A Tauranga boy critically injured when he was kicked in the head by a horse at the weekend is now in a stable condition in hospital.

The 12-year-old boy was leading the horse at Tauranga Racecourse in Greerton on Sunday afternoon when the horse kicked him in the head.

The 12-year-old boy kicked in the head by a horse on Sunday is in a stable condition in Waikato Hospital.

He was taken to Tauranga Hospital before being transferred by the Tauranga-based TrustPower TECT rescue helicopter to Waikato Hospital about 8.30pm.

TrustPower TECT rescue helicopter pilot Todd Durham said the boy was suffering 'very, very serious” injuries and was wheeled straight into surgery at Waikato Hospital on arrival.

A Waikato Hospital spokesperson says the boy is now in a stable condition in a ward after being transferred from the Intensive Care Unit.