Military horses break loose, rampage through London after getting spooked
Five military horses, spooked by noise from a building site, bolted during exercises near Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, throwing off four riders and causing chaos as they galloped loose through central London and collided with vehicles during the morning rush hour.
The horses from the Household Cavalry, which were being exercised for an upcoming military parade, presumably became alarmed by the sound of concrete falling off a moving walkway at a construction site in Belgravia, a swanky neighbourhood near the palace.
Five of the seven horses ran off and four soldiers were thrown off. Three soldiers were taken to hospital with injuries. None were deemed to be life-threatening.
The horses — minus their riders — then ran through main roads in central London, hitting vehicles and stunning commuters as they headed to work.
The horses were all captured shortly after and were back at the barracks in Hyde Park undergoing medical tests.
Witnesses saw one of the loose animals crashing into a taxi waiting outside the Clermont Hotel nearby, shattering windows. Another of the animals crashed into a tour bus, smashing the windshield.
Pictures and videos shared widely across social media showed two of the horses — one white, one black — running at speed between London’s historic financial centre and the busy West End theatre district.
The white horse’s face and legs were soaked in blood. A British Army spokesman could not confirm what caused the injury.
Megan Morra, who was on her way to work, told the BBC that she saw the striking image of the white horse with a head injury. “There was a lot of blood,” she said. “I was a bit distressed to be honest, looking at the poor horse.”
The horses are from the Household Cavalry, the ceremonial guard of the monarch and a feature of state functions.
The extent of the injuries the horses suffered were not immediately known.
In a video statement on X, Matt Woodward, Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, said about 150 horses are exercised every morning in parks.
“This morning, however, a small group of horses were spooked by some construction works on a quiet side road in Belgravia where building materials were dropped from height right next to them,” he said. He thanked emergency responders and members of the public for reacting quickly.