Kit Harington suffered groin injury riding saddleless horse

Actor Kit Harington lost interest in shooting horse-riding scenes after enduring a painful time on a movie set when he had to mount a galloping steed with no saddle.

The British star has showed off his riding skills several times onscreen, including during his time on hit TV show Game of Thrones and for 2014 movie Pompeii.

Last year (14) he revealed he had told his agent he wanted no more roles involving "swords and horses", and now he has revealed his decision was prompted by eye-watering bruises to his groin after a movie shoot.

Harington tells the New York Daily News, "In Thrones, there's saddles, but I had to ride bareback for a different movie and it's incredibly painful. Trust me, it's really not fun."