British action man Tom Hardy was forced to face up to his fear of horses for new movie The Revenant.

The Dark Knight Rises star is known for his love of animals, but Tom admits he prefers to admire horses from afar as he has always worried he'd get kicked and die.

"I don't like horses," he tells Variety.com. "They scare me. There's not a call for it in London - not since the 1800s. We are used to getting on the bus or the tube (subway).

"I prefer dogs; they are a bit more manageable. I think horses are beautiful, but I didn't know any growing up. It's quite alien. They are so big and muscular. If they sat on me or kicked me, that would be it - wouldn't it? You always hear about people walking around the back of a horse and getting kicked. I always think if anyone is going to get kicked by a horse walking around the back of it, it's most likely going to be me."

Despite Tom's reservations, he had to get to grips with riding a horse for his role as a 19th century frontiersman for The Revenant - and it's a skill he's yet to really master.

"I get on a horse (for The Revenant)," he admits. "And now I'm doing a TV series that I'm riding a horse quite a lot (for). It's just the way it is. I wouldn't tell you I ride horses. It's something I've got to learn."

The new show Tom is referring to is Ridley Scott's Taboo, in which he portrays fictional 1800s adventurer James Keziah Delaney as he struggles to build a shipping empire. The BBC mini-series is due to air next year (16).