London (Parliament News) – Two military horses broke loose in central London, clashing with vehicles during rush hour. Four people were hospitalized, while officials monitored the condition of the horses after undergoing surgery.
According to officials, two military horses that ran through central London after breaking loose during a morning exercise have been operated on.
The runaway horses, including one white horse, drowned in blood, and ran through the rush-hour streets of the capital, clashing with vehicles and resulting in four people being brought to hospital.
“There were five horses. They have all been recovered. Three of them are fine, two of them are unfortunately in a relatively serious condition and obviously we will be monitoring that condition,” the defence minister James Cartlidge informed Sky News.
Four of the seven horses, Vida, Trojan, Quaker and Tennyson, busted loose after being “shocked”, the British army declared in a statement.
How Are the Runaway Horses Being Treated?
Two horses were employed last night with one assigned to an equine hospital, it said, and the three soldiers implicated were expected to recover fully and return to duty.
“Our horses receive the highest standards of care, and those that did not undergo surgery are expected to return to duty in due course,” the statement stated.
A group of seven horses and six troops from the Household Cavalry based at Hyde Park barracks were on a comprehensive exercise in Belgravia on Wednesday at about 8.40 am when chaos erupted.
How Did Onlookers React to the Runaway Horses?
Astonished onlookers described “total mayhem” as five of the horses broke loose. Four service personnel were tossed from their horses and it is understood three soldiers were considered in hospital for their injuries, which were not thought to be serious.
Pictures and videos shared on social media revealed two horses running through central London. One crashed with a parked taxi outside the Clermont Hotel on Buckingham Palace Road, breaking the windows of the Mercedes people carrier. Another horse slammed into a parked doubledecker tour bus, smashing the windscreen.
Are There Any Long-Term Effects for the Horses?
Cartlidge characterised the incident as an “exceptional situation”, adding that more than 150 animals were on exercise in the capital each day.
“We didn’t want that situation to happen. What I would stress to you is that this is very exceptional,” he said.
“Unfortunately we have witnessed what has happened, but all I can say is the important thing, as you said yourself, no serious damage to the public as far as we are aware, and of course, we will be keeping an eye on the situation.”