Five Household Cavalry horses running loose through London this morning (Wednesday 24 April) have been captured and returned to Hyde Park Barracks. They are receiving veterinary attention.
The London Ambulance Service said at least four people are hurt following this morning’s incident. An Army spokesman told the BBC three soldiers were receiving hospital treatment, but their injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.
A group of horses and riders from the Household Cavalry were on an extended exercise ahead of a Major General’s Inspection, which was due to take place tomorrow in Hyde Park. The group included six soldiers and seven horses.
The horses were reportedly spooked by noise from building works, Four soldiers fell off and five horses ran loose.
They are believed to have collided with several vehicles as they ran. Big Bus Tours said a horse collided with one of its parked buses but that none of their staff were injured.
Footage of a grey horse has been shared with what appears to be blood covering its chest and front legs. It was seen cantering along the road with a second horse.
Inspector Myles Hilbery of City of London Police praised the bravery of his colleagues in securing the horses.
“This was a dynamic incident and the courageous actions taken by police officers from our Roads Policing team prevented further harm and distress to the horses and members of the public,” he said.
“Police Constables Lucy Hawes and Daniel McKeown risked their own safety to provide first aid to the injured and anxious horses. They kept the horses calm while waiting for a horsebox and veterinary team to arrive.
“PCs Brett Daniels and Chris Wilson took over management of traffic control on the busy arterial road enabling PCs Rob Bray and Shaun Gurney on motorbikes to create a clear path for the horses to be safely led into the horsebox and escorted back to the Army Barracks for urgent medical care.”
“Our thoughts are with those people and horses injured in the incident.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed they had responded to several calls regarding an incident.
“We sent multiple resources to the three scenes including ambulance crews, paramedics in response cars, and an incident response officer,” they said.
“We treated four patients in total and took them all to hospital and have now been stood down.”
At around 5pm the British Army issued an update and shared more details surrounding the incident and how the horses were spooked. They shared their gratitude for the swift responses from authorities and the public.
More to follow.
Lead image is stock image from Shutterstock
