Several runaway military horses galloped through the streets of London on Wednesday morning, alarming pedestrians, swerving cars and buses and turning a normal rush hour into a frightening, almost surreal spectacle.
According to the London Ambulance Service, one person was being treated for injuries after being thrown from a horse in Buckingham Palace Road. Media reported that the horses belonged to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, a ceremonial unit that parades in royal processions.
The ambulance service later reported that at least five people had been injured in three locations, from Victoria to Belgrave Square and Fleet Street. At 10.30am the Metropolitan Police said all the horses had been recovered.
The drama began shortly after 8am, when the horses were apparently frightened and threw the riders who were exercising them as they left their stalls in Hyde Park. The photos showed a soldier being treated as he lay on the ground not far from Buckingham Palace.
Shortly before 10am, City of London police said their officers had corralled two of the horses near Limehouse, a neighborhood adjacent to the city's Thames docks. This suggested that they had galloped across much of London, from Westminster through Covent Garden and beyond the financial district.
“We are waiting for an army box to collect the horses and transport them to veterinary care,” city police said in a statement.
An army spokesperson later told the Daily Telegraph that the horses had been recovered and returned to their camp. “A number of staff and horses were injured and received appropriate medical care,” the spokesperson said.
Video footage showed two riderless horses – including a white one splattered with what appeared to be blood on its neck, chest and forelimbs – galloping in Aldwych, a stately neighborhood south of Covent Garden. Their hooves clattered among the large stone buildings as pedestrians scattered, cars honked and double-decker buses skidded to a halt.
The white horse, with saddle and stirrups, was captured on video while galloping near Tower Bridge. Other images showed a double-decker tour bus with a broken windshield and a gray van with a dented door and broken window.
As the incident unfolded, the Metropolitan Police said: “We are aware of a number of horses currently loose in central London and are working with colleagues, including the Army, to locate them.” Police gave no details about where the horses came from, but the army identified them as belonging to the Household Cavalry.
The Household Cavalry, made up of the British Army's two most senior units, the Life Guards and the Blues & Royals, is a familiar sight at royal processions, from the coronation of King Charles III last May to the state funerals of his brethren. mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022.
His horses are trained to be comfortable on busy streets and around people.
Tourists often pose for photos in front of the horses when they stand guard outside Horseguards Parade, a ceremonial parade ground in Whitehall, north of 10 Downing Street. The mounted soldiers only occasionally scold visitors who get too close or disturb the animals.