 'Can you ride?' I was like, 'Oh, yeah.' They asked, 'What can you do?' 'Oh, I gallop, I can do anything, really.' I got on and immediately was tossed off the horse."

"Usually, they make you feel better. 'That happens,' or 'That horse is kind of wild,' but they were like, 'That has never happened before.'" (IG/WNVLET/MT)

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