A whistleblower claimed Household Cavalry horses were “so nervous,” were kept close to rats and also given dirty water to drink that eventually made them unwell
Household Cavalry horses were said to be “ready to explode” amid whistleblower claims they were shouted at, fed dirty water and kept close to rats.
The whistleblower, known by her alias Kate, claimed to have worked with the same horses for two years before she left her position at the barracks a few months ago. She claimed to have raised concerns about their wellbeing and the conditions they were being kept in.
Her claims come as two horses were injured after they ran amok in central London on Wednesday. The animals were reportedly spooked by construction workers and were later recaptured.
“The horses are so nervous,” she told LBC. “They are ready to explode. I don’t think it’s a healthy environment. It doesn’t provide what a horse needs, and space.”
She also claimed to have seen rats scurrying about the stalls, loose cables and that the horses were given “dirty water” which volunteers believed made them unwell. The former employee claimed the horses were “kept in stalls, and not always loose boxes,” which resulted in them having “very little possibility to move during the day.”
Kate added the horses would “only have exercise for an hour a day, and very little sunlight, often stuck inside.” She further claimed that horses were shouted at by soldiers.
Victoria Smith, a horse behavioural expert based in Somerset, raised concerns and told LBC: ““I really do not agree with the way they are kept. We’ve always know they are kept in stalls, not stables.
“They can’t have any grazing, they can’t stretch, they can’t run, they can’t roll. When I see them, they’re clearly very stiff -their heads are shaking and they don’t want to stand still. They are beautiful, majestic animals. It needs to change, it’s old fashioned and it doesn’t work”
In response to the claims, an Army spokesperson told LBC: “We take the health and wellbeing of our military working horses extremely seriously. They are well looked after, exercised daily and have 24/7 direct access to world-class veterinary care.”
The Mirror has contacted the British Army for comment.
