PROSPECT — A 65-year-old man was injured Sunday afternoon when he was run over by a horse at the Big Butler Fairgrounds on Route 422, authorities said.

The man, whose name was not immediately available, was flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital. The extent of his injuries also were not known.

“He was covered in dirt but it didn’t look like he had any physical injuries,” said Chief Frank Wilson of the Prospect Volunteer Fire Department. “I think they flew him out because they were afraid he may have had internal injuries.”

Authorities said the accident happened in one of the horse barns at the fairgrounds. The barns are used to house harness horses and show horses.

“He went to get a (young) horse out of a stall and it spooked and charged him,” Wilson said of the victim.

The man was knocked down. The first call to the 911 center indicated he was possibly in respiratory distress.

“It was reported that he was having difficulty speaking between breaths,” said Steve Bicehouse, director of county emergency services.

A Butler Ambulance Service crew tended to the man before a LifeFlight helicopter landed at the fairgrounds and flew him to Allegheny General Hospital. He was conscious when he was loaded into the air ambulance, authorities said.

Officials at the fairgrounds could not be reached for comment this morning.