Horse escapes float fire on Vic freeway

A man has managed to unload his horse from a float moments before it burst into flames on a Victorian freeway.

Police say there was a problem with the axle on the float that caused it to catch fire on a freeway in Wangaratta on Wednesday morning.

The driver stopped the car when he realised there was a problem and unloaded the mare before the float erupted in flames and was completely destroyed.