Here comes the Cavalry – and the chaos

Morning commute becomes stuff of nightmares as five mounts spooked by builders in Belgravia

Five horses from the Household Cavalry, one covered in blood, rampaged through London yesterday morning leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The animals bolted and threw their riders, made up of the Lifeguards and Blues & Royals servicemen, while leaving Hyde Park Barracks. The horses were initially spooked by concrete being shifted by builders in Belgravia. One eyewitness said: ‘It was like the Grand National coming towards me with four riderless horses at breakneck speed’

FIVE Household Cavalry horses, one covered in blood, rampaged through London yesterday leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

Shortly after leaving Hyde Park Barracks on their daily morning exercise the animals, normally a routine sight on the streets round the unit’s barracks, threw their riders.

The chaos erupted just after 8am yesterday morning, as the group of seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry, made up of the Lifeguards and Blues & Royals, were on an extended exercise in Belgravia.

Four service personnel were thrown from their horses and – in front of startled commuters, residents and tourists – five of the steeds shot off in different directions, knocking over passers-by and damaging vehicles. ‘The man hit the floor hard, he was screaming in pain. You could see blood all over the parked car’

In the space of just 10 minutes ambulance crews treated four people in three separate incidents in Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square, and at the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street.

Lt Col. Matt Woodward, Commanding Officer Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, later said: “A small group of horses were spooked by construction work in a quiet side street in Belgravia where building materials were dropped from height right next to them. The ensuing shock caused all horses to bolt and unseated some riders.”

From there they bolted into Wilton Crescent and then into Belgrave Square, leaving hoof mark indentations in the tarmac and damaging several parked hire bikes and an electricity junction box.

Emily, an office worker cycling on her way to the office, described the moment the horses bolted. “I passed them on Belgrave Square and gave them a wide berth because some were riderless and being led by the reins,” she said. “I heard them cantering behind me, but then it seemed like they were galloping so I looked round and what I saw was absolutely terrifying.

“It was like the Grand National coming towards me with four riderless horses going at breakneck speed with two riders behind them trying to catch them.”

She added: “I just got off the road. It was a complete nightmare and when they turned into Buckingham Palace Road I just had to turn away because I thought ‘this is going to be horrendous’.

“When I looked up I saw one of the riders splayed out on the road with people running towards him and another horse hurtling towards traffic. It was terrifying and not what you expect when you set off on your daily commute.”

As the horses continued their rampage at a gallop along Lower Belgrave Street and into Buckingham Palace Road, one of them hit a Mercedes Benz people carrier outside the Clermont Hotel, throwing its rider to the ground.

Bashir Aden, 48, a construction worker, said: “I saw a soldier falling down into the street after the horse ran into a car. The man hit the floor hard, he was screaming in pain. You could see blood all over the parked car.”

Faraz, who was picking up a client outside the Clermont Hotel by Victoria Station, described how a white horse smashed into his people carrier outside the hotel. He told LBC: “I was just sitting by the car with my passenger. I didn’t see the horse hit my car, I was like, smashed senseless, the people just came by my car to check ‘are you OK’.

“It was just like a smash, his head hit it very hard and then [went] down. I saw about three, four horses, and I think it was the white horse which hit my car.”

Another of the startled horses hit a parked tourist Big Bus coach, but was miraculously held by members of the public who managed to calm it, petting its nose and leading it away from the road.

Tyne Marie, 19, who works for Big Bus Tours, said: “It completely smashed the windscreen while the driver was inside. “He was not injured but he was very shocked. Apparently they lost control of the horses in Knightsbridge.” Elsewhere, the mayhem continued. Two of the horses were seen cantering up The Mall towards Trafalgar Square, before being filmed running through morning rush-hour traffic on the Strand. Robbie, a black cab driver, told BBC Radio London of his shock at spotting them in his rear-view mirror.

‘It was like the Grand National coming towards me with four riderless horses going at breakneck speed’

“I was just outside Buckingham Palace on The Mall and heard loads of galloping and looked behind and there were about three or four horses,” he said. “I looked in the rear mirror and saw them coming right up behind me, and at the time I had two punters in the back so I was worried about them.

“Luckily they swerved towards the middle of the road and carried on, but they were going at some speed.”

One of the pair, a grey, was clearly covered in blood, its hair stained red as a result of smashing the windows of vehicles it careered into.

The two horses continued into Aldwych, where for several weeks the Post Office Horizon Public Enquiry has been sitting, causing startled commuters to flee.

Tula, 28, a management consultant from south London, had just stepped off her bus when the pair galloped past her.

“I got off the 172 bus which ends at Aldwych and two horses went flying past. One black, one white,” she said. “The white one was drenched in blood from the chest down and they were galloping through the traffic at speed.

“People were stopping in the street shocked. The horses were running into fast-moving traffic and seemed terrified. Some unmarked police cars were chasing after them, which didn’t seem to be helping.”

In Fleet Street passers-by tended a man who had been knocked down as the horses bolted eastwards. The last two horses were eventually stopped by City of London police officers in Limehouse, in east London – five miles from where they had first bolted.

A spokesman for the British Army said: “A number of military working horses became loose during routine exercise this morning. Our horses have all returned to Hyde Park Barracks and are undergoing veterinary care. Three soldiers are in hospital receiving treatment – their injuries are not deemed to be life threatening.”

The incident came the day before one of the most important events in the Mounted Regiment’s calendar – the annual inspection by the General Officer Commanding Household Cavalry, Maj Gen James Bowder OBE.

This is the annual test of the regiment’s ability to conduct state ceremonial duties for the year. Ministry of Defence officials said there were no planned changes to the day’s events.