Two military horses that bolted through central London on Wednesday are in a serious condition and have undergone surgery, the British army has confirmed. The animals ran through rush-hour streets, colliding with vehicles and leaving four people in hospital.
Defence minister James Cartlidge told Sky News: “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 army named the four horses that broke loose as Vida, Trojan, Quaker and Tennyson.
The incident occurred at about 8.40am when seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry were on an extended exercise in Belgravia. Five horses broke loose, throwing four service personnel. Three soldiers were assessed in hospital for injuries not thought to be serious.
Witnesses described “total mayhem” as horses collided with vehicles, including a parked taxi outside the Clermont hotel in Buckingham Palace Road and a doubledecker tour bus. Cartlidge called it an “exceptional situation”, noting that over 150 animals exercise in the capital daily.
