The seven horses created havoc in central London after escaping and rushing down the streets, leaving onlookers stunned. An explanation has now been given as to how they broke free
Baffled members of the public looked on this morning as seven horses raced through the centre of London – with one of the animals seen covered in blood.
Ambulance crews treated four people in three separate incidents in the space of 10 minutes as the animals ran amok. The bizarre sight instantly prompted the question of how they had ended up loose on the streets of the capital – and it turned out they had escaped during a military exercise by the Household Cavalry.
Four of them are said to have thrown off their riders. Three soldiers have been taken to hospital for their injuries, but were not seriously hurt. Multiple horses have also been given veterinary attention after being recaptured.
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The horses are understood to have escaped during the cavalry exercise after being spooked by the noise of builders moving rubble down a rubbish chute. Two of them were seen shortly afterwards seen running in the road near Aldwych, one of which appeared to be covered in blood, and later near the Limehouse tunnel, before they were located by City of London Police.
All horses were confirmed to have been recaptured by around 10.30am, and have since been returned to camp. They have undergone medical tests, officials said.
London Ambulance Service said it received three horse-related calls during the incident on Wednesday. A taxi cab was damaged by a horse on Buckingham Palace Road, and the windscreen of a tour bus seen shattered a short while away.
BBC Radio 2 travel presenter Bobbie Pryor, who has experience with horses, described desperately wanting to help after witnessing two horses rampaging as she left Charing Cross station. She said: “It was horrendous – we all just stood watching thinking ‘how are we going to help those horses’? Horses being loose is a huge fear – anyone who has been around horses knows just how terrifying it is, they’ve got tack, they’ve got loose reins. The best thing I could do if I couldn’t catch them – and I couldn’t safely do that – was just to get out of their way.”
A photographer meanwhile described the sight of a blood-soaked horse running past him in the capital as the “most unusual thing I have seen in central London”. Jordan Pettitt, 26, who works for the PA news agency, said: “There were two horses which came hurtling past. The horse on the right, as I was looking towards it, was jet black and had a saddle on it. The one to the left, which also had a saddle, was a really distinct white colour.
“It had a really distinct red underbelly which we later found out was blood but it was so sharp and vivid that it seemed unlike blood as it was so saturated and rich. It was just two bright colours hurtling down this road and it went straight past me.
“It is probably the most unusual thing I have seen in central London so far. Seeing two riderless horses bolting down an empty A road in London is certainly unique and took me very much by surprise today.”
In a statement, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “A number of military working horses become loose during routine exercise this morning. All of the horses have now been recovered and returned to camp. A number of personnel and horses have been injured and are receiving the appropriate medical attention.”
